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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  Fun to Drive at This Price! - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By IsaacD - June 12 - 5:40 am

  For some reason, Consumer Reports decided that this car isnt reliable. I cant understand why. If youre not a racer, then youll find plenty of performance under the hood. Shifting has never been an issue. And I have more than once received comments from passers-by about the appearance. Of course, there are some shortcomings. But the negatives entirely depend upon your lifestyle. The rear seat is non- existant and road noise is a little much. As with all front wheel drives, torque steering is an issue. No matter these issues, however, I absolutely love driving this car!

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  Fueled up - 2006 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Joe - June 10 - 11:43 am

  Claim on the window was 17 intown to 23 on highway. I have yet to reach 17 either place.. This is the second Hyundai I have bought new, and love both vehicles, just this one has poor poor mileage....

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  Cheap but well made - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By Helix - June 6 - 2:00 am

  Hte car is a reall steal for the money and the amenities you get with it.

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  good car - 1995 Hyundai Elantra
  By LAN - June 3 - 5:45 pm

  The only problem Ive ever had with it is the trim panels, the buttons that hold the door panels kept comming off. Fun to drive only mechanical problems were brake pad replacements, head light replaced, new tires. I bought it as a second car for local travel, and ended up taking it on a couple crosscounty trips. Would buy from again.

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  Fun to drive, poor fuel economy - 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe
  By pedsRN - June 2 - 7:50 pm

  Upgraded to this car from a 2001 Toyota Celica. Like the looks, fun to drive, but the fuel economy is a sham. Best MPG so far is 20mpg on the highway with cruise control on. My Celica got 30+ doing the same driving. Paint is already chipping on the bumper. Also, a creaking/clunking noise started in my rear axle/wheel hub area TWO MONTHS after purchase. I researched this car top to bottom along with the Accord, went for the "fun" car and I regret my decision.

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  Hyundai definitely gets my vote! - 2002 Hyundai Accent
  By Amy - June 1 - 11:20 pm

  I purchased a 2002 Hyundai Accent GS to use as my commuter car! I had my doubts, but thought what the heck, as long as it gets me from point A to point B. To my surprise, Hyundai has been more reliable then my Audi. Anyone looking for reliability, gas economy and affordability, look no further. Your Hyundai will always take you where you want to go!

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  2000 Hyundai Elantra Wagon - 2000 Hyundai Elantra
  By robert j. Esposito - June 1 - 8:56 pm

  My Hyundai is very reliablity. It has not given me any trouble in 5 years. For the price I paid ( $12,400.00 )and the miles I have driven ( 90,000 ) I think I made a very good deal.

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  Its affordable - 2005 Hyundai Sonata
  By Butch - May 31 - 2:57 pm

  I dont know if you would consider going from a Buick Century Custom to a Sonata a step down or not. But, the Buick only lasted 97000 miles before the transmission went out. 99% of those miles were freeway miles and the Buick was well maintained. The Sonata doesnt ride quite as nice as the Buick, nor does it have the pep of the Buicks V6 engine. But, for the money the Sonata is a nice car. And, I am especially impressed with the warranty, I wish the Buick had one like it. I expect to get many years of service from the Sonata considering the number of miles I drive per week will be dropping from 540 to about 25. I also expect the $250 monthly gas expenses to drop to pocket change.

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  Great choice - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By sberhow - May 31 - 1:09 pm

  I bought my 2004 Sonata used with about 17,000 miles. Also considered Mazda3, Camry, Accord, but the Sonata comes with so many more features standard, and you cant beat the price or the warranty. Love it so far - the ride is very smooth, car is very easy to handle. Tons of space in the trunk. I love the look of the car, and its so comfortable to drive. The only down side so far is that gas milage is not quite as good as my Mazda Protege was, but that comes with a bigger car with a bigger engine.

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  Initial thoughts... - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By atlantabcs - May 31 - 12:23 pm

  Just purchased the Limited 2.0T model tonight... put 75 miles on it and must say I like it. The car is quiet, smooth, peppy and is averaging about 26 mpg so far in a mix of driving. Love the bluetooth interface and all the luxury items you get with the Limited trim. I think someone said headroom was tight in this car in some review...not true. Im 62" and have plenty of head and leg room. Do wish it had memory seats though. I still think its the best bang for the buck on the market...hands down. Ill update again after Ive driven it for 6 to 12 months and well see if anything changes.