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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  What a steal. - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By ZZ - February 16 - 2:00 am

  For those who have been looking for a car under $15,000, look no further. The Elantra GT as well as the base Elantra have no current competition in the value to price game. After 32,000 miles I have had zero problems with a car that is fun to drive and loaded with everything from sun roof to leather seats - all for under $13,000. My daughter just bought a base 2003 GLS yesterday - with an owners loyality discount of $2,000 plus rebates - - out the door at a price of $8,800....

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  I love it! - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By James - February 15 - 2:13 am

  I traded a Ford Escape for this vehicle for a variety of reasons, most prominent the lack of power for my trade, and the awesome power of the Sonata. I live in Los Alamos NM, with steep mountain grades and a base altitude of 7200 and rising. I test drove a Sonata GLS for a weekend prior to buying (with the same V6 powertrain) and was quite impressed. The Limited that I recently bought is even more impressive, quite a bit more so than even the Hyundai Azzera, which I also test-drove extensively. This is an EXTREMELY FINE automobile thus far in all respects, even though I paid too much due to the negative equity on my Ford trade. Nonetheless, I have NO REGRETS whatsoe

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  BEST PACKAGE FOR YOU $$$$ - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By beck117 - February 14 - 10:00 am

  WE JUST BOUGHT LX IN THE THE PEWTER COLOR. IT DRIVES LIKE A CAR AND NOT ALL THAT ROUGH. IT CAME FULLY EQUPPED AND FOR THE PRICE THAT WAS GREAT. GAS MILEAGE COULD BE BETTER BUT THAT IS THE ONLY THING THAT COULD BE IMPROVED. HANDLES VERY NICE AND MY HUSBAND IS 64 AND HE FITS IN IT NICELY. I HAVE LOTS OF ROOM IN THE BACK FOR GROCERIES. AND I CAN FIT 5 PEOPLE IN IT NICELY. A+ A+ A+ A+

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  Better than a Honda - 2002 Hyundai XG350
  By artcat - February 14 - 10:00 am

  I cant beleive the editors rating is so low! This car is a dream to drive. It is very responsive unlike the sluggish Honda I used to drive. It is roomy and VERY comfortable. I also really enjoy the fact that the options available on cars like Lexus, Camry and Lincoln come standard on the XG350.

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  A Disappointment - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By coconut66 - February 13 - 9:07 pm

  I was very excited when I purchased my Sonata, but soon was disappointed when I realized that Hyundai put all its efforts into the exterior design and the bells and whistles, and not into the design of the undercarriage or quality of the materials used there. The car seemed to bottom out on potholes or dips in the road, which was just a nuisance until I hit a pothole/dip in the road at less than 20 mph, causing the splash shield to bend the radiator support. The repair cost over $1,300--Hyundai refused to acknowledge there is a problem with the car design/materials, and the dealer, Fitzgerald Hyundai, was no better. I got rid of the car, as its impossible to avoid every pothole forever.

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  My 09 Sonata - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By Jeremy - February 12 - 11:06 pm

  I picked this up at the dealership where I work. After talking to the techs, they all told me how well they ran and how reliable they were. I am seeing my vehicle get on average 24-26 miles to the gallon. I love my vehicle and I am glad I purchased it.

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  Gotta love this ride! - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Laurie - February 12 - 9:40 pm

  I had a 2006 Tucsan, and really had no problems with that vehicle. When I was researching the Tucsan,in January, 2006, I saw that the Santa fe was being redesigned and would be out in the summer. I liked it, but didnt want to wait. Well, I love the Tucsan, but test drove the Santa Fe, and I was hooked. I was fortunate enough to pay cash for the Tucsan, and did not lose much on the trade in. So, I got a very luxurious car, and a very small payment. I love this SUV. It is beautiful, and the ride is sweet!

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  1 Year Down and Loving it - 2008 Hyundai Veracruz
  By Augie - February 11 - 5:03 pm

  Today completes my first year of ownership. After nearly 16,000 miles I like it more every day. First thing I added was a trailer hitch. I towed my boat over the Cascade Mountains this past June with no issues and regular lowland towing is a breeze. Plenty of power, torque, and the suspension is satisfactory for towing. This vehicle is stout but still drives like a car. The ride is smooth and quiet and the handling is too. I recently did some dirt road driving on logging roads in Oregon and I hardly noticed the lack of pavement. It handles seven normal sized adult passengers comfortably or just me and all my gear with room to spare.

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  Dont let the name fool you! - 2004 Hyundai XG350
  By In MA - February 11 - 3:13 pm

  We purchased this car in September of 2003 when it just came out and have been completely thrilled with it. All our friends drive Mercedes but we feel so proud of our car because we paid so much less than they did. For those of who you hesitate to buy this car because its a Hyundai - dont! Youll feel good knowing you purchased a luxary car for the best price.

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  Great Value for the Money - 2016 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid
  By Lori Menicos - February 11 - 8:35 am

  I traded in a 2011 Toyota Camry Hybrid XLE for this 2016 Sonata Hybrid Limited. I liked my Toyota but I love this Sonata Hybrid! It has features of higher end cars (ventilated seats, panoramic sunroof, etc). It rides almost like a luxury car and Im getting 44 MPG around town and Ive only had it a week. Its fun to drive too and has plenty of pickup. It was a great value for the price. I looked at and test drove a 2017 Camry Hybrid and a 2017 Honda Accord Hybrid but the Sonata won out due to the price, features and handling.