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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  My New Santa Fe - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By gutier - August 29 - 3:50 pm

  WOW is all I can say, researched the several other SUVs and the SantaFe has surpast my expectations in every category. Exterior has a sleek look. Interior is very well designed and looks great. Roomie, 3 row seating great with the kids, and a smooth ride. Sleek design and all the extras at an afforable price. Getting better gas mileage than expected 20 city, 24 highway. I look forward to driving this car everyday.

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  Must Buy - 2008 Hyundai Elantra
  By Big Dog - August 29 - 10:40 am

  This is a great car. Fuel economy is as advertised. Its a lot more sporty than advertised too. It has a huge trunk and both my kids carseats fit in very well. The blue lighting is great at night. The manual shift is very easy. I climb over the Blue Ridge mountain to and from work everyday and this car makes it up and down with no problems. I pass by the Yaris and Versa and laugh. This car is nice.

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  Top Quality - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Hyundai Boy - August 29 - 10:00 am

  I have had my 2003 for over 1 year. It is performing above expectations. Wonderful to drive, good milage for an SUV (19.5) in mixed driving. 3 more of my friends have bought them. Engineer is outstanding, features usually limited to higher priced system. Look under the hood of a BMW! AWD system is excellent in Snow/Wet. BF GoodRich tires are high performers. I highly recommend this product and please note, Hyundai ranks with Honda in overall problems per 100 vehicles. 2nd only to Toyota. Imagine that!!!

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  I LOVE THIS SUV - 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Amanda - August 28 - 6:26 pm

  I bought this car 3 days ago. I have driven it 270 miles already. I am on a quarter of a tank. I think that is decent. I had an Elantra before this that got 320 miles to a tank. So for the size of the vehicle not too bad. The interior is so classy. Any one who didnt know the price would think you spent a fortune on this vehicle. Seats are so very comfy. And short people dont have to sit on top of the steering wheel to see where they are going or to reach the petals. Overall I LOVE THIS VEHICLE

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  Awesome car at an amazing price!! - 2008 Hyundai Elantra
  By Anthony T - August 28 - 4:29 pm

  I just bought this car because I will be commuting to college, and needed something more reliable than my 1998 Plymouth Neon. I got the SE model with the sportier wheels, fog lights, spoiler, etc. and I love it! It rides so nice and interior and exterior of this car are beautiful. I got the dark blue and I love it! I will have this car for the next 6 years of school!

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  Very Solid Midsizer - 2015 Hyundai Sonata
  By cruzefan1 - August 28 - 2:20 pm

  I traded in a 2013 Ford Fusion for a 2015 Hyundai Sonata back in mid October. After having the car for a little over a month I can say the new Sonata is a very solid choice in the crowded mid-sized car segment. Its very comfortable, has a smooth and quiet ride and also gets better fuel mileage than the Fusion I traded in. The car has adequate power and also is very roomy. The only cons I would say about the car is its not as exciting to drive as say the Mazda 6 and also the styling is a little more conservative than the outgoing model but is still a very sleek looking car! So far on fuel mileage Im averaging around 31 mpg combined and with the Fusion I got about 27.

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  3rd gear ??? - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By Watash - August 27 - 11:40 pm

  At nearly 50,000 miles, I can give a fair evaluation. My Azera has snappy acceleration that requires you to pay attention. The pro review that said they got 17.7 mpg is way off base. He must have done his review driving around in 3rd gear. I get 26 to 28 mpg combined mileage, about half city and highway. I am an All-American, but I love just about everything about this car. Easy on tires? I am just about to buy the first set of replacement tires, going to get 235s this time it will be even better. This car will not disappoint someone who wants a very smooth ride. Its quick, very comfortable with a big trunk for all my things, and a ton of very usable features...Ed

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  Nice Combo Of Quality and Economy for U - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Havefun.Drive - August 27 - 8:06 pm

  Vehicle is great. Very great deal for the price. It is very big on the inside- room-wise. Deepwater Blue and Beige leather is a killer combination! LXV6 will knock your socks off. Back seating is comfortable and very spacious. Trunk is large. Engine is laid out excellent, where you can find everything easily. Gas is still a mystery since I just bought it on 01/04/06. Heated seats work very well.

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  Stepping Up - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By Gwen D - August 27 - 9:20 am

  I am going from a Kia Sportage to the Sonata. Boy what a step up! I feel like I have died and gone to heaven in this car. I was also scared of buying another Korean auto but so far I have not been disappointed.

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  Pleased so far - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By B.S.S. - August 26 - 2:00 am

  Ive been very pleased by my 02 Hatchback. The stick is fun to drive and has more punch than I anticipated. Great standard features and warranty. Exterior look is sharp too.