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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  Trip to thru the southern states - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By cajim1 - July 1 - 11:46 pm

  The car belongs to my wife, but because it was new, the 2009 Sonata, GLS, 2.4L pezev, 5 Spd auto. This car replaced a 2006 Sonata. It had been a good car but this new car is an excellent ride and many may not believe the gas mileage we obtained. I drove all but 200 miles of our 6000mi trip. I filled each tank and checked the mileage for the entire trip. The total avg MPG was 30.9. Lowest tank MPG was 27.8 the highest MPG was 34.5. Given just a little care on the acceleration...One can easily get 500 Miles out of a full tank of gas. I recorded several in the hi 400s and one at 497mi another at 488. Ride quality is much improved over the 06. We are a two Hyundai car family lovem both...

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  Definitely give Hyundai a look - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By dbsocal - July 1 - 7:30 pm

  I still get insulted by others making fun of my car being Hyundai. But I am quick to inform them that my own experiences and continued positive reviews make Hyundai a formidable competitor in the auto industry. Hyundai is advancing so quickly that the Sonata is already behind in relation to other Hyundais. Even still, this vehicle is similar to Honda and Toyota in every sense and surpasses Nissan and most American builders. I owned a 2002 Altima which was a nightmare. I plan to be one of the first to test drive Hyundais new Genesis sports sedan. If youre looking to save money but still want a quality, stylish, dependable vehicle. At least test drive a Sonata.

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  Exactly what I need. - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By JeffGuidry - July 1 - 2:09 pm

  I use this car as a daily commuter in Houston and for about once monthly trips home to Louisiana. Gas mileage averages 27/28 mpg in combined city/highway driving, and mileage on the highway varies depending on how much speeding up/slowing down I have to do for 18 wheelers and slower traffic. I have gotten as good as 40 mpg on one trip setting the cruise control on 70. The car is remarkably comfortable and quiet for a compact car. The OEM tires have nearly 40,000 miles on them and will soon need replacing (strangely, the rear tires wore down sooner than the front tires, having never been rotated.) I am a very heavy man and the car is quite comfortable, even on my 4 hour road trips.

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  New king of mid-size - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By soulquarian - June 30 - 12:58 pm

  Other than reliability, everything about this car beats my previous ride - the 07 Accord. And the only reason the Accord scores higher in reliability is because Ive only had the Sonata for a week and a half. Time will tell. Prior to purchasing to Sonata GLS, I test drove the 2011 Accord SE and Fusion SEL. How did I go from mid-level trim to base? Well, the base level Sonata offered everything, and at times more, the mid Accord and Fusion came with. The Accord had the smoothest ride but the Sonata had the best all around package. Ey-catching styling, peppy acceleration, overall smooth ride, amazing standard features, and excellent mpg. This has got to be the car of the year.

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  Better Than... - 2006 Hyundai Elantra
  By Joe - June 29 - 6:37 pm

  My wife and I prviously owned a Saturn Ion. Compared to that the Hyundai Elantra is head and shoulders above that competition. With the high mileage I put on a year I needed a great warranty. You cant beat 5yr/60,000mile bumper to bumper. Weve had the car for under a year, but after 20,000 miles it still runs like new.

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  Good car great price! - 2008 Hyundai Tiburon
  By sandor68 - June 28 - 10:21 pm

  Bought a 2008 in January 2014 for $4000. It has over 200,00km. Was looking for second car to drive around instead of my thirsty SUV all the time. I test drove a whole bunch of small cars and at the end it came down to a 2006 Mazda3 and the Tiburon. It all came down to looks and price. Love the Ferrari look and it was $1500 cheaper than the Mazda. Good all around car and handles and brakes better than the Mazda. Love it!

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  Transmission - 2006 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By SHERI LOTHRIDGE - June 26 - 8:46 am

  I bought the Santa Fe in 2006, within a couple of months I was in having the Cruise control switch replaced and a year later I started having problems with the down shifting to 3rd. They changed out a sensor. In the winter of 09 it didnt want to go into drive when cold brought it in. Couldnt duplicate so there was "nothing wrong". Still having problem. On 4/29/10 the shifting problems started again, so I brought the car back into the shop to have them say "nothing wrong" so they reset the computer. So I picked up my car and two days later I was stuck in the parking lot not able to go anywhere. Lets say it is in the shop waiting approval for new transmission!

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  Its Ok, but not a Lexus - 2007 Hyundai Veracruz
  By c mikaya - June 18 - 7:50 am

  I purchase my car in June 07, going down from a Sequoia. The Veracuse reminded me of a Lexus, but a Lexus it aint. The seats in this car have never been as comfortable as my old Sequoia and I find the velor type material difficult to clean. The all wheel drive has been very reliable on my mountainous road, but the mileage is not good and that was the reason I traded my Sequoia in. With that model I was getting 17.8 mpg and with this vehicle its the same or 18 mpg, what a disappointment. Now that I have 55,000 miles on the vehicle the right ball bearing has gone and the latch on the center console broke. I think Hyundai is working on improvement, but I am ready to try something else

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  Fun, sporty car - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By EMR - June 17 - 3:33 pm

  I drove this car down the East Coast last week - performed flawlessly. Love the small perks - lumbar support, air filtration system, steering wheel radio controls, etc. Highly recommend - I get tons of compliments (got platinum sage w/ beige leather interior). Totally revamped from 2006 - I would go for 2007, even if it means waiting for the price to drop a bit - the redesign is worth it.

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  the way to go for less - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By bryan ducayne - June 16 - 9:59 pm

  I had to have a reliable and safe car in 2004 to take my wife for her cancer treatments. The sonata filled the bill.