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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  Fun - 2004 Hyundai XG350
  By Traincat - August 19 - 10:00 am

  Very fun and beutiful to the eye. A car that gives the feel of an expensive luxury car without the high price tag.

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  Loved at first - 2012 Hyundai Veloster
  By ecube - August 18 - 8:25 am

  We loved our Veloster at first and driving it was a blast it handles well.Bumps are another thing you feel all of them,, The interior is well designed ,but wish it had a handle above the passenger door, but the back is way to cramped.. Even my golden retriever dosnt like the head space and he wants to go everywhere. The 18 inch wheels look cool but i think the normal size would give a better ride ,that our biggest complaint the second is the engine ,it has no power ,Everytime we go up our drive which is very steep the engine has started to moan ,This is what scares us the most..

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  Best Sedan on the Market !! - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By Whoa! - August 18 - 12:50 am

  Just bought the car a week ago. Very nice interior and moderate exterior styling. After researching many cars including Camry, Accord, Altima, and Passat, Sonata came in first on every thing on my list. Gas mileage is great getting above +35mpg on highways!! Interior w/ blue lights are luxurious at night. Very quiet and smooth ride makes me wanna drive all the time! Overall, Very satisfied with my Hyundai Sonata !

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  Sweet Ride - 2005 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Stedman - August 16 - 8:53 pm

  What first attracted me to the car was its looks.This thing looks like a mini Ferrari 356. Its hard to believe it was designed in Korea, and not Italy or southern California. I rolled off the lot - tax, tags and title for $20,300. Not bad for a car with every bell and whistle you can think of!

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  Great Value, but sedan was more practical - 2016 Hyundai Accent
  By Carolyn S - August 16 - 7:30 pm

  Its a great little car for the price. I had a 2012 4 door 4 1/2 years that I loved and the dealership had a special. I had wanted a hatchback. Found out after delivery the hatchback is 10" shorter than the sedan so I really did not get the additional space I was looking for. Gas mileage is less than the sedan, averaging about 28 unless I am really conscious of how I am driving and coasting (I have a manual stick) There is a bizarre film that keeps creeping up on the inside of the windshield that is driving me absolutely batty. I clean it and days later it returns and I cant figure out if the defroster, heat or AC i causing it. but cleaning the inside of the windshield always leaves greasy streaks. Very Bizarre. I had the Simonez coating put in and on the car. not impressed by that - ended up putting seat covers on it anyway and its the only logical cause I can think of for the film being greasy. Sluggish acceleration. Pretty much get what you pay for. I did get the bumper to bumper warranty for 100,000 miles over the 50,000. I wish I had gotten it on the 2012 instead. I probably would have held onto the 2012 longer had the warranty not run out. This has less rearview visibility because of the tiny hatchback window. I had driven the 12 63,000 and loved it. This turns tight, stops on a dime, great for parking in small spaces but interior space is disappointing. Car is comfortable, AC is very cold, heat is great. Stops, goes great.

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  2002 XG350 - 2002 Hyundai XG350
  By Peter - August 16 - 7:26 am

  We were looking for a new car with a good warranty. My wife fell in love with this car and that was it. The 60000 mile or 5 year warranty and 100000 mile drive train warranty were major reasons for purchase. I have received numerous compliments about this car. It is a very comfortable ride with beautiful interior features. Luxury cars costing many thousands more dollars are no better than the XG350 as far as I am concerned.

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  Entry-level lux at a great price - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By emorse - August 16 - 12:53 am

  After 40 years of stick shifts, I was ready for a car that was comfortable and fun to drive. While not a performance car, I still look forward every day to my 50-mile round trip commute. In fact, it seems short now, since I enjoy driving the car so much. Its had no problems and I expect it to be reliable for many years. I have about 11,000 miles on it, and the ride is smooth and quiet.

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  One of the best balanced Midsize sedans - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By Moocow1 - August 15 - 8:50 pm

  This is the car to get if you want an extremely cost efficient mid-size car. Hyundai improved the interior majorly over the original 2008 model. The seats are more comfortable, the controls are almost perfect. The engine and powertrain are great with a 5 speed auto matched to a PZEV 2.4L. This is certainly not the most sporty car, but it has plenty of power for a 4 banger. Highly recommended over almost any other mid or compact sedan.

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  Love - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Vanessa Carpenter - August 15 - 10:41 am

  I love my Hyundai Santa Fe I have had it for about 5 months so far and never have had a problem. I hesitated when buying because I didnt know much about them but I can say I am very glad I choose it. I know all cars have there ups and downs and there are good ones and bad ones. I have to say I got luck I purchased my 2002 with 123,000 miles on it and she has ran perfect for me. One thing I would like to give this car props on is the four wheel drive I go any where in the snow I live in Ohio.

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  Love looks, could be built better - 2007 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Rae - August 15 - 4:03 am

  The car looks awesome, but I have had problems with it. First off it has rust spots on the hood and Hyundai said they are not responsible for it.Poor paint job. A year in a half into owning it, the clutch went out on me. The dealer asked me if it was my first stick shift car and I told him NO!!He then proceeded to tell me that I must not be driving it right and that I must be riding the clutch too much. I learned how to drive on a manual! It only had a lil less then 15,000 miles on it. After I talked to my mechanic and he told me there was no way that I ruined the clutch and the fly wheel and I informed the dealer of the poor reviews on the clutch, I got it fixed under warranty.