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:

• 

  Mid Life Toy - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Gregorio - February 1 - 10:00 am

  I test drove all the sports coupes I could find under $30,000.00. I came back to the Tiburon for two reasons. First, the styling, nothing on the market comes close except the Z 350 for ten grand more and if you wanted to spend the money you will have to wait for several months to get hosed by a dealer. Second, the car is just more fun to drive. My 6 speed GT handles like the car it look like.

• 

  Love at First Sight - 2010 Hyundai Elantra Touring
  By Jim Maloney - February 1 - 9:33 am

  I drove a 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe for 3 years and fell in love with Hyundai quality and service but I needed a more fuel efficient smaller car. Since I carry items on a regular basis I needed a hathback or wagon. The 2010 Elantra Touring filled the bill. I was skeptical about the horsepower but this car really moves. I had 2002 and 2005 BMW 3 series and they have nothing over this car. Solidly built (no noise going over train tracks) and corners great. Looks great and has a great warranty. I call it a win win win deal!

• 

  Sonata keeps getting better - 2013 Hyundai Sonata
  By fokker45 - February 1 - 6:24 am

  This is my third Sonata, a 2007, 2010, now a 2013. Each is better than the last. I have the Limited with the 2.0 Turbo. It is as fast as the old muscle cars, but smoother and more conomical. Interior is nicer than in the past, dash layout is good and the instrument panel lighting is very sharp. Seats are comfortable and both front and back are heated. Compared to my V-6 Sonata, Im getting 3 to 4 mpg better milage and with better performance. As for reliability, none of my Sonatas ever needed warranty service. The style is better than cars costing twice as much. Every time I park next to a luxury car, I still prefer the Sonata styling and the high quality of the pain

• 

  GLS with Premium Package - 2009 Hyundai Veracruz
  By Mike C - January 31 - 1:56 pm

  Purchased the GLS with Premium package vs. the Limited package due to price differential. The GLS with premium only sacrifices a couple of options. We did not want the NAV package since portable units suffice well. The car rides and handles well and is very comfortable and meets all of our expectations. The only problem encountered was the road tires were overinflated 48 vs. 30 recommended and the spare was underinflated 30 vs. 60psi recommended. The prep should have caught these items. We have taken two trips of over 300 miles and are well satisfied with the driving experience.

• 

  Luv it - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By Eric - January 31 - 11:28 am

  I love my Azera since I have had it, it has been great. We drive out of town a lot and it drives like a high priced car. It is fun to drive and is one of the safest in its class. I is very fast, handles great, rides smooth, and we love it.

• 

  Good Hyundai Service - 2010 Hyundai Elantra Touring
  By NYC - January 30 - 1:30 am

  This is my first Hyundai. I never considered to buy a hyundai before. I bought this car because I could save at least $3000 by not buying Honda. No mechanical problems noted over 5500 miles. I drove this car during snow storm. This car was very reliable and ESC and ABS worked great on the snow and ICE. I drove about 70 miles that day from NYC and New York Upstate. Hyundai service was great and affordable. They charge me $35 for engine oil, oil filter, and 27 safety check. Also $35 for flat tire repair and wheel align. $0 for Tire air balancing. Whenever I visited the service center, they cleaned my car outside for free. Hyundai offers a reasonable price for maintenance.

• 

  Those S. Koreans have thought of everything - 2015 Hyundai Elantra GT
  By Graham Martin - January 29 - 1:34 am

  MPG only average, maybe 25-34. This cat handles great and is a lot of fun to drive. I drive it in ECO( gas saving control) and it has plenty of power. Plenty of room to store things in the front seats. Plenty of jacks to charge tour tech stuff. Besides the average gas mileage is that interio cabin is a little noisy on the highway. But at the price I paid, it is a great value!

• 

  Excellent - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By LoveSonata - January 28 - 2:10 pm

  Best mid size car I never seen before. Its amazing.

• 

  The car to buy - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By kofender - January 28 - 10:00 am

  Very simply, everything you really need is in this car. Its not expensive, but it is surprisingly well built. It is not a speed demon, but do you really need to be runing your engine with hard accelerations? You cant beat the value for the price. Everything you really need is here and all the frills (except a navigation system, but do you really need one to get around your own neighborhood) are here too. And heck, its about $8000 than a similar Accord or Camry.

• 

  A Bargain and Fun to Drive Too - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By Enrique - January 27 - 6:10 pm

  Its been a joy to own and drive. The things you get for the price is hard to believe, even 4 years later. The hatchback styling is very Saabish and practical. The trunk is large (fits four tires perfectly) and with the seats folded, its huge (10+ tires, full size desk, etc). The space, ride and quietness surprises everyone. Although the stock handling doesnt live up to the GT emblem, a Tiburon rear sway bar takes minutes to swap in. Reliability has been better than I expected - about one trip per year to the dealership and its never left me stranded.