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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  Hyundai Elantra GT - a Gem of a Car! - 2001 Hyundai Elantra
  By Gretchenjkb - December 9 - 2:00 am

  These are great cars! I am a transplanted devoted German car enthusiast and let me tell you -- this Elantra makes me smile every time I hop in the car. My car is fully loaded with all the bells and whistles of a much more expensive vehicle, it drives beautifully, and has been very reliable. What a find! Buy one, you will not regret it!

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  ECO Sorta - 2017 Hyundai Sonata
  By CECIL HUTCHINS - December 9 - 12:28 am

  Expect an ECO to have mid-level trim. Very few options available. That was OK by me. I didnt even buy it for the extra gas mileage. I chose this model because for some reason (Ill tell you more in a minute) it was the quickest Sonata of all the trim models. If you check the specs youll see a few clever things Hyundai did. Smaller diameter ECO tires (still pretty sticky), wider front track, reduced weight, a 7-speed auto transmission, and best of all a twin-scroll turbocharger on its 1.4L 4-cyl engine. All these combine to make it torquey and quick to get power to the road. Hot-rod? No. But definitely a satisfying driving experience from a mid-size car. Its a little hard to control your accelerator precisely at low speeds but put it in Sport Mode and find a twisty road to be reminded what driving fun is.

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  This is my 1st Car Ever - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By Tony1stCar - December 8 - 12:41 pm

  This car is really great. it is a very stylish car and many people think that i am driving a Jaguar. This car is very well built. It can fit 5 people very comfortably. The trunk space is very large which is a good to always have. But my antenna broke. Due to the motor burn out. So now i can get the AM stations. I am curious about how it will drive in the snow because it has no traction control nor ABS.

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  FANTASTIC car!! - 2016 Hyundai Veloster
  By Jill - December 8 - 4:41 am

  I was shopping for another Mazda. I had a Mazda Protege for 15 years and she was a wonderful car! The orange Veloster caught my eye! I have had so so many complements on it. Driving it is so fun and it has a lot of get up and go! I had a hard time letting my Mazda go but it took a special car like the Veloster to finally get a new one. I have not driven it in the snow so I do not know how it handles. I do not know much about cars but I would not trade my Veloster for the world!!

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  Wish it had telescopic steering wheel - 2009 Hyundai Elantra
  By Dave - December 7 - 8:12 pm

  Replaced a 1994 Corolla that i really liked. Purchased mainly by price but positive reviews were also important. Driving comfort and MPGs are important to me. My main complaint is no telescopic steering wheel. Did not notice this during test drive, but in order for arms to be comfortable, I have to put the seat very close (I am short, 56"). Hopefully ill get used to it.

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  Great Van - 2008 Hyundai Entourage
  By joekar2 - December 7 - 2:59 pm

  Purchased new in July 09 as a dealership car with 10,000 miles. Just finished 10 week 9,500 mile trip, and could not be happier with this van. Plenty of room, comfortable, handled great (including mountain roads. More accessories than I even needed. Gas mileage was very good, 21.4 overall. City has been about 17.1 and highway has varied between 20.5 to 24.5. Only issue was with AC. Clicking on and off, but was fixed under warranty in another state than I purchased car in. My second Hyundai, and have been very pleased with warranty and performance. Is the top of the line.........NO! But price for what you get is superior to anything out there. Not to mention the warranty.

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  Dont buy - 2008 Hyundai Elantra
  By Richard - December 7 - 2:06 pm

  First week of ownership 240 mi odo week stranded in 100 dregree heat as fuel pump went. Gas mileage citi/hw 20-24mpg - very poor and I drive conservatively. Fog lights and back-up lights provide no added vision - too small. Lots of manufacturing defects, needs alignment, lights pointed down, steering column rubs and makes noise. Too bad as I would have bought 2 more and my neighbors also but not now after this disappointing experience. I recommend you buy Toyota or Honda - both of which Ive owned w/o ever seeing the dealer in the warrant period - and the Toyota was the first year model (Tracel 1990) Now have 800 miles on vehicle and still not improvement in gas mileage.

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  Im Luvin it! - 2008 Hyundai Tiburon
  By TibGirl15 - December 6 - 9:16 pm

  My 2208 Hyundai Tiburon GS is my first BRAND NEW car ever & was DEFINITELY worth the wait. Everything about this car is awesome...and you cant beat Hyundais warranty either. I was looking for a cute *sportsy* car that was good on gas AND insurance...this fit the bill. The 4 cyl. has more than enough power to get you moving when you want it! And it took me awhile to get used to all the head turning looks that this vehicle gets while youre driving.

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  OK, Ill go first - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Houdsie - December 6 - 4:36 pm

  I upgraded from an 02 Elantra GT due to a growing family. My first thought of the redesign was the style falls more to Honda or Toyota, but I like it better than the 05s. Ive always driven standards and I was happy that I could get a midsize 5 spd that wasnt stripped of safety or comfort features. The 5 spd shifts smooth and with authority. Theres plenty of pep under the hood. The ride is quiet and smooth, but almost too soft. But thats compared to the GT. The interior is large enough for 3 car seats and nicely appointed. Compared with my Moms 03 Camry, I prefer the Sonata dash layout. All in all, a great value for a family hauler. It feels more luxurious than any other Hyundai.

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  Tensioner/Alternator/stops going 60mph - 2001 Hyundai XG300
  By Trendfriendpa - December 6 - 8:33 am

  Like the car, get compliments on styling and comfort. Unfortunately had to replace the tensioners and belts 3 times (tensioners chew the belts badly), replaced the alternator at 50,000. Have had a shudder when going from high speeds to slowly down at ramps or traffic slows suddenly. Have 98,000 miles on it and now going at 60 mph, the car engines just stops. Next thing I will be killed because of this. The dealerships service is bad, cant find anything wrong - I take it to my regular mechanic who fixes it. Service means save the dealership money customer spends it elsewhere. Oh, yes, the paint started peeling after 2 years on the driver side running board. Not their problem.