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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  SURPRISING - 2008 Hyundai Azera
  By Steven - January 28 - 11:42 pm

  I was in the market for a 5 series BMW and decided to a take a friends advice and check out the Hyundai Azera. Very glad I did, it has all the features of the BMW with extras such as folding mirrors, telescoping pedals and steering wheel. The entry and exit from the vehicle was also easier than the 5 series bmw body. The HP on the Azera is surpasses the BMW 525 as well. Warranty was also much better. 6yrs/60K compared to the 4yrs/50K BMW. The Azera is very stable at hugs the road well on turns. OVer all very pleased.

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  Big Mistake - 2010 Hyundai Elantra
  By Chuck - January 25 - 7:36 pm

  Tried trading after 1000 miles. Depreciated 25% plus. Rough ride,hard suspension, noise from rear. 25.8 MPG HW. uncomfortable in back seat. look around and compare comfort. Drive on an uneven road. Great Heat/AC, radio, sunroof. Drives well in snow/ice. Looking for a trade or sale. Little help from dealer.

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  Great Car for the money - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By A.Quint - January 25 - 11:25 am

  I have had this car for almost 4 years. I have not had any problems with it. I have 98k miles. I have normal maintenance on it and purchased one set of tires only. As for warranties. The power train warranty is great. I just recently took it in for inspections and there is some work that will be covered by the warranty.

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  Best Bang for the Buck! - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By FlyforGod - January 25 - 11:15 am

  I get to drive just about any car and must say this Sonata is great, I rate this from a used car value and can say that it’s the best bank for the buck, great MPG! Have no issues with power, soft ride and solid,my score is from paying used car price and comparing to anything else out there for the price,

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  Could use improvements - 2010 Hyundai Genesis
  By nutsaboutcars - January 24 - 4:59 pm

  I purchased this car 2 months ago and I already have 3700 miles on her,,I have noticed the tires gotten noisier and there is wind noise coming in to the cabin..I also noticed the v8 engine is not as quiet anymore she does get shell super unleaded all the time and I followed the suggested break in period,,The upgraded lexicon audio can use improvement because I dont hear 528 watts of surround sound.

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  Happy With the Mom Mobile - 2007 Hyundai Entourage
  By moo momma - January 24 - 12:52 pm

  Purchased this car after finding out that I was having twins. We travel a lot and I needed a car that I could hop in the back easily. This was the van for us. The interior is very classy with woodgrain and leather. It has lots of cup holders. Sound system is pretty good. Heated seats get HOT! No troubles so far except a couple minor recalls. Happy with our purchase and would recommend.

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  Value and Dependability - 2003 Hyundai Sonata
  By msailyork - January 24 - 10:06 am

  I bought this car new for my wife who uses it to commute 80 miles to work every day. Well, after 7 years and 122K miles I can say this car was a bargain. Weve performed all the scheduled maintenance and havent had any problems. Beware the cost to change the plugs, labor was $234, however Ive only had to do it twice. Great little car with all the LX amenities. Liked it so much bought a Hyundai XG-350 for myself.

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  Attention Grabber, Substance & Style - 2009 Hyundai Genesis
  By Attention Grabber - January 23 - 8:00 pm

  I bought my Black Genesis 3.8 V6 premium pkg 7 months ago, and honestly I still have people (ok, all have been guys) ask me WHAT it is Im driving -- at gas stations, grocery store lots, at traffic lights, you name it. It truly does look like a 7-series BMW, or a S-series Mercedes, but many mistake it for a Maybach or even Rolls because I opted for the "Genesis Wings" logo vs. the Hyundai "H". I love the lines of the car, especially in profile, and the performance matches the sweet, unique looks and all the hype you hear! Tremendous value for a truly luxurious sedan.

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  Favorite Car - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By Theo - January 23 - 12:01 am

  This car is super smooth at any speed. In my fifth year of driving it and would be glad to drive it another five. If it were totaled tomorrow and I had to buy another car, I would look for another 04 (maybe an 05) Sonata. Most problems were covered by the extended warranty. Im pushing 120k, so Im on own now. Drivers side air bag doesnt work. Service tech at the Hyundai dealer said its caused by all the trash pushed up under the seat, thats my fault. I get a little over 20mpg. Could be better but I admit I have a heavy foot.

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  DO NOT BUY THIS CAR! - 2008 Hyundai Accent
  By joseph - January 22 - 7:17 pm

  I have had my accent for two years now and I cant stand it. Let me tell you about the problems I have had. Starter both Windows in the doors fell out hatch would not stay closed throw out bearing and clutch went out weather striping fell apart paint has blistered in a lot of places fabric on both front seats has busted open and seams coming apart and it wont even start half the time. And I had to replace and fix all these things myself because Hyundai does not stand by any of there so called warranties if you have anything go wrong with your new Hyundai, they will find some way of putting the blame on anything but the fact they make junk cars. Will never own another Hyundai!