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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  Disappointed - 2012 Hyundai Sonata
  By emlod - September 19 - 8:18 am

  I should have driven the actual car I bought before completing the deal. The steering has no road feel to it. Steering is dead. It tends to pull to the left. It is hard to keep the car straight in the lane. The car tends to wander. The turbo makes funny noises when I start the car. It has lots of HP but it doesnt feel like it until near the top of the shift point. I did not get anywhere near the milage claimed. I got about 26 mpg hwy and 19 city. Interior materials are ok but does feel like a cheap car that it is.

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  Great Little Car - 1996 Hyundai Elantra
  By Bcar03 - September 19 - 2:00 am

  This was my third Hyundai. Great little car for the money. I now have 120,000 trouble free miles on it. I hate to say it, but its time for a new one. I am going to purchase a 2002 Hyundai Elantra.

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  Amazing Space - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By tjkwest - September 18 - 9:03 pm

  On our first test drive I knew I liked this car a lot. The inside roominess was amazing. It felt l was in our Toyota Highlander. You just cant beat the value of this vehicle. Its truly fun to drive & has a lot more storage than meets the eye upon first inspection. The only thing missing is power adjustable seats. Otherwise its a great buy. I would highly recommend this SUV for anyone wanting a small to mid-size SUV without paying the mid-size price. I cant wait to take it on our first road trip!

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  Own 2 Velosters - 2013 Hyundai Veloster
  By piratenut - September 18 - 2:53 pm

  I drive a 2013 Turbo (had it 10 months) and my wife has a 2014 ReFlex (1 month). We love them both. The turbo is perfect for me. Driving in a "hill" city the turbo gives me the boost I enjoy. My wife is perfectly happy with the basic engine. Both get great mileage. We have already had them both on mountainous road trips of over 1000 miles. Both averaged over 36 mpg in such conditions (highway and towns). On a highway trip only hers got 42 mpg. As "seniors" we are enjoying the youthful styling of the car. Her ReFlex is a beauty with the extra chrome and the Ice Pearl color. The car is a great value for its price range. I suspect we will be repeat customers.

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  Great Vehicle - 2007 Hyundai TUCSON
  By roughacres - September 18 - 10:13 am

  We just bought the Tuscon and so far we love it. Smooth ride and the AC cools the car off in about a minute even in 100 degree weather. Fun to drive.

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  i love it - 2005 Hyundai Tiburon
  By chmuraman - September 18 - 3:20 am

  i fell in love with this car before i even had the chance to drive it. i ordered the special edition and had to wait for it, and it was worth it. this is a fun car to drive, and banging through the tight 6spd manual makes you feel like you are in a much more expensive car. i have been asked many times what kind of car it was, and the reply is always "really? hyundai?? i though it was itallian." mine is black and i had custom wheels and the windows tinted. very sharp.

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  great car at great price - 2001 Hyundai Accent
  By ozhan akman - September 18 - 2:00 am

  The car is excellent. Affordable, reliable and a great warranty.

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  Surprisingly, a great car! - 2000 Hyundai Sonata
  By weezmyster - September 18 - 2:00 am

  My wife and I bought this car to accomodate a new baby. Two door vehicles just werent cutting it as he got heavier and heavier. We needed a four door vehicle, but didnt want the huge payment to go with it. We searched and found this. Im a skeptic, but when I drove it, this car handled surprisingly well. It was tight, comfortable, and had all the room of a full size sedan. We love it.

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  Oops I should have got smt else,,,smt reliable - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By peter127 - September 16 - 9:32 am

  Had for a little over 2 years, lately I have been going to a delearship often to have issues fixed. Major issues I found were, engine wont start, thankfully I was in town. Front door wont unlock with a remote, I had to use back door to open front door last time I did that was ,,,,never ,,,Current issue, I heard a hamming sound from the dashboard, it actually felt like some one was mowing grass, honestly I rolled down my window to check. They said it was at the back of the radio unit and they took out the whole unit including gps. Guess what I am driving, a car with a big hole on my dashboard,,that could be ok but I feel it is not reliable. Better spend ur hard earned money on reliable car!

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  One terrific car - 2013 Hyundai Sonata
  By peter95949 - September 15 - 12:52 pm

  This is one great car. Hyundai has gotten everything right. I have owned 28 cars in my life including Mercedes (awful), Audi, Lincoln, Avalon, etc., and this Sonata does not disappoint. This my second Sonata.....the first being a 2011. The most noticeable improvement is the increased level of quietness. The 2011 had an unacceptable level of tire noise intruding into the cabin on coarse roads. The 2014 is almost silent on most city streets and measurably quieter at speed. Wind noise is non existent.