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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  Love my new 2010 Elantra GLS! - 2010 Hyundai Elantra
  By Laura - February 17 - 7:17 pm

  I just got my 2010 Elantra GLS w/sunroof for 16,395 (after a week of haggling between dealerships). My Olds Alero hit a snowbank and was totaled so had one week to research and buy car. Was looking between Corolla, Mazda 3, Malibu...about 10 diff cars. I love the Elantra, the 10 year 100,000 mi warranty cant be beat. Feels more luxurious than other small cars I drove. Neat blue backlighting in interior. Great gas mileage - 36 mpg. Looks and feels sporty. 3 mo of free xm radio is cool. Sleek look, good pickup. Really happy with my purchase.

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  Wish I had bought American - 2007 Hyundai Accent
  By Larry - February 16 - 2:27 pm

  I bought the car during the 2007-2008 fuel crunch for better mileage than my American v8 sedan. Initially, it paid off in dividends. However (gradually) the economy of the car has become less & less. Using synthetic oil, high flow / reusable filter, and upgraded plugs have now changed the decline in economy. Found a bad coil, tail light switch gave out, check engine light on & off, and now having to slam the driver door shut & opening the door to find the panel seems broken ...tomorrow is my dealer appointment to have it looked at.

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  Dont Beleive Hyundai in what you hear - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By Pilgrim - February 16 - 7:48 am

  Bought car for Warranty, price, & mileage. 4 cylinder, complained about 17 mpg from date of purchase. Always got brush off about repair issues. Had 2 recalls. At 10200 miles rear brakes completely wore out. This may be why I got bad mileage.

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  No Problems but normal wear and Tear - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Feezy - February 15 - 8:45 pm

  I have over 110,000 miles and I have had not issues other than the normal wear and tear item. Being a do it yourselfer I spent about 150 to change both control arms to get rid of an annoying squeak but other than that just the normal changing of bulbs, oil/filter and tires....

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  The Genesis is a winner. - 2010 Hyundai Genesis
  By Genesis Lover - February 15 - 7:39 pm

  I looked at Audi, BMW, Infiniti and Lexus before test driving the Hyundai Genesis. The Lexus was the only car that was slightly more comfortable, but did not perform as well as the Genesis. It is comfy, smooth, quite and has everything I could ever want at an unbelievable price. It is amazing and I am constantly turning heads. I like to think it is because of my beauty, but I know it is the car! o)

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  Bouncing Ball - 2010 Hyundai Elantra
  By CA - February 15 - 3:19 pm

  If you like driving down the road on a trampoline then this is the car for you. The ride is horrible! The car looks sharp and has lots of nice features but if you get sick when you are driving the vehicle what is the purpose.

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  Great Competitive Car for price. - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By SonataTeri - February 14 - 3:29 pm

  This is a great car. It is probably the best value you can get for this midsize range type of car. It has all the features you need, great space many various compartments inside for storage, XM radio, mp3 cd player, safety is great I havent had a problem with braking system (like others hv...touch wood) it has been kept in great condition and drives REALLY smoothly. Styling is OK. Acceleration is fantastic and fuel economy is brilliant. So far it has been a very dependable machine.

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  Very Happy - 2008 Hyundai Azera
  By Joe in NJ - February 14 - 11:00 am

  I bought an 08 Azera Limited yesterday so this is my initial review. Im very impressed with the cars ride, overall quality and appearance. I bought it with 16,500 miles. I paid $17K + my 2002 Sonata that was essentially a write off. Im very happy with the deal I made. $17K for a $30K+ car is awesome. Its comfortable, SAFE and classy. I dont see any reason to pay the premium for other brands. This is my 3rd Hyundai and there probably will be a 4th.

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  Bang, Bang, Bang - 2010 Hyundai Elantra
  By Debi in Tampa - February 14 - 10:09 am

  I purchased a 4 door hatchback. I will start out with the negative-low rider- bang, bang, bang over every little bump. I sometimes think a plastic bag makes it bang. The cars suspension needs major improvement. My Chevy Malibu was so much more comfortable and truthfully I wish I had gone back to a Chevy. Gas mileage is about 22.9 per gallon in city.

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  Rides better than the Sonata - 2010 Hyundai Elantra
  By gem0648 - February 14 - 9:21 am

  I was surprised at how quiet the cabin was and the way it handle the rough roads. It beats the Sonata (2009) in these areas. Fun to drive. Gas mileage seems to be the same as the Sonata 4 cyl. Turning radius is great. Nice looking exterior and trunk release pops the trunk all the way open...nice feature compared to Sonata.