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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  Great little car - 2008 Hyundai Accent
  By Dodger - July 19 - 6:19 pm

  I have had my Accent for over a year now, I bought it when gas was near $5.00 a gallon. The car is great for running around town in but not so good on the freeway, I am getting 26 and 32 MPG. I still like the car but it has some flaws. The 5 speed is a must but the clutch really takes some time getting use to, the plastics of the interior are the worst I have ever seen, scratch very easily, the ride is quite and comfortable but you do feel most of the bumps and holes in the road. Reliability has been outstanding so far and still have no rattles. If your on a budget or looking for a cheep 2nd car then this is a good choice.

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  Beautiful Girl, Bad Personality - 2009 Hyundai Genesis
  By Genesis380 - July 18 - 9:15 pm

  This car appears beautifully built and superbly appointed. It looks and feels like a $70,000 car for half the price. It exudes class and the fit and finish and appointments compete with the best in the industry. The dark secret is that it has horrible suspension and rides like a truck. This severe defect is not immediately noticeable - the suspension has a dual personality. It is beautifully smooth on the interstate but it jitters and bounces over suburban streets. It is horrible to drive and I regret leasing it. I am deeply disappointed. A short test drive doesnt reveal the quirky suspension characteristics. "This beautiful girl has a bad personality". Beauty is more than skin deep.

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  Dissatisfied - 2007 Hyundai Azera
  By BJ - July 18 - 8:24 pm

  We were so excited to own our Azera until the tires went bad. We had only had the car a few months. It became very noisy. The ride is bumpy. Then the rear visor would get stuck and make the most atrocious noise. The handles fell off, the dash cracked. The battery repeatedly died for no apparent reason. The trunk is awful. It was poorly designed and rain water falls in and wets all my paper documents inside! Ill buy a Honda or Toyota next time!

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  sweet ride - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By easternpadad - July 18 - 4:09 pm

  have had the 2011 since the summer and it has been a very favorable experience. good mileage and excellent performance for this class/price/mileage.

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  Very Impressive!! - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By kw88keys - July 18 - 1:23 pm

  Have owned one month. Very pleased with the car. Lots of power for the money with quick acceleration and torque at all speed ranges. Corners very nicely with firm control. Interestingly, when I first purchased, the ride was very mushy around corners and I was somewhat dissappointed. Found the tires to be 15-20 lbs under- inflated and corrected. Now corners like my previous Benz. Traded in an Impala LS for this and SO much more car! So far, Ive had more admiring comments from strangers on the looks than most cars Ive owned (only topped by the Benz and a Supra). Most garage employees (live in NYC) think it is a Lexus and they see everything. Steering, braking, fit/finish all A+. Stereo A+.

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  More BANG for the buck!! - 2009 Hyundai Azera
  By JIM M. - July 18 - 12:41 pm

  We bought this fine vehicle on August 4th,2008 and been very satisfied with it in all respects except one - a bumpy shift from lower gears to drive. While I find this to be irritating it still does not diminish my enjoying my Azera.

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  a nice car for half the money - 2005 Hyundai XG350
  By neil p. hill - July 18 - 10:50 am

  this was a great car, other people kept saying "why dont you get a good car", but this really is a good car ,the only negative is the gas pedal ,its all or nothing ,the dealer tried to fix it but no luck. other than that ,it was a great car, really

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  A wonderful Car - 2009 Hyundai Genesis
  By Jose R - July 18 - 12:20 am

  I bought this car for about 42K even. And I can not say enough about this car. It has everything I would ever want and then some. I can say for sure that the engine is very powerful and the handling is great.

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  Mix bag - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Sinai - July 17 - 6:50 pm

  I bought this car almost three years ago.First owner was an old guy, so I think he didnt drive it too harsh. during past three years I had to change the whole Starter package, whole AC compressor and accessories, front struts, windshield wipers water pump ( its broken again) and replaced the battery twice. CD player may work only occasionally and can not read half of the tracks for no good reason. I changed the front shock absorbers, and it just got a little better for a while,, its just driving me crazy that how noisy and uncomfortable the car is over small bumps. I took care of the car really good and still its not reliable. when I bought the car it had 93000 miles on it and now its ~ 117000. thats stupid,,, I wont ever but any Hyundai products and will not recommend it to anybody.

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  KDM power - 2013 Hyundai Genesis Coupe
  By kultureshok - July 17 - 6:18 am

  rarely do i ever write reviews but i was so compelled to write one for the 2013 genesis 2.0t. i see a ton of mixed reviews at least for the 2.0t. The 2.0t is an extremely fun car for 25k. Power from the 4 banger is more than adequate if youre not an enthusiast or a tuner. Car receives a ton of looks, love the fact that its not a common car on the road yet, it gives you a sense of exclusivity. Handling is good can take corners relatively well, but by no means is it on the same level as an FRS/BRZ. i see a lot of concerns and complaints about the waste gate on the turbo rattling, my genesis has about 2500 with no issue so far (knocks on every piece of wood known to mankind) overall pleased