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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  Decent Car - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By BBuff - January 8 - 10:00 am

  All in all this is a very decent car. It is roomy and comfortable. Satellite radio and sun roof for a very affordable price. The gas mileage with the 4- cylinder is great and performance is at least adequate. The road noise is louder than I would wish, and there is a big THUMP when you slow down as it shifts into first gear, especially when you first start it, at first I thought the brakes were catching, it is such a sudden phenomenon. I love the warranty, but having said that, quality-wise, it doesnt compare to my previous Toyota or Lexus, but then, it didnt cost nearly as much as my Camry or Lexus.

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  Love my new 2011 Sonata Limited - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By Carl - January 8 - 10:00 am

  Beautiful car. Just bought it but 4 days later, Air conditioning failed, here in Florida, not a good thing. Took back to dealership today and they had to order a part. High pressure A/C line got a leak.

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  Suprised - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By New Hyundai Buyer - January 8 - 10:00 am

  I have really been surprised and happy with my purchase. I bought the 2011 Hyundai Sonata limited version. I was hesitant to buy it because I dont like the look of other sonatas but i saw this and liked it. I traded in my Yukon for this to save on gas and that has paid off Big time!! I am averaging 32 mpg in the city! Ride is smooth and I receive so many compliments on my car. People think its a Mercedes or Lexus at quick glance. I am very pleased with this purchase.

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  Surprised Owner!!!! - 2005 Hyundai Sonata
  By Mr USC - January 8 - 9:13 am

  I was thrust into the car market by a car thief. I had some fast research! This car has exceeded my expectations! I challenge you to find the quality and value for a new car with all the features - Leather seats, front & side airbags, sunroof, V6, luxury interior trimmings, outstanding warranty program, road service, special rear view mirror and just pure value that the Sonata offers! Good Luck! If you are in the market for a mid-size sedan (Toyota Camry or Honda Accords or Civic) my personal recommendation is to take a Sonata V6 for a test drive, then use the money you just saved to take your new car for a cruise up the coast!

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  love it - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By maryann - January 8 - 5:40 am

  great car! Hyundai has done a wonderful job making an affordable family sedan.

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  So Far, So Great! - 2010 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Allan J. Pontiere - January 7 - 7:16 pm

  We just purchased the GLS AWD Drive with the popular equipment package in Garnett Red. It has brown, taupe, and red interior. Really beautiful SUV that is turning heads. I have only had it a few days and so far we love it. The ride is solid with no rattles. But I have to say, we live in Pittsburgh where many of the roads infamous like riding on the BAJA trail. On these bumpy surfaces, it is a rough riding vehicle but very stable, controlled, solid, and quiet. If you are concerned about that aspect, you might want to opt for the fwd. It supposedly has a very supple ride. On two tanks of gas, I am averaging highway and city, about 25 mpg! So far, this vehicle is quality inside and out.

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  Great Value...Great Ride - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By Johnny_Bravo - January 7 - 2:36 pm

  Just purchased vehicle a week ago and already have over 500 miles on it. Drives great...ride is smooth and acceleration is more than adequate..shifting is very smooth. Took it on trip and it gave me 27.5 mpg driving between 75 - 80 mph. Not bad! Avg mpg in the city 20 - 22 mpg. I traded my gas guzzling 06 Nissan Titan Crew Cab and dont regret it. I dont miss the power and the ride is much more comfortable. The high safety rating is a plus for my 1 yr old son :) I would recommend this car or any Hyundai to anyone. My wife drives a 08 Santa Fe and we are also very satisfied with both our vehicles.

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  Incredible Value for $$$! - 2009 Hyundai Genesis
  By Propellerhead - January 6 - 6:46 pm

  Moved from 2006 Azera Ltd to this. Other cars currently owned are 2006 BMW "M" Roadster and 2008 Infiniti M35. Prior vehicles (since 1994) -- 1998 Mercedes SL600, Infinity Q45(2), Lexus ES(300 & 330), a 2002 Porsche Turbo, and a VW Phaeton. It is our experience that the 2009 Genesis is absolutely the best value of any of the above cars - there is NO comparison versus what Hyundai packs into this vehicle for $40K when fully loaded. We could have chosen ANY car we wanted and yet opted for this because of our prior excellent experience with the Azera and the fact that the Genesis offers far more features and performance for MUCH less money than ANY of the autos we have owned.

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  I love this car! - 2006 Hyundai Tiburon
  By sara - January 6 - 9:50 am

  I just got my Tiburon. Not only am I happy because it was cheap with only 15000 miles on it, but it is by far the best running, and good looking car Ive ever had. I would strongly recommend anyone to get a Tiburon.

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  Great Car..You cant ask for more - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By rmiller - January 6 - 4:20 am

  Had to trade my 02 Celica and did a lot of research.Found my Sonata w/30k miles and cant believe what a great car it is. Im 54 and have owned about 20 cars, foreign and domestic and love this one. First trip was 200 miles thru a blizzard and it soldiered right thru,nary a twitch. The four cylinder engine has plenty of power and gets close to 40 mpg. Electronic stability control, supportive seats, satellite radio, plenty of airbags, smooth/quiet ride and lots of room. What more can you ask for? My friends who own Accords and Camrys were stunned...especially when they found out how much more they spent.