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:

• 

  Pretty awesome! - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By James - April 28 - 11:26 am

  Dont believe the poor mpg rating from those other reviewers. Theyre crazy. Im getting 30 mpg with a 50/50 mix of city and freeway! And easily over 35 on freeway. I love all the features: the bluetooth, heated seats, autodimming mirror, excellent cruise control system, smooth AND rather quiet ride, beautifully blue-lighted interior, lots of digital gauge info, nice sound system, sunroof, super gas mileage, push-button ignition (way cool), leather seats (could be a little softer), XM radio, and the occasional gawks and nice comments about the good looks of the vehicle. Oh, and I paid under 25K!

• 

  Second Day - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By gary - April 28 - 11:06 am

  I just picked up my new Sonata GLS in slate blue yesterday, and will admit that I bought it to save money, having traded down from a G35 with 95k miles. I looked at compact cars and quickly discovered they were too small. Then looked at the Accord Camry and Sonata. Found the Accord in cloth uncomfortable and in leather too pricey. The Camry was an excellent ride and very comfortable and decided to shop Sonata against it. I found the Sonata with virtually the same ride, a bit less comfortable with a high level of content and great layout and space. The clincher was the price - a full 5 grand less than Camry. Thought I might have 2nd day remorse, but enjoyed cruising with AC and the XM today.

• 

  Great Rental - 2016 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid
  By jed - April 28 - 4:34 am

  Rented in Albuquerque and driven 600 miles in Santa Fe , Taos , mountains and city. Averaged 42 MPG. Performance met expectations. Made me want to buy one except I want a minivan ie Subaru Forester. Give me this in a Forester and I would buy it today.

• 

  So far so good - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By Tom - April 26 - 9:36 pm

  Very nice car, V6 is powerful and quiet. Reliability is a little to new too rate but appears to be very good. Best value out there.

• 

  BEST SUV - 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By RASCAL - April 26 - 7:40 pm

  THIS IS ONE OF THE BEST SUVS ON THE MARKET. IT HAS ONE OF THE HIGHEST GROUND CLEARANCE. THE ONLY THING THAT IS HIGHER IS A FORD EXPEDITION AND ONLY BY .5 INCHES. THIS IS ONE FUN SUV TO DRIVE.

• 

  Great Value, Design and Build Quality - 2010 Hyundai Veracruz
  By OCCruz - April 25 - 9:30 pm

  We looked at them all and you wont find another SUV in this class that gives you a better value. Reminds me of a slightly bigger Lexus RX350 for about $8K less.

• 

  Lots of car for the buck - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
  By Steven - April 25 - 5:20 pm

  I love my hyundai , not the best resale value but everything else you need is there, I have a 5- spd man. and they are very peppy for a 2 liter. The warranty sells the car , I dont regret buying it at all close to 40 mpg , i commute and it saves me lots in gas.

• 

  Fun New Car - 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Todd - April 25 - 5:10 pm

  I have driven friends Sante Fe for a year. we just bought one love it

• 

  Love the Azera - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By Christy - April 24 - 4:20 am

  This is a great car....very comfortable and fun to drive. It is smooth, quiet, and loaded with features. I like the sound system, power seats, tilt steering, auto lights, rain sensing wipers, etc. etc. I recommend this vehicle to anyone who wants a car with wonderful fit and finish at a reasonable price.

• 

  Hyundai Elantra - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By SteveSwims1984 - April 24 - 2:00 am

  I bought this car in July of 2003 and three days later I went on an 1800 mile road trip to NH. During the time I was amazed with the fuel economy and the quiet and ride comfort in a car that was less than 15,000 dollars with all the options. Some of my favorite features on the car include the comfortable seats, the knob on the 5-speed, and the cool blue lit dials for the speedometer and tachometer.