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 for the price - 2007 Hyundai Azera
  By DFWfrank - October 18 - 7:02 pm

  Researched for 3 months with test driving both Azera and Avalon. 18 years of Toyota ownership, the last 6 in Avalons, decided on the Azera. Felt that fit-and-finish,quietness, and power as good if not better than Avalon. Transmission and shifting was better than Avalon. We like the exterior and interior looks better than Avalon. Slight concern on reliability but with warranty not a big deal. Had to take Avalons in for reliability issues. Drive is not better or worse than Avalon just different, still very nice. We find the car fun to drive. You get a lot of features as standard features. Especially like that trunk size is 16.6 vs. Avalons 14.0. cubic ft. Would recommend.

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  I Love My Car - 2002 Hyundai Sonata
  By Stevie - October 18 - 5:30 pm

  I love my car. I have had things go wrong with it: replacing four window regulators, one speed input sensor, one speed output sensor, one oxygen sensor, but other than that, this car has been great in the near six years I have owned it. I love it more than the Plymouth I had before (for 14 years). It has such a comfortable interior that I can drive it for long periods of time and not get tired or sore. When I first got it in 2001, it was a big head turner and people would come up to me and go, "Thats a Hyundai?!" They thought it was a Jaquar, BMW or a Mercedes. Mine is black with black/gray interior and it looks sophisticated. Still looks like new because I take good care of it.

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  Best Buy in its class - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By DF - October 17 - 12:06 pm

  By far the best car and best buy in its class. Others do not come close in style, comfort and performance. As soon as I test drove this car, I knew it was the car for me. The interior feels sporty and luxurious and the exterior lines are impressive. I was pleasantly surprised with the feel of the engine - quick and smooth. It really feels like the car is floating along the road. I still cant believe the base model comes with so many features. My only complaint is the sight lines from the rear view mirror. Its difficult to see behind you.

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  Remarkable Vehicle - 2007 Hyundai Azera
  By Eli - October 16 - 9:46 am

  Ive owned Buicks, Cadillacs, Fords Chryslers, Jaguars, Lincolns and others. This Azera is a mind blowing find. It is a truly remarkable car at this price. Roomy, spirited, very attractive and lots of creature comforts. The build quality is superb and, unlike most other vehicles Ive found nothing for correction or adjustment. Nada.

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  My Azera.. - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By AlvSol - October 16 - 8:45 am

  One problem, a "dead battery", @ 2,500 miles.They came out within 25 minutes to jump start.I took it to dealer, and they checked it out.Found no problem. I put it on a 24 hr charger, and have had no problems since! ( This happened January, 07) Bumpy ride over rough roads. Very Quiet interior, I sometimes try to start it after its been running, due to no engine sounds inside the car. Overall, its been the "best car", Ive ever owned. Very spacious interior. (I also own a Lincoln, and a Corvette, also bought new.)

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  Love New Ride - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Bruce - October 16 - 8:06 am

  I love my new Santa Fe. It has a very smooth & quiet ride. The interior is what sold my wife, she didnt even want to test drive the Outlander after seeing the Santa Fe. I purchased a SE Dark Cherry w/beige interior and love the look. I have 400 miles on it so far and have averaged 22 mpg mixed suburban and highway and 25 on country back roads. I would recommend the Santa Fe to everyone.

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  So nice had to do it twice! - 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport
  By Sharon Nowlin - October 15 - 5:22 am

  Unfortunately our 2014 Santa Dr Turbo was totalled in a serious accident. Triple rollover...walked away with non-life-threatening injuries. Every panel on the vehicle was crushed or damaged. Firmly believe the safety and quality of the Santa Dr saved our lives

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  Accent GS 2dr with 5 speed manual - 2008 Hyundai Accent
  By jpjdoc - October 14 - 8:09 pm

  I was seriously considering getting a Toyota Yaris until I stumbled across this car. The Accent offers more standard features than the Yaris: arm rest, adjustable height drivers seat, tachometer, 6 air bags, split fold down rear seat. The construction quality is superb. And the warranty is unbeatable. The car is peppy and very nimble in traffic. It is especially good on curvy roads. Shifting is smooth. It hugs the road. It also gets good gas mileage. This car is equal to anything being produced by Toyota or Honda. And it is very fun to drive.

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  Sonata Satisfaction - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Michael Murphy - October 14 - 4:03 pm

  Excellent quality, modern style, and practicality combined with a very fair price makes me a happy owner.

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  Love my 2016 Limited Ultimate AWD! - 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By MH - October 14 - 10:54 am

  "We traded in our 2014 Santa Fe Sport for the bigger 2016 Santa Fe. We love the Ultimate package.. it has everything we could ever want...with bang for the buck.We shopped for the Kia Sorento, Honda Pilot,Nissan Pathfinder and going back to Hyundai was a no brainer. We spent about 10k less than similar cars with similar packages. Owning a Hyundai today is definitely not owning a Hyundai 10 years ago..they are doing an awesome job of keeping up with the competition. I mostly drive around my kids with it..they absolutely love the captains chairs.Going grocery shopping is easy with the automatic gate lift. The navigation is easy to use. Having the AWD has been awesome in the snow. As for reliability.. My old 2014 Santa Fe Sport only went to the dealer for oil changes..never had a problem with it.. so I am very confident with this one. We have gotten many compliments on its looks.