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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  Changed Attitude - 2002 Hyundai Sonata
  By sirjohn113 - May 4 - 10:00 am

  When my wife & I had our first baby, we went car shopping to replace my old sports car. I looked at the Honda Accord, Toyota Camry, Ford Taurus, Acura & Lexus. We were floored at the average prices on the sticker. My father in law recommended Hyundai, I always thought Hyundais product was not as good as the other makes, but was I wrong, weve had this car for almost 2 years, & I can definitely say that Hyundai has improved its product by leaps & bounds. I am a very satisfied Hyundai Sonata owner & I didnt get sticker shock either!!!

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  Issues - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By Shawn - May 3 - 11:40 am

  Anyone else notice these issues? Tire noise! Steering gets quite heavy above 60 mph. You have to work on it to keep it going straight on freeway. Suspension a little too stiff.

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  Best car I ever drove - 2010 Hyundai Sonata
  By Joshua - May 2 - 11:13 pm

  I purchase Hondas and Acuras all my life. Had bad experience with transmissions with my Accord and Odyssey. I had to replace transmissions four times. when I complained and didnt want to pay, they gave me a nasty attitude. I told them I will never buy Hondas again. they didnt care. When time came I did test drive many different cars but fell in love with the Sonata. It was perfect for me. I never thought in million years I would buy a Hyundai. I have it for a week now and still in love. Great price and mileage. up to 29 MPG mixed driving.

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  First Impressions - 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Richard - May 2 - 11:06 pm

  We purchased a new 2008 Santa Fe LTD AWD. The average MPG after 250 miles is 19.5 with a mix of city and freeway driving. I expect better MPG after the break in. The remote fuel door open switch did not work the first time we went to put gas in the tank. The dealer should have checked this before they delivered the car. We had to use the emergency fuel door pull cord behind the rear seat panel to open the fuel door. We noticed the seats are really uncomfortable after the first 100 miles. I hope they "soften up" over time. Except for the fuel door, everything else works on the vehicle. The CD, Radio and rear DVD sound great. The Santa Fe drives and handles well.

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  Wonderful Buy! - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By audhep79 - May 2 - 7:46 pm

  I traded in my Toyota 4Runner, with the hopes of looking for a more fuel economical car. With all the recalls that Toyota has, I looked to Hyundai and test drove the all-new Sonata. I was sold on it immediately! The car handled like a dream, was roomy and the MPG was just phenomenal! I got 38 mpg on the way home from the dealership, and it hasnt gone below 30 mpg for city driving yet.

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  Incredible Car! - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By LHC08 - May 1 - 10:20 pm

  I am obsessed with this car! It looks incredible (people are always staring, in shock that its a Hyundai-just as I was when I first saw the car!) and it is so fun to drive! The inside is roomy and comfortable. The trunk is also very large. I have never owned any car that wasnt a Toyota, but once I drove this, I had to have it! I definitely recommend paying a bit more and going for the SE model! The dealership gave me a great deal and I am excited every time I get in my car!

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  Well built vehicle! - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By A. L. McDonough - May 1 - 7:43 pm

  Still in break-in but doing better than EPA rating. Very smooth transmission little cabin noise.

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  LOVE IS IN THE AIR!!! - 2004 Hyundai XG350
  By Sherry - May 1 - 10:29 am

  And always will be. Could not be happier. And I used to own a Mercedes.

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  My second Hyundai - 2006 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Patsy - May 1 - 9:33 am

  I traded my 2000 Elantra in for the Santa Fe. I wanted a safer vehicle and I know the Santa Fe has a 4 star crash test rating. It handles well in traffic and seems to get good gas mileage. I have only used one tank of gas in two weeks, but my commute is only 14 miles per day. If you are tall you may have to duck to get in but it seems like there is a lot of room once you are inside. It is a very quiet and comfortable ride. It seems like there are no big blind spots when driving. The a/c cools the vehicle down in a hurry too. I also like the cup holders and little holder I can put my cell phone in. Much more luxurious than my Elantra was.

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  We just love this car - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By roadturtle - May 1 - 8:36 am

  We traded in an 2003 Expedition 12mpg. We bought the new 2005 Tucson LX V-6. The paint is beautiful. Its truly fun to drive. Seats 4 comfortably. We have 1200 mile on the Tucson. We get 19 mpg around town.Since we drive about 99 % around town I am very happy to get this kind of great mileage. The leather seats have seat warmers. My wife loves it. The best car, best warranty, and its cheap, and fun to drive.