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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  LOVE IT! - 2013 Hyundai Elantra GT
  By demarcho - October 6 - 9:42 am

  Ive been driving it for about 2 months now and I absolutely love it! Previously I had a 2005 Elantra... and it is a big upgrade with heated leather seats, Bluetooth, iPod, and Panoramic Sunroof. Lots of options....! This car feels heavier than sturdier than my previous car which makes me feel safer. Mileage... I am getting between 27~29 City and 32~34 Highway (going 75mph). I believe I will get better mileage in milder weather.

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  Love our elantra! - 2008 Hyundai Elantra
  By dtiman - October 5 - 1:19 pm

  Bought our 2008 Elantra GLS sedan in early March 2009. I was a little disappointed with the high 20s MPG at first, but by the time the odometer reached 1000 miles, we were routinely getting 33mpg in 70/30 highway/city driving. 31-33 is what we routinely get in mixed driving recently. Overall, we really like this car. It has a good feel and is fun and easy to drive. We are closing in on 6,000 miles with no problems yet.

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  Nice car glad I have the warranty - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By Marc - October 5 - 8:56 am

  I have had the car since 2007. A great car to drive, but I have had many problems. Check light comes on for no reason sometimes. Trunk would not close one day. Visor would not stay up. Drink holder broke. Car jumps a bit when I change from 1st to 2nd sometimes. About 2% of the time. Electrics are been faulty and I have had to replace 4-5 bulbs. I think that is about it. Quite alot though. The warranty is great and they have repaired everything, but I am tired of taking it into the shop for repairs. Nice car, but just too many problems for me to consider buying another Hyundai.

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  2006 Sonata Great Ride - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By g_man - October 5 - 3:33 am

  This is my 3rd Sonata in 10 yrs. The last one was a 02 Sonata. Had 55,000 miles on it when I traded it for the new 06 GLS Sonata. Still drove like a brand new one. Main reason for trading was the new design and the 3.3 6cyl with the dual exhaust. And ofcourse the peace of mind of having the new warranty for 6 more yrs (bumper to bumper) Very quite ride and very fast. Got the cloth seats instead of leather this time. The seats are very comfort and fit to you body. Saved alot of money by going thru this site and doing your homework on prices. Get the dealer quotes from the links off of this web site. You will save thousands before you walk into the door. Internet Sales Dept is the best way.

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  veloster turbo replacement - 2018 Hyundai Elantra
  By herbs sport - October 5 - 2:40 am

  first of all,stay away from the dual clutch transmission,as i had in my 2016 veloster turbo..its horrible.the ride of the elantra sport is just the icing on the cake.mine is a 6-speed manual with the tech package..enough said..you must drive this car..gas mileage is much higher than hyundai says,too.

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  Great Vehicle - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By Muppet - October 4 - 7:54 pm

  Purchased this car used with 70000 miles on it. This car looks and drives great with the V6. Fuel economy is very good. AC is good. Reliabilty is superb. I put 1100 miles a week on it and have had no problems. In the passed 60K I have replaced two sets of tires, timing belt, spark plugs, headlight bulb, oil and tranny fluids. I am so impressed with this Hyundai and still like its ability...

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  Excellent Car - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Jack Morgan - October 4 - 12:33 pm

  Pleased in almost every way with new 06 V6 LX Sonata. It drives great and looks great. No problems after 5,000 miles. Gas mileage is a bit disappointing getting only about 26 mpg highway. Steering wheel radio controls should be improved to allow changing between preset channels and the trip computer controls should be added to the steering wheel radio controls like those found on other cars. Many impressive safety features like stability control and dual side airbags arent even available on most other cars in class. Overall all I love the car. I have no regrets in trading in my 2003 Nissan Altima which was a good car but didnt hold a candle to Sonatas builty quality or performance.

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  The more I drive it, the more I love it! - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By allmet33 - October 4 - 5:56 am

  I was already impressed with the Hyundai reliablity having traded in my 2002 Sonata GLS w/105k miles on it. Since day one...Ive truly enjoyed driving this new Azera. The ride quality, features, layout, fit and finish truly make this the best Hyundai to date! I love the fact that when you look at the Azera from different angles, it makes you think of other cars and yet...theres nothing on the road that looks like it. Pro - Bang for your buck. Simply put, what you get for your money is not going to be equalled by any other name plate in the industry. Con - That Hyundai is still taking knocks for their past failures, no matter the strides theyve made in product improvement.

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  Love It - 2003 Hyundai XG350
  By BA - October 4 - 2:00 am

  This car exudes comfort with a very low cost. I enjoy its power as well as the smooth shifting 5-speed auto trans. When you feel like a little action just switch to the manual shift mode. The interior is very comfortable and quite impressive. Those who are used to small sedans will feel like its a Benz. Its not, but comparatively it is wonderful. I highly recommend this car for those who cant afford the $40000 competition.

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  Tibby love - 2004 Hyundai Tiburon
  By lazyj77 - October 4 - 2:00 am

  I actually bought a 2003 GTv6 model just as they were bringing in the 2004s, so i got a very good deal. I absolutely love my car; its fully loaded(leather, sunroof, anti-lock brakes,etc.)and i got it for just under 18k, before tax, tag, and title. Unfortunately, you might have to spend a couple thousand more to get comparable 2004, but its worth it. You absolutely will not find a better car in that class under 20k.