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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  A wonderful car - 2009 Hyundai Genesis
  By Boxer - July 27 - 7:05 pm

  I was looking to replace my old bimmer, and I found a car that looked twice like my own. I thought it was a new bimmer. But, to my surprise, it was a Hyundai, out of all cars. That car I saw provoked me to look at the Genesis. I test drove the darn vehicle and I never looked back. I can say for certain that, like other posters, test driving the Genesis is a sure fire way take the Hyundai into your garage.

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  Great Little Sedan - 2009 Hyundai Elantra
  By sruczko - July 26 - 7:24 pm

  Open your mind and make sure you test drive a new Elantra if you are in the market for a compact car - like me, you may be pleasantly surprised at what you find. AMAZING value. Lots of room in the quiet, comfortable, well thought out interior. Predictable handling, confident braking, and more than adequate power and torque with the automatic. Unlike almost every other car Ive purchased my Elantra is rock solid and doesnt have a single buzz, rattle, or assembly flaw. I came close to buying a Honda Fit before I decided to check out the Elantra and Im so glad I did... this car is a keeper.

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  Hyundai still the best bang for the buck! - 2016 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid
  By kevin chung - July 26 - 9:06 am

  Looking for a good fuel economy car to replace the CT200h. Need 40mpg+ in NYC traffic (CT did 42mpg average); comfortable seat with lumbar support; and a full speed (stop&go) adaptive cruise control (best thing for a daily 2 hours stop and go traffic!). That left us with Toyota Prius Four, Hyundai Sonata Hybrid, 2017 Ford Fusion Hybrid, 2017 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid and Audi A3 e-tron. Prius feel about the same to our CT with less comfortable seat and ugly styling. Ford Fusion ride a little too bumpy and interior design seem old. Both Fusion and MKZ have nonlinear brake pedal that feels odd. A3 is of course very European while comfortable. Sonata doesnt drive as impressive as A3 but Sonata is very quiet and the ride is very comfortable without being floaty. A3 got kick out because additive cruise only available on Prestige trim which cost $46k+ msrp plus it feels even smaller than our CT. Between the Sonata and MKZ we were able to get the loaded Sonata Ultimate for $27500 while MKZ would be at least $13k more so drive home the Sonata! The value is unbeatable; 40mpg average so far; huge sunroof sunroof, cooled and heated seat + heated steering + heated rear seats, Android auto, much more usable trunk (no hump and a full folding rear seats), 10yrs warranty with lifetime on battery, and no more CVT drone!

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  What a Pleasant Surprise - 2008 Hyundai Sonata
  By Markd - July 25 - 8:30 pm

  Hyundai had a fire sale and I purchased the Sonata Limited with the I4 and no sunroof for $17,465.00. Wonderful car much to like. Great comfort, great price, great warranty, and you owe it to yourself to take advantage of the sale.

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  Awesome - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Sute - July 25 - 8:16 am

  After owning one for about a month now< Id have to say that this is the best car Ive ever had. Ive driven Hondas, Toyotas, and Mitsubishis and Id have to say that the Tucson is my favorite. Awesome job Hyundai!

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  Stus Azera - 2007 Hyundai Azera
  By B. Stu - July 24 - 8:48 pm

  Purchased this car new. Has everything on it. At 30,333 miles, Im getting 32 highway (doing 65mph) and 26 city on the 3.8L engine. This car was designed for the Korean executive market, and truly has an upscale look and feel to it. For the dollar, its a keeper (Ill keep it 10-15 years)! Do the research on this...you can applaud the Korean auto maker on a job well done!

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  Hyundais moving up in the world - 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe
  By Kevin - July 24 - 8:26 pm

  Although Ive only had mine for a little while, I can still say that the Genesis Coupe is a very impressive effort by Hyundai. Honda, Toyota, and even BMW are probably going have to sharpen their pencils in response to this car. After driving several competitors (and wincing at their prices), I stumbled onto the Coupe. Even if you dont factor in its lower price, the Hyundai is hard to beat: great style, good fuel economy (on regular gas!), just about every option youd expect (with the Grand Touring option), not to mention terrific power and handling - it all adds up to a great car. Ill admit that time will tell when it comes to resale value, but for now, Ill just enjoy it...

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  Dont look any further!!!!! - 2008 Hyundai Azera
  By Bill - July 23 - 7:19 pm

  This is my third Hyundai, my two others were Sonatas. I loved both of those but after upgrading to the Azera this is by far more bang for the buck than BMW,Lexus or any other high end car this size. Im getting 28-30 mpg on rural roads at 45-50 mph and 32-36 highway at 70mph.Powerful 3.8 ltr and great mileage to boot! Try and find one coming off lease and save big$$$$$.

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  A completely satisfying luxury sedan. - 2003 Hyundai Sonata
  By Sharrieff A. Jeffers - July 23 - 10:00 am

  This particular car has great features, good road handling, especially on the highway and around turns. The Sonata definitely has class and style complemented with luxury.

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  Very nice car - 2008 Hyundai Elantra
  By Very nice ccar - July 22 - 9:09 pm

  We bought this car from Hertz Car Sales for $9995+tax. We researched cars for several months prior to our purchase and were leaning towards the Elantra. When we saw this price, we went and drove the car. Wow! We were pleasantly surprised. It had under 25000 miles. So far we have had no problems. We love the handling, and at 70 mph on the freeway it hugs the road. Loaded with extras. It has a nice sporty feel. Consider this one if you are looking for a compact.