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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  Bad Rack and Pinion - 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Anthony Lupo - February 4 - 5:33 pm

  Had to replace rack and pinion three times. Also, inside door liners, had to replace rubber twice. For all those who own this vehicle, make sure you have the rack and pinion checked. If the steering wheel doesnt stay straight once its aligned, it could be your rack and pinion.

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  Great Car - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By Scott - February 4 - 3:06 pm

  After much research, this is by far the best car in its class for value, quality, warranty, and standard features. The ride is excellent, tight road hugging suspension and great handling. The 2.4L engine is surprisingly strong and much easier on gas than the V6. Interior is quiet, very pleasing to the eye. All electronics are well placed and easy to see. Leather seats are very comfortable. Exterior has great lines with chrome accents and the cocoa metallic finish is beautiful in the sunlight. The 17" wheels and low profile tires are a great accent. Trunk space is huge and rear seats fold down with access to the trunk. Nice headroom in rear. Great savings with CARS and rebates

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  ENGINE issues . - 2015 Hyundai Sonata
  By Mohammed Khan - February 4 - 7:15 am

  2015 Hyundai Sonata >>>>>>>THE WORST NEW CAR EVER. DONT BUY. (ONE START TO POST THIS). NEW CAR has 7k miles NEW to replace engine.

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  Nice car - 2003 Hyundai XG350
  By Chazz - February 3 - 2:00 am

  Nice look inside and out with quality finish. Has good safety features. Long list of standard features. Good performance.

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  WOW..BUT!!!! - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By njspeedo - February 3 - 2:00 am

  I FEEL THIS SHOULD BE SUV OF THE YEAR.GET ALL YOU WANT AND MORE FOR AT LEAST $10,000 LESS THAN SOME COMPETITION. THIS IS ONE OF THE FEW CARS NOW THAT ARE IN DEMAND. WHY NOT WITH ALL YOU GET. BUT IM AVERAGING LESS THAN 17MPG AVERAGE??????( ANY OTHERS HAVING THIS PROBLEM?)

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  Great van - 2007 Hyundai Entourage
  By Glenn R. Gish - February 1 - 5:40 pm

  Few problems. Brake light staying on and hard to turn off. Been in the shop on a recall, but problen is intermittent. Fails with me but worked OK at shop. Some engine noise, but all in all, a great Van. Should have GPS

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  Drive them all and compare! - 2007 Hyundai Veracruz
  By gogo - January 31 - 9:00 pm

  Just passed 2000 miles, and all has been super smooth sailing with this vehicle. I am still excited every time I drive it. I have yet to hear a squeal or rattle and I have very sensitive ears. Its like the outside world disappears. I dont have a top of the line model, but this car has an amazing list of standard items.I was actually considering the Santa Fe, but the 3rd row in that model was my only issue. I dont think I could buy more car elsewhere.3rd row is very usable and everything is laid out conveniently. Turn radius is better than all others I tested. No cheap plastic here. Others I drove were Pilot, Highlander,Vue,Outlook,Santa Fe,Rav4,CRV,Sorento,CX6,for 24k$ I feel this is the best

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  2011 SONATA GLS 88K MILES EMVINE SEIZED - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By Melissa - January 31 - 8:07 pm

  Besides the countless amount of recalls. Two weeks ago driving in the highway the car engine seized no warning signs at all. Thank goodness i was able to get the car off to the side w 2 children in the car. The warranty doesnt cover it because Im the 2nd owner. Which is frustrating bc the internet is full of the same compliant. Damn even the mechanic said it was the 4th one he seen in a month same issue. Obviously its a defect Hyundai should stand up and help their customers. Car is sitting at dealers and I still owe 2 more years

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  Very pleased - 2000 Hyundai Sonata
  By Wisconsin driver - January 31 - 4:54 pm

  My wife and I have owned our GLS for 2 years now. We have had absolutely no problems. We are very pleased, to say the least. We were looking at the Camry and Accord, but opted for the Sonata. We could not be happier.

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  Impressive price and value - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
  By Henry Semple - January 31 - 6:56 am

  I bought this car several weeks ago and have been driving it in a variety of different ways. I commute 25 miles each way on the highway for work and live in a densely populated city. The GT versions suspension and interior touches make longer highway drives pleasent and comftorble. In the city it handles well also but MPG suffers and becomes very average for its class. Also the visibility in the rear of the hatchback version is not as good as other hatchbacks I have driven. The engine is quick to respond from a stop but it seems you really have to lead foot it to get brisk accelleration at moderate speeds. Chose auto over manual after not liking the shift range and clutch.