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 Car - 2013 Hyundai Sonata
  By dreamideation - June 16 - 8:53 pm

  Ive put 24K miles on my limited turbo Sonata and I like it even more than when I bought it. Its fast, comfortable, gets great gas milage and...most importantly...so much fun to drive. I would definitely buy this car again.

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  Buy this super nice car! - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By E C Zanini - June 16 - 7:20 pm

  I have owned this car for over five months I I could not be happier! It has the feel of a much more expensive luxury car and it comes with features that belong in a luxury car. The best value for the money out there!

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  Doing great so far! - 2008 Hyundai Accent
  By frostie_troll - June 16 - 4:55 pm

  I bought this car to replace my aging 98 Saturn just under a year ago, and it has been a great car so far. I was looking for basic transportation with a couple of extras, and thats exactly what I got. With the Accent, I get good gas mileage, reliability, freezing cold A/C even on the hottest Texas days, good looking body style (girls tell me its "cute"), solid feel, excellent warranty, crazy tight turning radius, XM radio (LOVE the XM!), ample room for my 58" self and all my camera equipment, and I can almost pick it up and put it in my pocket after I reach my destination. My only complaint right now is the poor visibility in the hatchback when checking lanes before a lane change.

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  My 2 cents - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By for_now - June 16 - 10:00 am

  Theres not much more I can say that hasnt already been said. The Santa Fe is very nice. Its only bad points are that it is under powered and that gas milage is bad. Im sure anyone that buys one will be happy with it.

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  wow! - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By chunks - June 16 - 10:00 am

  this car has great speed and its comfortable...i love the car and i would suggest everyone to look up on it

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  Tiburon 03 - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By PrasadMJR - June 16 - 10:00 am

  I just love this car

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  Cheap for a reason - 2002 Hyundai Accent
  By Jeffrey - June 16 - 9:16 am

  Basics: No standard features. Cheaply built. Poor visual sight when driving. No back seat room. No front seat room. Low head clearence. No power in the engine. Rattle noises when I accelerate. Cheap feel. No pride in owning one. I can only hope when people see the "H" they think it is a Honda. Cheap price for a Cheap car. Not recomended unless you cannot afford anything else. If you want a Hatchback get a VW Golf, like I will be in 2 months.

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  My first Hyundai - A Great Automobile. - 2010 Hyundai Sonata
  By dlp6 - June 16 - 1:26 am

  Car handles well in all weather conditions. Comfortable to drive. Good visibility. Lots of room when rear seats folded down. Car has good balance, low tire wear. I have 128,000 km on rear tires and dont have to change them yet. Front tires changed at 115,000 km. No problems from new - One warranty issue to have transmission re-programmed - solved rough shifting that had developed. Quiet on both city roads and highway. Dash is great, easy to read, and controls very accessible. Almost feels like a full size car inside. Have purchased 2013 Sonata GLS and have kept 2010 as a second car. Very reliable.

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  Its the little things..... - 2007 Hyundai Azera
  By Lars - June 15 - 10:08 am

  Awesome car when it comes to horsepower, handling, and comfort. Sketchy when it comes to overall integrity of the car. Little rattles everywhere! One major metal to metal noise under the car that I can hear through the console that is driving me nuts and my dealer cant seem to hear it! Checked a TSB and found that mine had a "fix" for such a noise but it didnt help it at all. My dealer seems lost and now wont agree that there is a noise! Taking it to another and it gets fixed or it goes.

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  Test Drove and Loved! - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By bsavoie93 - June 15 - 8:03 am

  I went and test drove this car today. Immediately when I sat in it, it was incredibly comfortable. Im 64" and there is more than enough room and the seats are perfect. It took no time at all for me to find a comfortable driving position unlike most other cars Ive driven or drive where it takes several times of driving to get comfortable. The acceleration with the 2.0 Turbo is fantastic, I barely tapped the gas and I was at 80. It rode so well down the road. The car also has a strong and solid feel. Now since Ive only test drove it and dont own one YET Im not sure how reliability is. Im sure its fine since all the other reviews havent said anything too bad, but only time will tell.