Overview & Reviews

A relative newcomer to the American marketplace, Hyundai is a Korean automaker with a product line that has improved greatly over the past decade. Hyundai cars and SUVs provide a high level of content for an affordable price, and are currently backed by one of the industry's longest warranties.

In 1947, Chung Ju Yung founded the Hyundai Civil Engineering Company. Mere months later, the outfit was bombed in the Korean War. However, the company regained its footing to distinguish itself as one of Korea's leading construction enterprises during the 1950s.

By the late 1960s, Chung had turned his attention to the automobile industry. The Korean government at that time believed that it made more sense to import vehicles than produce them domestically, and had made its opinion known. Still, Chung opted to follow his own convictions, and in 1967, he founded the Hyundai Motor Company.

The company quickly established an alliance with one of the industry's oldest automakers, signing a two-year contract with Ford in 1968 to share assembly technology. Hyundai's first car, the Cortina, was created from that partnership. The manufacturer's first car to be designed and built in Korea was the compact Pony (although the car was based on Japanese technology courtesy of Mitsubishi). The vehicle made its debut in 1974, and the following year Hyundai began exporting it to overseas markets.

Hyundai entered the U.S. market in 1986 with the introduction of its subcompact Excel. The car was an immediate hit, with its supreme affordability being a primary selling point. More than 100,000 Excels were sold stateside in the first seven months. By 1988, Hyundai had begun to produce cars using its own technology. The midsize Sonata was the first fruit borne of this endeavor.

Unfortunately, Hyundai's nascent image was soon tarnished by the poor durability and reliability of its vehicles. Sales tanked. However, rather than abandon the American market in the '90s, Hyundai chose to invest heavily in new product designs and improvements in overall quality and reliability. In 1998, Hyundai also purchased Kia, another Korean automaker, to expand its business and economies of scale.

It all started to pay off by the start of the new millennium, with the 2001 Elantra in particular showing massive improvements in overall quality, reliability and performance. Other models followed suit and the desirability of Hyundai cars increased sharply. Providing an extraordinarily long warranty period didn't hurt either.

Today's lineup is indicative of Hyundai's complete turnaround. Hyundai has a vehicle for nearly every segment, including the economical Accent subcompact, the popular Elantra compact, the midsize Sonata sedan (also available as a hybrid), sporty Genesis and Veloster coupes and a couple of stylish SUVs. Hyundai has also expanded into the entry-level and premium-level luxury sedan markets with its Genesis and Equus sedans. Having gone from being the butt of late-night TV jokes in the 1980s to a well-respected manufacturer of quality vehicles, Hyundai has created a very inspiring rags-to-riches story.

User Reviews:

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  My new "used" Sonata - 2000 Hyundai Sonata
  By G man - October 26 - 2:00 am

  I cannot say enough great things about my 2000 Sonata GLS V6. It has everything you could want in a automobile!! It is extremely comfortable, quiet and fun to drive! I am a true believer in the Hyundai line. I am not the only Hyundai owner in my family. It you have any doubts in the product go test drive one! You will be impressed!

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  best of the best - 1997 Hyundai Elantra
  By KENJI - October 25 - 2:00 am

  best of the best

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  Good car. Good value. - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By mcastro2 - October 24 - 3:41 pm

  I have driven my Sonata 2011 for about 15K miles so far. Havent had a problem yet. When I was in the market I looked at Toyota, Camry and Ford midsize sedan models. After comparing cost, features and gas mileage, the Sonata gave me the most bang for my buck. So I went head and bought a 2011 Sonata GLS. I have a long commute to work and have put nearly 15K miles on the car. I brought it in for scheduled services but nothing else. If I had to pick on something about my Sonata is that the engine has a rattling noise since the beginning. It almost sounds like a Diesel engine. I asked the dealer about this and they told me that it is normal and there are no repairs needed.

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  Great value for the money - 2011 Hyundai TUCSON
  By tuscky - October 24 - 9:41 am

  Hi, Ive clicked over 6 thousand km in this car now, and its been nothing but good so far. I took the top of the line model and even added the front and rear guards, and side steps. Anyway, Ive listed my likes/dislikes. For the money, the car is definitely great value and well worth it. I am a happy camper!

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  Way to go Hyundai - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Laspalmas - October 24 - 4:53 am

  I just purchased a Tucson GL V6 2WD. It is an amazing package for the price and it drove better than all the other small SUVs I tested. V6, Traction control, Stability control, 4 wheel discs, 4 channel ABS, mags, dual tail pipes and more convenience features than my Camry, all for 24K! And the best warranty to boot! Smart, smart choice. Just wait till the general public starts to notice the Tucson;... Rav4, CRV, X-trail, Escape and Tribute sales with suffer greatly, and deservedly so!

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  Its definitely a "sleeper" - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By Jay - October 23 - 5:01 pm

  I bought my 09 sonata used with 70k miles and have had no issues up to 96k miles during my ownership. Its reliability gives me the greatest sense of relief. For what it is, with its smaller v6, it really likes to show off if you let it. With good summer tires, and traction control off and in sport mode while manually shifting, on takeoff tires are almost garunteed to spin a little, very vocal. You can also get tires to spin in motion if you drop into first under 20 and hit it. No its not a performance car. But I have beat Mustangs, G35s, TL, Audi A4 & A6, MazdaSpeed3, and many other comparable V6s. Over 4000 rpm you can feel the valves open completely and a small surge in power. The addition of VVT was added in 09 I believe with direct injection. Gas mileage is great for all of this. And runs on regular.

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  Strong little car - 1997 Hyundai Elantra
  By Slick - October 23 - 2:00 am

  I bought this car after I crashed my previous car as a quick fix,The price was right and I figured it was a nice enough looking car. After a few days of driving it, I must say its a very nice car. I look alot better in this than I did in my old car. It gets good milage and has enough power to get and go if you need it.

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  The family wagon - 2007 Hyundai Veracruz
  By dan - October 22 - 4:50 am

  We just purchased a fully loaded Veracruz Limited AWD with convenience package and more. It was the most expensive car the Hyundai dealer had ever sold. It rides well and is very comfortable. My critique is that it is skimpy on the cupholders, lacks automatic adjustable rear seats, needs more storage nooks, the engine is noisy, and it lacks bluetooth. But it is a very attractive car, without too much fake wood, and a good value if you arent looking for snob appeal. And who can beat the warranty? I am glad there is no navi system since we have a Garmin. Its a deal compared to the luxury brand crossovers.

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  2002 Hyandai -Sonata - 2003 Hyundai Sonata
  By Interior Window desi - October 22 - 2:00 am

  This is a very well built car for the money.This vehicle has a very smooth and comfortable ride and an excellent braking system with a 6 cylinder engine.The average mileage recieved is 28 miles in the city and 33 on the highway. The interior came loaded with all the extras including electric side mirrors and power windows. The rear seats fold down for extra cargo space when needed.The Sonata also comes with an am/fm cd player and 6 surround sound speakers.Have owned this car since March of 2002 and have not experienced any problems.Am happy with my purchase of this car.

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  Dont be Afraid to Buy - 2003 Hyundai Sonata
  By bigstick9 - October 22 - 2:00 am

  After a lot of research, I bought a 2003 Sonata. What a great deal and what a great car. I didnt get to many bells and whistles so I got mine for about $15,000. It still includes lots of features other cars consider extras