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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  STEER CLEAR !!!!!!!! - 1994 Hyundai Elantra
  By princess - July 12 - 2:00 am

  I bought this car with 60,000 miles. Immediatly the transmission went out. Soon after the back doors broke and wouldnt open from the inside or outside. Being a single mom that killed the convience of having a four door. I will never buy one of these cars again nor would i recommned it to my worst enemy.

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  Hyundai - 2007 Hyundai Azera
  By halldw - July 10 - 4:53 pm

  Awesome car. Loaded with features for a fracation of the price of other sedans.

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  Last hyundia I"ll ever buy - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By torres123 - July 10 - 10:00 am

  So I got this new when it first hit the market back in April. I wanted to wait a while until I left a review. Im so happy I did! So about two months ago the light in the instrument show a key keep lighting up. So I replaced the batteries in the remotes. Before I replaced the batteries the car wouldnt start at times. I thought maybe its because of the battery. Little did I know it was a bigger problem. So the car been in the shop twice. They replaced the the starter remote and keys. So I went to pick it up, and within two days in wouldnt start again! So I called consumer affairs to report my problem. It took 10 days to get back to me. Can somebody say lemon!

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  NOT SO GREAT AFTER ALL !!! - 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By MAZZ - July 10 - 9:43 am

  Dont be fooled by the 10 warranty!!!! It b-- s---...... Dealers say " I cant duplicate the problem... Are you kidding me, I am in the car with the tech and he cant feel the vibration, noise, and twisting of the steering...I was floored. The ride is rough...And steering is light....I have 68k miles, and I am disappointed.... I need new tires after 40k miles (have firestones) now (not cheap tires). I have had nothing but issues - front suspension...

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  Dropped a Jag for a Hyundaiot - 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe
  By GenCoupeLover - July 10 - 7:23 am

  Until I test drove this car, I couldnt imagine buying a Hyundai. But as soon as I got behind the wheel, I fell in love. Being Hyundais first rear-wheel drive car, their first real sports car (Scoupe/Tiburon dont count), I expected a lot less. The turbo gives the car a "peppy" feel you dont get with the V6. The exterior styling is unique and almost exotic. You could probably slap an Aston, Infiniti, or Lotus badge on it and it wouldnt look out of place. Road trips are a blast -- its quieter than my Jaguar X-Type, and it handles like an M3. This is by far my favorite car Ive ever had.

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  Wow! So this is a Hyundai???? - 2001 Hyundai Sonata
  By Dallen47 - July 10 - 2:00 am

  2 years ago, I wouldnt have even looked at one!!! Good marketing raised my curiosity. All I can say is WOW!!! Test drive revealed a well made, quiet and peppy vehicle. I bought the 4 cylinder and took it to Florida. 33MPG??? Im in heaven. Only flaw was a distorted side view mirror. One trip to the dealer and it was fixed- free!! Every time I drive it (wifes car), I marvel "I cant believe this is a Hyundai. Now have 13,000 miles and its still as tight and quiet as the day I bought it.

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  Nice Car - steering a little tricky - 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By rtown1 - July 9 - 3:23 pm

  Had the car for 2 weeks. The steering can be a little scary until you get used to it. Other than that it is a really nice car. Lots of pep, comfortable ride and 22.8 MPG.

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  Most Good, with some quirks - 2017 Hyundai Sonata
  By JWL - July 9 - 1:20 pm

  Pros: smooth drive train, great seats, overall pleasantness Quirks: engine isolation not the best - small engine vibration noticeable, stereo drops iphone bluetooth connection fairly often, wanders down the road a bit at 75+ (vs. prior Volkswagen Passat), regular stereo a little tinny - no speakers in front doors, only on dash, trunk has to be slammed, lots of little chirping noises and songs, using navigation with apple carplay means not listening to the radio (the limited does not come with built-in nav unless additional option package selected), stereo to me seems a little complicated (again, compared to VW Passat). Overall great car and happy with it, just a little quirky.

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  kudos hyundai - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By anish - July 9 - 11:10 am

  great car, very quiet, has a nice and clean feel on the inside, smooth ride,very spacious front and rear seats, gr8 lookin headlights, lots of trunk space. it is an excellent car for families with need of space and who are on budget.

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  Love my new Sonata! - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By shetryed2 - July 6 - 8:06 pm

  I traded in my 2008 Sonata SE for this new 2011 Sonata SE. What a difference! The 08 Sonata was a good reliable vehicle. The new on is all that plus beautiful to look at with additional features (Bluetooth, IPod jack, 18 in tires, keyless entry) that make this a real pleasure to own and drive. Definitely a great decision, to upgrade to this vehicle.