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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  Unbeatable for the price - 2009 Hyundai Azera
  By Poppy J - March 24 - 3:11 pm

  What a beauty! One option package includes everything. The fit and finish is excellent. Whomever rides in it has nothing but raves.I have had this car for only 21/2 weeks and have not found a thing wrong with it. The price with all thw whistles and bells is so far below the competitions price. The public does not know what they are missing. It was the top of the Hyundai line but probably will be replaced by the Genesis which goes for about $40,000. Too bad! Ill write follow- up in 6 months and see if I still love it.

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  Love my Hyundai Genesis Coupe! - 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe
  By Richard Hardina - March 24 - 10:46 am

  Have owned my Genesis Coupe for more than 1 year and still get stares from other drivers! This beauty is really FUN to drive! Had a mechanical issue with the Electronic Stability Control light but dealer provided a free loaner and took care of the problem. I cant help looking back at my Genesis Coupe every time I walk away from it! For as my neighbor said: "When they designed the Genesis Coup[e they sure got it RIGHT!" Never would have considered buying a 300+ horsepower car until I saw it up close and in person. Im not a lead-foot, and have experienced a consistent 27 miles per gallon (even though its an automatic)! An amazing car for an amazingly low price! Thanks, Hyundai!

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  UNBELIEVABLE - 2009 Hyundai Genesis
  By kwiss - March 23 - 8:43 am

  This car is truly unreal. I did all my research, drove all the cars on my list and hands down the Genesis blew the competition away. I am extremely happy with my brand new Hyundai!

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  No Better Near-Luxury Car for the Price - 2008 Hyundai Azera
  By Ledfoot472 - March 22 - 9:01 pm

  I traded a 2006 Sonata GLS 4-cyl for this car. I was also looking at a 2009 Sonata 4-cyl Limited. After driving the Azera, there was no comparison. I got the Azera with 15k on it for $1,000 less than the Sonata Limited would have been even after $4,500 in rebates. The Azera is a solid car with a quiet ride. Only over certain types of broken pavement could the suspension be a little more supple. The 3.8 liter engine is very quiet and goes almost unheard up until 4,500 rpm. The engine is very strong throughout the powerband. The 5-speed auto is smooth, though shifts could be a bit more swift. The gas mileage averages only 2-3 MPG less than my Sonata 4-cyl.

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  love this car - 2007 Hyundai Azera
  By James - March 22 - 7:15 pm

  I have owned my Azera for 3 months. We went on a 1700 mile road trip last week. This car is fun to drive, comfortable, quiet, and very responsive. It has the 3.8L V6, and it only has 3500 miles on the odometer. It should get better mileage when it is broken in. I checked the fuel economy and got 28.3 mpg. It holds the road well around curves and when you need to pass on a two lane road the response to a little pressure on the gas peddle is awesome. In conclusion, for the price you can not beat the Hyundai Azera in my opinion. This car is sweeeeet.

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  Very Pleased - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Very pleased - March 22 - 8:16 am

  We spent considerable time researching mid-size cars before going for a road test. We narrowed our choice to a Toyota Camry and Hyundai Sonata. After the road test we decided on the Sonata because of its comfort, how it handled on the road, and its performance. We wanted a 4 cyl., but also enough power to handle and perform well. We have not been disappointed at all. The Sonata is a wonderful car for its price, comfort, handling and performance. We have gotten 26 mpg for around town and 34 mpg on the highway. For a couple or a small family, this is an ideal mid- size car.

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  Impressions by John - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By JohnL - March 22 - 1:06 am

  Bought the car in August. Runs great, no problems. Great car for the price.

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  Great car with Warranty - 2009 Hyundai Accent
  By trevor - March 20 - 8:31 pm

  great little car for the money. Great mpg. Performance isnt the greatest but for a 4 cylinder it does good. There is tons of room on the inside of the car. One thing that I did was get tinted windows. car looks alot better.

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  Great crossover for the price - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Aduvas - March 20 - 7:46 pm

  I just bought this a few days ago for my wife after trading my 12 year old Isuzu Trooper in. The Santa Fe feels decidely different than the SUV - it feels much more like a car, and the car chassis build is the clear reason. Its taking me a while to get used to the lower seating compared to the Trooper, reduced powwer and somwwhat limiting rear visibility so far. But those are areas I feel I can get accustomed to - its a differrent vehicle after all. The Santa Fe handles well for its class, feels luxurious for the price on the inside, has modern styling, provides good fuel economy for the class, and is fun to drive around and do regular chores in.

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  This is a great car - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By emorse - March 20 - 12:51 pm

  After 99500 miles, this has been a great car - fun to drive, reliable, economical. The only repair I have ever paid for on our three Elantras was an oxygen sensor on this one. I replaced the rear brakes once (still OEM in front)and the tires twice (only got 35000 miles from the second set). Gas mileage is great, power is great, 5-speed shifts nicely.