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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  Test Drive one before buying another car - 2007 Hyundai Elantra
  By Todd - August 6 - 4:33 pm

  This is an excellent little car! This car drives nicer than the corolla and civic and handles great. Very comfortable. The fuel economy is not as good as I had hoped. I get 25 around town a lot of stop and go. It is very fun to drive and has a great little sound system. I like the mp3 aux jack. Drive this car before you decide to pay more for another model.

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  Read this review! - 2008 Hyundai Sonata
  By 3rd Hyundai - August 6 - 8:50 am

  Overall an excellent value, the V6 has tons of acceleration, gas mileage is just ok. The car is loaded with standard features that would typically be options on any other car. the appearance is outstanding, standard 5 spoke mags. The radio is better than I anticipated, after setting the eq levels, the sound system was dramatically improved. I discovered the trip computer accidentally, yet another nice feature... Best of all I did my haggling over the internet, and had the deal done before I arrived at the dealer, I was in and out in 45 minutes (a new record for purchasing a new car).

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  Tremendous Value - 2007 Hyundai Veracruz
  By mjb56 - August 6 - 12:50 am

  Im extremely impressed with the value this vehicle offers. Shopped Pilot and Highlander but this won hands down. Other Hyundai owners convinced me of the reliability and value. Dont pass this by in your vehicle search. Cant wait to take a trip.

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  Best car out there in its class - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By coolhokie - August 5 - 3:20 am

  I had a 96 Honda Accord and was totalled in an accident. Ive been eyeing on Hyundai Sonata ever since this new designed Sonata came out. After considering its style, lots of standard features, best warranty, price. I decided to buy this Sonata. And I am loving it more than ever after owning it. Car has so many safety features like front, side, knee airbags, Traction control, Electronic stablity control, ABS, etc. Engine is real strong yet quiet but very fuel efficient. Ride is very comfortable and nice too.

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  5000 Miles - 2008 Hyundai Elantra
  By hutch7 - August 4 - 6:40 pm

  This is a 5K follow up review. So far this has been a very good car. Everyone in my family (all 4 drivers) loves to drive this vehicle. Tight handling, good gas mileage and outstanding ergonomics make the Elantra a joy to live with. Absolutely no problems so far. The first service was free from the dealership.

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  4 cyl surprise - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By Homer - August 3 - 9:10 pm

  I am flabbergasted at the smoothness and agility of the Sonata 4 cyl. It surpasses anything I ever expected. I have been driving a 3.8 V-6 with every conceivable option. This Sonata beats the pants off my old car even though I liked it a lot. Mileage is in the low 30s, pick up is surprisingly quick and quiet. The ride is great, albeit not quite as good as my XG350. It handles very well with a good feel on the road and in traffic. It has enough options to be comfortable and complete.

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  sonata - 2012 Hyundai Sonata
  By bossman54 - August 3 - 8:52 pm

  good purchase

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  Avid Over Azera - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By M. Newhouse - August 2 - 3:39 pm

  I was very skeptical about buying a luxury Hyundai, but Azera has surpassed all of my expectations. The ride is powerful, sporty and yet comfortable. The seats are amazingly comfortable and memory seats make it easy to switch drivers. Fuel economy is very good for a large car: 22-24 city, 27-29 highway. Service has been excellent so far. We compared ride to Avalon and found this less floating and more sporty. You feel like you have a fast car, but very good at holding road and over bumps. Great car- big surprise.

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  Great value - 2017 Hyundai Sonata
  By Steve Manicor - August 2 - 2:29 pm

  For the price I paid, this car is a great value. It has loads of interior space and great safety features. The interior design is ok, nothing spectacular but again for the price more than adequate. The exterior design is very nice, especially with the sport package. I would recommend this car to anyone who is looking for a great value. The longer I own the car the more satisfied I am with the purchase.

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  First Three Months with Genesis V6 - 2009 Hyundai Genesis
  By Lake Runner - August 1 - 4:26 pm

  We purchased our Genesis V6 -- Premium Pkg. -- in mid-July this year and have been extremely happy with it to date. Fuel economy is amazing, 20 - 22 in strictly in-town driving, high 20s to low 30s on the highway. On our first 1100 mile trip with mileage divided 80/20 between Interstate and local/city, we averaged 29.4 mpg. The comfort level is beyond any other car weve owned. The engine is nearly silent and very strong -- it loafs at 75 mph on the Interstate. Would strongly recommend a test drive to anyone who is looking for a very high level of comfort, features, and performance.