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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  What a Pleasant Surprise - 2008 Hyundai Sonata
  By Markd - July 25 - 8:30 pm

  Hyundai had a fire sale and I purchased the Sonata Limited with the I4 and no sunroof for $17,465.00. Wonderful car much to like. Great comfort, great price, great warranty, and you owe it to yourself to take advantage of the sale.

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  Very solid car and a great deal - 2009 Hyundai Elantra
  By Chris G. - July 25 - 6:25 pm

  I am amazed about how solid the car is and how much fun it is to drive. Nothing creaks or feels cheap. The car exterior (we have the dark blue) looks stunning. Inside even at highway speeds there is little road noise and it is extremely comfortable. Drove its first 200 miles today. Mileage for an unbroken in car was 36+ on highway. Lots of features that are expensive add-ons for other cars and it is very safe. The iPod interface works with my iPhone 3G even in very limited testing, just tell your iPhone not to go into airplane mode when you plug it in. Bluetooth interface in the car works, although I thought speaker volume sounds low.

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  Awesome - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Sute - July 25 - 8:16 am

  After owning one for about a month now< Id have to say that this is the best car Ive ever had. Ive driven Hondas, Toyotas, and Mitsubishis and Id have to say that the Tucson is my favorite. Awesome job Hyundai!

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  Stus Azera - 2007 Hyundai Azera
  By B. Stu - July 24 - 8:48 pm

  Purchased this car new. Has everything on it. At 30,333 miles, Im getting 32 highway (doing 65mph) and 26 city on the 3.8L engine. This car was designed for the Korean executive market, and truly has an upscale look and feel to it. For the dollar, its a keeper (Ill keep it 10-15 years)! Do the research on this...you can applaud the Korean auto maker on a job well done!

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  Hyundais moving up in the world - 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe
  By Kevin - July 24 - 8:26 pm

  Although Ive only had mine for a little while, I can still say that the Genesis Coupe is a very impressive effort by Hyundai. Honda, Toyota, and even BMW are probably going have to sharpen their pencils in response to this car. After driving several competitors (and wincing at their prices), I stumbled onto the Coupe. Even if you dont factor in its lower price, the Hyundai is hard to beat: great style, good fuel economy (on regular gas!), just about every option youd expect (with the Grand Touring option), not to mention terrific power and handling - it all adds up to a great car. Ill admit that time will tell when it comes to resale value, but for now, Ill just enjoy it...

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  Look for something else!!! - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Dayna - July 24 - 1:46 pm

  I bought this vehicle almost totally based on looks then the problems started i put a new transmission in it at 22,000 KM then i got it towed to Saskatoon cause the speedometer was bouncing up and down and the check engine light came on got it there and they said nothing was wrong then the found that the brain was not working they replaced that then the sunroof started to leak so they replaced that after they did that it leaked worse now they say there is nothing they can do to fix it then i broke down on my way to Edmonton the fuel control throttle went on it and they had it for about a week to fix that i have had nothing but problems i talked to Hyundai Canada and they wont do anything!!

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  Dont look any further!!!!! - 2008 Hyundai Azera
  By Bill - July 23 - 7:19 pm

  This is my third Hyundai, my two others were Sonatas. I loved both of those but after upgrading to the Azera this is by far more bang for the buck than BMW,Lexus or any other high end car this size. Im getting 28-30 mpg on rural roads at 45-50 mph and 32-36 highway at 70mph.Powerful 3.8 ltr and great mileage to boot! Try and find one coming off lease and save big$$$$$.

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  A completely satisfying luxury sedan. - 2003 Hyundai Sonata
  By Sharrieff A. Jeffers - July 23 - 10:00 am

  This particular car has great features, good road handling, especially on the highway and around turns. The Sonata definitely has class and style complemented with luxury.

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  Very nice car - 2008 Hyundai Elantra
  By Very nice ccar - July 22 - 9:09 pm

  We bought this car from Hertz Car Sales for $9995+tax. We researched cars for several months prior to our purchase and were leaning towards the Elantra. When we saw this price, we went and drove the car. Wow! We were pleasantly surprised. It had under 25000 miles. So far we have had no problems. We love the handling, and at 70 mph on the freeway it hugs the road. Loaded with extras. It has a nice sporty feel. Consider this one if you are looking for a compact.

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  WOW What a Car - 2008 Hyundai Azera
  By Mary & Jim - July 22 - 3:39 pm

  Have had Tauruss since 1986. Went to look at a new Sonata and saw this used 08 Azera. We fell in love and a short test drive was all we needed. Ive driven BMWs, a Lexus and this is right at the top with them, only less expensive. We cant say enough about the car. Ride is smooth and quiet. XM Radio and stereo system is top notch. Power fold mirrors are the cats meow. Driver 1 and 2 position seting should be on all cars. So many features We are very impressed. If you are looking for a car and a value for your money you should drive one of these and purchase it. Oh, by the way.... The wife hardly lets husband drive it......its hers.