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:

• 

  Cant get more for the money - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By nyt - December 4 - 10:00 am

  Its a new purchase, and after only a few days, I couldnt be more pleased! Everything is above my expectations.

• 

  Wonderful Vehicle!!! - 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Suzie - December 4 - 8:26 am

  I have always been a Hyundai customer. I bought my first one when I turned 18 and have been a customer ever since. I am more than impressed with the styling and performance of the Santa Fe. I have told everyone I know what a great value this car is. I love it!!!

• 

  Dollar for dollar, no other cars can compare - 2017 Hyundai Elantra
  By Dale Rice - December 4 - 7:24 am

  Its very simple, any car that has a 100,000 mile and/or 10 year warranty, is not building junk. They have the customers interest at hand.

• 

  Not trouble free - 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By JML - December 4 - 5:36 am

  Like the ride and performance. Fuel economy very dissapointing, Does not come close the the epa ratings. Have had transmission replaced. Cruise and speedometer malfuntion. Dealer was not effecient in handling the claim. Did not seem to have experience in diagnosis and repair. contantly have to fight to get fair service. For a new car it is not trouble free. It is a good thing they have 100k warranty as I may need it.

• 

  snow machine - 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By northjay - December 4 - 3:13 am

  We took the Santa fe GLS into the high mountains of Colorado in a big snow storm performance was all most flawless excellent all wheel / 4 wheel drive

• 

  Amazing Car - 2016 Hyundai Genesis Coupe
  By Carlos Valdes - December 3 - 8:43 pm

  first off this website has a few things wrong with what the car exactly has. i have the base model but with duel tone seat and i had it checked out and i do have a limited rear slip differential, audio and cursie controls on the steering wheel and a few other things. I had the 2.0T before i got the 3.8 and as soon as i drove the 3.8 i could notice an extreme difference in the response and in the gear shifting. The actual gears ride to higher speeds while in the 2.0t the first and second is basically never to be driven in because it just doesnt reach high enough speeds to be practical while the 3.8 first and especially in second. and i know they fuel mpg is average around 18 but i drive in cruise control and i get around 22mpg. As well as it is a very safe car while i had the 2.0t someone going 65 in a 35 hit the front bumper and everyone in the car was completely un hurt and fine. Overall the 3.8 is a much better then the 2.0T and a very safe and practical car

• 

  Do not buy this car - 2015 Hyundai Sonata
  By Phyllis - December 3 - 1:00 pm

  I had a 2006 Hyundai Sonata which was a great car, so I bought another Sonata. Its nowhere near as comfortable. The front seats are extremely uncomfortable because of a seam that presses into the back of the legs, sides that angle up (fine if youre VERY, VERY skinny) and is deeper than is comfortable from front to back. The design of the seats also make it more difficult to get in and out of the car. The rear of the car slants down which makes it "sexier" looking, but is impractical. The trunk is large, but because of the slant of the rear window, the opening for the trunk makes it difficult to get anything of size into it. The rear seats fold down, but the release to fold them is in the trunk instead of the back window ledge - a very inconvenient feature. The steering wheel is smaller than a standard size which made it hard to find a cover for it (needed for hot summers). The steering wheel also has controls so The Club doesnt fit easily. It does NOT have a spare tire - just a "fix-a-flat" kit which is worthless for a blow-out. When the ignition is turned off, all 4 doors unlock which I consider very dangerous. Its difficult to put on and take off the front seat belts because the latch is very low between the seat and the console. Im sorry I bought the car.

• 

  Great car great price - 2005 Hyundai Tiburon
  By hutch - December 2 - 10:06 am

  I bought my tib a little over two weeks ago, 05 GT V6 5M, leather everything, sunroof, infinity system, 17" inch rims, free extended warranty (yes free), for 16,900 off the lot. Great car, pretty quick, handles great, solid ride, perfect style.

• 

  WE love our new Sonata - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By JC - December 2 - 4:30 am

  I cant begin to tell you how much my wife and I love our new 2011 Hyundai Sonata GLS. We cannot stop looking at our car just parked....beautiful. Its hands down the best family sedan we have ever owned. We have owned Hondas Toyotas and BMWs in the past. In these hard times, getting the most for your hard earned money means a bit more to people than it used to and I think Hyundai has really stepped up to the plate with this new Sonata. They really have listened to their customers it seems.

• 

  Tall Guy in a Hyundai - 2018 Hyundai Sonata
  By Geoff Alderson - December 2 - 12:47 am

  I’m 6’ 3”, lots of headroom in this car. Easy to exit as the driver’s seat moves rearward when the engine in turned off and the shift lever is in Park. Driver’s seat also has adjustable lumbar support. Has adaptive headlights – front lights turn when steering wheel is turned. Trunk is large, plus the back seats fold down for additional room. The Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) uses radar signals and camera recognition. AEB has many limitations, be sure to read the Owner’s Manual for more info on this. Quite cabin on city streets. As Edmunds noted, some tire noise at freeway speeds. With the turbocharger, lots of power for entering the freeway and for passing. No heads up display, but speed is displayed in a large font in instrument cluster. Looks beautiful in quartz white pearl.