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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  Wat to go Hyundai - 2009 Hyundai Genesis
  By MIKLO - June 30 - 2:05 am

  What a great car,although I dont think its perfect it sure is nice.Although price did enter into my decision on buying it wasnt the only item. My last car was a Cady CTS and was nice car but way overpriced IMO.I got the 6cyl Genesis after testing both I went with the 6cyl and its got plenty of power 4me.I got the package that has everything except backup cam and GPS,4me it wasnt worth the extra money.I find this car so much fun to drive and am amazed at how many ppl stop me and ask questions,I could be a salesman due to my high praise for this car.After buying cars for 40 years this is the first car I have been so fired up about.Cant say enough good things and only have very minor dislikes.

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  Warranty is not as good as I thought - 2008 Hyundai Sonata
  By Ed - June 30 - 12:30 am

  The car seemed OK and when I drove it for a while I got home and looked under the hood. Most of the fluids where not at the proper level. I topped them myself rather than drive 40 miles back. The engine luggs at 40 MPH when in top gear. Suspension handles bumps in a way that feels odd like the tires are bouncing over the bumps. The dealer claims an oil change is needed every 3000 miles and the company backs this up but when I first got the car they said 3000 only for severe use. Now they say everything in the US is severe. I had 2 mechanical problems with a tire pressure detector malfunction and a brake problem. Their "best warranty" did not cover anything.

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  living the dream - 2016 Hyundai Sonata
  By Karen Borinstein - June 29 - 9:05 pm

  I love the car I chose. I am very frugal so to me I spent more than I wanted. Love the safety features but wish you did not have to purchase packages to obtain them. I guess you pay for the quality you get. I am happy every time I get in my car to go somewhere. It is a joy.

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  My first Hyundai wont be the last! - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Tom B - June 29 - 6:52 pm

  I was on the fence about Hyundai until I read about the Sonata and how it was built in America. So I bought the first V6 Sonata LX fully loaded to arrive in San Diego and paid invoice! Had to settle for Black as that was what came in. To this day I have ZERO regrets! The car is amazing and looks fantastic. It has really held up great with just a few oil changes and 30K service. Ive replaced the tires and front brakes and thats it. I highly recommend this car to anyone. The only downside is gas mileage..typical driving will get you about 19 mpg if you really drive it light around 23mpg... I see it averaging close to 30 mpg on a long highway trips.

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  Good van for what you need it for - 2007 Hyundai Entourage
  By shanks - June 29 - 6:02 pm

  Ive owned this van for over a year now, and have not had any problems at all with it. I purchased it used with 20k miles, and Ive since put on 10k, mostly on the highway. The van is large and spacious, similar to Odyssey, Sienna and Caravan (Ive driven all of these). The performance is very good considering its size, and you have to remember that its a minivan, not a sports car. I think the build quality is good, not quite up to Sienna or Odyssey levels, but on par with the Caravan. The 5 year 60k mile warranty is a reassuring factor, but I have not yet had to take advantage of it. Also, I think gas mileage is pretty good, I get about 26 mpg on the highway, with a moderate load.

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  dont buy an azera - 2008 Hyundai Azera
  By eddie - June 29 - 4:08 pm

  I bought a 2008 azera on june 1st of 2009. It was a program car and had 8,400 miles on it. It cost a little less than a camry, and had a better warranty, but thats the only good part. It in no way matches the quality of a toyota camry. Ive read these reviews and have decided that they must have been written by hundai dealers. My overall gas mileage is around 18 mpg. I guess thats good if you compare it with a hummer. I took the car on vacation and the throttle sensor went out 22 times before i could get it to a dealership to fix it. The mechanic who fixed it said that he had fixed several of them, and he didnt know why they didnt have a recall on them. Im very disappointed in the car.

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  Update - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Frank - June 28 - 10:06 pm

  Now have over 27000 miles on my 06 Sonata and still love this car. It has been bullet proof so far. What impresses me the most is how smooth and quiet this car is. Except for the noise that comes from water spray on the undercarriage when it rains, this car is extremely quite. My friend owns a Lexus LS and this car is nearly as smooth and quiet as his car! Power is very good for a 4 cylinder, but is noticeable slower with the A/C running. ESC is great in the snow. Overall mileage has been 24.9 mpg with about 31 mpg on highway. Way more car for the money that with Toyota or Honda. Only issue is poor resale value. But that should improve as more people discover Hyundai.

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  Excellent value - 2005 Hyundai Sonata
  By sprinty - June 28 - 6:23 pm

  I was skeptical about purchasing a less known name car. The car has performed wonderfully and I have experienced no mechanical problems. The Hyundai people are great for roadside service and questions. I do not work for Hyundai, but I truly am impressed with the warranty and ride. The mileage is great. The car gets up those mountain roads with ease. I would buy another one any time.

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  Americas best warranty? Bull! - 2000 Hyundai Accent
  By northArrow - June 28 - 12:28 pm

  I could get over the small and cramped cabin and complete lack of power thanks to the amazing fuel mileage, but my tolerance for this car ended the same day the 5 year bumper-to- bumper warranty did. We always did the scheduled maintenance on it, but minor problems were always cropping up (these were covered by the warranty). However, once the vehicle turned 5 years old, major issues appeared, ranging from loud whining noises to shifting problems and constant brake replacements. After several months of $1200+ repairs, the final straw occurred when the engine caught fire leaving my wife stranded on the highway. (not covered) At 6 years old and approx 80K miles we finally got rid of it

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  Great Value - 2007 Hyundai TUCSON
  By SKR - June 28 - 10:36 am

  better packeges at a greater value as compared to honda crv and toyota rav4. Fun to drive.