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 Second Entourage! - 2007 Hyundai Entourage
  By Jesse - January 8 - 9:59 am

  I purchased an 07 Entourage after having a Dodge Caravan. Light years better! I use the vans for my dog grooming business (pick up/deliveries) so my vans are worked hard. I put about 30k miles annually, all city traffic. My 07 now has 140k miles and still going. Im sorry Hyundai discontinued this model. The 16 KIA Sodona received bad reviews so I just purchased a used 08 Entourage with 41k mikes. I anticipate the same amazing quality and reliability! I love these vans. Great pick up on them too!

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  Best Car Ive Owned So Far! - 2009 Hyundai Azera
  By Hawkskill818 - January 7 - 3:14 pm

  Ive had Volvos, Chryslers, Nissans, and Subarus. But, Ive owned my Azera Limited for about 2 years now, and it is the best car Ive ever owned, hands down. It is comfortable, powerful, fuel efficient, has a great sound system, and is SAFE! Consistently averages about 25-26mpg at speeds of 80mph, close to 30mpg around 70mph. I was also rear-ended at about 50mph in this car, the appraisers and auto body employees said if I was hit at any higher speed the car wouldve been totaled, but I came out completely unscathed! No whiplash or even a backache! It also performs very well in inclement weather, remains sure footed in rain, and the ESC system helps a lot in the snow as I have never gotten stuck and rarely slide around. It is also an extremely reliable car, I have never had any issues with anything on it. This is definitely a diamond in the rough car for Hyundai, and I will proudly buy more Hyundai products for many years to come because of my experiences with this one!

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  Amazing Car. Tons of cool upgrades! - 2001 Hyundai Elantra
  By Da-Mi-An - January 7 - 12:45 pm

  I drive a 2001 Hyundai Elantra GLS. The car is fantastic on gas mileage and is rather cheap to fill up! I love how easy the steering is along with how fun it is to drive. My brakes work great. The interior is rather ugly as is in most Elantras the good part about that is they come with so many cool options for seats and dash kits that you can purchase to really make the car feel like your own. It is a great buy and I would recommend all of my friends and family to purchase one just so they can see how comfortable and smooth driving the elantra gls really is. I do plan on purchasing a newer one this year and turning mine into a rally car. So if you wanna race lets be in touch haha.

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  My Car Air Bags dont deploy - 2006 Hyundai Elantra
  By Raul E. Garcia Sr - January 5 - 9:03 am

  I was involved in an accident and the airbags did not deploy. I contacted the Dealer here in town (Mesquite TX) and they send me to the Manufacturer, did not fix my airbags. Manufacturer did not accept any responsibility and just said: contact your dealer. Never heard of them again. I have to drive my poor car, with no airbags, and the dealer wont listen to you. Dont buy Hyundai cars. They stink! No customer service, and they dont care if you are injured or not. Tires have to constantly be replaced, specially the right rear tire. And Power Steering pump went out at 35000 miles. no warranty cover. Ralph in Mesquite Texas

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  great minivan - 2008 Hyundai Entourage
  By Luz Bonilla - January 4 - 4:40 pm

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  More for the money than most... - 2015 Hyundai Genesis
  By Mark Vassalotti - January 4 - 11:13 am

  I have only owned my Hyundai Genesis for 1 month, so Im still learning about the car and its performance. But so far its everything that I expected. Most of the reviews that I read about the Genesis prior to my purchase spoke about the "value" associated with this car. You clearly get more features with the Genesis than cars from other companies at the same price point. Ive found this to be totally true. I decided to forgo the extra packages that are optional with the Genesis because I felt that the stock model had most everything that I want at this point. The only option I added was the AWD since I live in Connecticut. But you can clearly get some great options if youre willing to upgrade. The Genesis is pretty quiet, and has a smooth ride. But it has no performance or handling weaknesses. Its a nice blend of both. And thats what I was looking for. The interior is really comfortable. I feel like Im in a cockpit. Im 6 3" and I have both ample head room and leg room in the Genesis. I like the instrumentation, and the entertainment/navigation system is touch screen, and very easy to use. My wife commented that she has "Navigation envy" since my screen is so much easier to view and understand than her car. The Blue tooth was easy to set up, and works great. I personally love the look/design of the Genesis. And the added security of the Hyundai warranty made me feel more secure in my purchase.

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  Fun and Smooth, but beware of snow! - 2013 Hyundai Genesis
  By Brian - January 4 - 7:00 am

  I purchased this car about 2 weeks ago, and so far Im relatively happy with it. The cabin is quiet, and the car is very powerful, making it very fun to drive. However, we recently saw our first glimpse of snow which resulted in a light dusting. Somehow, this incredible car was completely immobilized in a parking lot by a dusting of snow! I was nervous about purchasing a RWD vehicle because of this exact thing, but my fears were assuaged by the salesman and online reviews, all of which suggested that RWD vehicles have come a long way and are no longer a complete liability in bad weather. I still really enjoy driving this vehicle, but wouldnt recommend it for anyone who wants to use it as their primary vehicle where you may see even a little snow or ice.

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  In the end it was worth it! - 2015 Hyundai Genesis
  By Jazzyjeff808 - January 2 - 10:58 am

  The Genesis is awesome in many ways. Safety, design, comfort....the list goes on and on. Test drive and youll see. If you want to eliminate the negotiations part of it go to north county Hyundai. By far the quickest to get to a fair price without the hassles and common practices a dealership will put you thru. I spoke to 15 dealerships and it only took them 15 minutes before I felt comfortable giving them my credit information. Thats what you call getting down to business.

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  Very Dissapointed! Wanted a Reliable Beautiful car - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Linda Goodwin - December 31 - 12:32 am

  Fell in love with my 2006 Sonata. Beautiful metal-flake Cherry Coke color with beige interior and wood trim on dash. Looks very elegant. To date both front doors are peeling like crazy for NO reason....and any black paint ie: windshield wipers, posts between windows has faded dreadfully... looks terrible! Have had several issues with the check engine light coming on. Have replaced modules, timing chain, tensioners, you name it. This car has been driven less than any vehicle I have owned and has been the worse for wear. When new you couldnt hear the car idle at all and now it just knocks all the time. Dealer is of little help..even told me all the re-call work had been done when I knew it had not. Will not purchase another Hyundai....

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  Best Car I ever owned (Ten Year Original Owner) - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By mikeinmemphis - December 28 - 8:38 pm

  Bought the car off the show room floor in North Los Angeles and drove it home 130 miles south to San Diego. I t was a great trip. New Car, New Car smell and acceleration galore. Car is fast. I moved to the mid south a year later and have been there ever since. Car is great in snow and ice. Car has 175K miles and is still on original spark plugs. Still on original transmission fluid and original radiator fluid. I get an oil change religiously every 3000 miles (I think thats the secret to long life). Car has had no major trouble. I tow with it all the time. (5x8 utility trailer 1000 lbs not a problem). Minor problems include: Sun Visor, brake pedal switch, rear 3rd brake lamp, replace headlamps 3 times, drivers window when wet and rear brake lamps bulbs. I have driven the car at 130 miles an hour in the Southern California desert just to see if cruise control works at over 100 mph (it does). Best Feature: Reliability. I would buy another but they dont offer that V-6 in a sonata, It is available in the Santa Fe and it now produces almost 300 hp. I like this brand and will stick with it. They need to hurry up and make the Santa Cruz cause I need a new vehicle...10 years time for a change. And yes I will keep the old sonota as a second car until she dies.