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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  Shifting Problems - 2009 Hyundai Genesis
  By Ted - February 10 - 9:39 am

  My 2009 Genesis shifts from 1st to 2nd gear at about 4 miles an hour from a dead stop causing it to bog slightly, making it very irritating every time you start off. I tried to get Hyundai to do something about it but they said that even though if shifted quick that it was within their specs. The problem is that they are looking a numbers and I am driving the car daily, stopping and starting probably 25 times a day. It is very frustrating but there is nothing I can do about it.

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  "what dat" about the ride quality - 2010 Hyundai Genesis
  By stararobota - February 9 - 4:31 pm

  If any car deserves all 10s - this is the one. Clearly an incredible value. The suspension - so much talked about - is in the 2010 V8 excellent (we have also tested a 2009 V6 - it was a bit sloppy). If to describe it in one word - it is "supple". It certainly does not absorb all the roads imperfections - in terms of the road feel it is very transparent. It is always a judgment call - if you like to float over bumps - this one only does a so so job. The steering is precise, the body is rigid, the feel is amazing.

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  Driving experince good. - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By mary nieves - February 9 - 2:06 pm

  my only complaint abut my hyundai is the paint on the door handles all chipped off, I was given a tub of paint for me to apply and it didnt work. I had to pay to have them really do over.

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  Fantastic Drive - 2008 Hyundai Sonata
  By linda - February 9 - 11:30 am

  I bought this car 2 years ago in December. It is a manual 5 speed and I absolutely love the way it drives. It handles the road, curves and bumps wonderfully. The seats are very comfortable. The mileage is super with getting 32 in city and close to 38 on hw.

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  Very Good but no Great - 2008 Hyundai Azera
  By shagnat - February 9 - 10:28 am

  This is my first Hyundai. I had done loads of research before purchasing this car. Ive been a Toyota man for 20+ years and it was difficult to change brands. The low resale value of this cars helped me to purchase the Hyundai. Im not sure if I regret this decision or not, but, time will tell. I dont believe it is the same quality as Toyota, but, its close in many areas. The performance is excellent, gas mileage is very good for 263 hp. Seating comfort is a little lacking due to very short seat bottoms. Many many lxury features, but, they havent changed much at all since 2006. Needs a major updating.

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  Suprisingly Great Car - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Felt32 - February 7 - 7:03 am

  I enjoyed owning a Hyundai Sonata especially with its excellent warranty and comfort in it. The price was excellent for all that I got in the car. The drive and gas efficiency was very good.

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  Reliable Hyundai - 2001 Hyundai Sonata
  By Love my Sonata - February 6 - 9:35 am

  After doing much research, I found my Hyundai Sonata to be everything claimed. The six cylinder model is a very quiet, smooth ride. It accelerates when applied and the cruise control is amazing. Other than the big turning radius(which was disclosed), I have nothing but good things to say about it. It is a large roomy car so 20 mpg (in town) wasnt a bad statistic. As with all automobiles, regular maintenance is a must.

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  very pleased - 2006 Hyundai Elantra
  By erik johnson - February 4 - 6:41 pm

  This was the first car I ever got to choose - rather than "inheriting" from a family member or buying in a hurry. Very pleased. More options and comfort and thousands less than a similar mileage Honda Civic. More fun to drive, too, has a little more power. I think the GT hatchback is a cool, very Saab-like european design. I havent really needed it as a feature very often - a trunk would be fine - but for a few things it has been helpful. The interior is without many annoying quirks, nothing stands out, which generally is good in design.

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  Great Car! - 2007 Hyundai Elantra
  By Gman - February 3 - 5:40 pm

  Overall I love my Elantra. When I was looking to buy a new car last year, I singled in on the Elantra because of its rave reviews and all the comparisons people were making between it and similar vehicles (Toyota Corolla and Honda Civic) in terms of dependability and other perks. My previous vehicle was a Toyota Corolla (so far I like the Elantra just as much). During the first year of ownership Ive not had any mechanical problems (knock on wood) and have had to do minimal maintenance on it. Its exactly what I wanted in a vehicle.

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  Very pleased with the Sonata - 2008 Hyundai Sonata
  By Family44 - February 3 - 2:54 pm

  The car has 40,000 miles on it now and its been a great car thus far. Absolutely no problems yet. Granted, the car is not a speed demon, but for commuting to work or driving the family around, the car is fantastic.