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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  Luxury & Performance at This Price? - 2010 Hyundai Genesis
  By Thomas - June 14 - 3:02 pm

  My last 2 cars were an Infiniti and previously, an Acura. I go through cars every 3 years by choice so Im pretty discriminating. After replacing my wifes SUV last year with a Hyundai Veracruz, we really fell in love with Hyundai. So when it came time to give up my G35, I was excited about the new Genesis. I looked at BMW, Mercedes, and Lexus, but like the Veracruz, I am shocked and overwhelmed by the level of luxury appointments, features, and performance that you get for the money in the Genesis. Family and friends that know how much I like cars were shocked when I came home with a Hyundai. But after one ride, I have many of them asking me for the salesmans name at the dealership!

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  Beautiful Car - 2008 Hyundai Sonata
  By SouthDakotaGuy - June 13 - 5:33 pm

  I bought this car used at a really good price. I was impressed with its handling on the road. The only problem is the ESC is worthless in mud and snow. I live in South Dakota and I find it to be a great car on the highway and in town, but would not recommend it off road. This car has great gas mileage and starts up wonderful.

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  Long-term Update - 2009 Hyundai Genesis
  By TNCPA - June 13 - 8:34 am

  Ride quality appears to be the most negative comment by owners. Replacing the Dunlop OEM tires with Pirelli Pzero Neros ) at (13,000 miles) essentially solved any harsh ride issues that I had with car. The change in the handling and ride quality has been simply amazing.

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  Honest Review - 2005 Hyundai Accent
  By jnall321 - June 11 - 12:36 am

  Ive had my car for about 3 months now. I got this after my 97 Saturn SL1 bit the dust. Overall I LOVE my car! About 2 months after I got it, an idiot on his phone slammed on the brakes and when I hit him, the bumper of his SUV popped my grill in and dented my hood. Repairs shouldnt be horrific. Exterior is great, love the rear. Interior is average. Nothing special. Tape player? REALLY? My 97 had CD stock! Handles very well, brakes arent super sensitive. Fun to drive! Fits 2 car seats very easily. Solid body-no flimsy fiberglass. Overall I LOVE this little car! I payed far too much through the dealer, but thats life...Overall very pleased. Great for daily driver!

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  21,000+ miles in 9 months - 2009 Hyundai Elantra
  By Jeff WV - June 9 - 11:57 am

  This is my first Hyundai, and I love the car. It is well built, and gets the advertised mpg. On the trip computer my avg is 31.4 mpg. I mostly drive highway. It handles very well, especially compared to its competitors, I love the stick shift, tight shifter, short throws. Very roomy, even for four adults. Low road noise, but the back window creaks when I go over odd bumps, like pulling out of a steep driveway. Otherwise no problems, and would definitely recommend. I will buy from Hyundai again, and would recommend the same to anyone. Did great in the snow for a low sitting car with low profile tires.

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  Hu - 2010 Hyundai Accent
  By Hyundai - June 9 - 9:06 am

  I just purchased a new 2010 Hyundai from Rock River Hyundai in Rockford, IL. I really like the car. It drives well. Its sporty looking and comfortable. I really like the option of extending the warranty to cover almost everything for 100,000 miles along w/ the powertrain coverage. I just purchased the car this Saturday so Im just beginning the journey. I worked w/ wonderful people at Rock River Ford especially Pat Carter so I have assurance of good people standing behind their product. Thats a good feeling. Thanks Hyundai for standing behind your product!

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  Looks Great, But..... - 2010 Hyundai Azera
  By shagnat - June 8 - 2:15 pm

  This is a great looking car. Performance is very adequate. However, the ride is horrible. I dont know why some peeps find the ride so good. Mine is like a buckboard. The rear suspension is so rough till I cringe every time I hit any bump. This car feels EVERY expansion joint on an Interstate. I dont know if Id buy another one at this point. It would have to be a vast improvement, otherwise Ill stick to my wonderful and dependable Toyotas.

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  185,000 miles and still going strong! - 2000 Hyundai Elantra
  By Blondie - June 8 - 12:57 pm

  I bought my car used in 2002 and have not had any problems with it whatsoever except the front middle console lid breaking off since I bought it. I have 185,000 miles on my car and have never had anything go wrong with it (knock on wood). I would highly recommend this car to any commuter. Best car Ive ever owned. If Hyundai made an AWD car instead of the larger SUVs Id go out and buy one in a heartbeat!

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  Good car - 2008 Hyundai Sonata
  By ckoolkat - June 5 - 10:26 pm

  I had an elantra before the sonata and have to say great cars for the money, no problems.

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  Experiance it to believe it - 2005 Hyundai Sonata
  By Mir - June 5 - 5:37 pm

  When my older son asked if I have looked at Hyundais I gave him a long stare. My 20 year olds need for a daily driver while in college got me to research vehicles. Went to test drive a Sonata and came home with it. Unbelievably smooth take off and stopping and everything in between. Handles like an expensive luxury sedan. Effortless steering, smooth cornering. The auto-manual puts you instantly in a sports rush. Superbly crisp sound. Oh and such distinctive exterior, jaguar like, without the Jaguar tag or nag. If I hadnt experienced it I would be still holding my long stare at the name Hyundai, continuing to hold my Mercedes, BMWs and lexus close to heart. But now Im a believer.