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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  Very Nice Porche-style car - 2004 Hyundai Tiburon
  By TNchicklet - September 27 - 2:00 am

  I drive it in Europe and turn heads.

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  One happy owner - 2004 Hyundai XG350
  By Barbara P. - September 27 - 2:00 am

  we are thrilled with the look,the comfort and reliability xg350L. Everyone who sees it loves it, and its a joy to drive,

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  Unbelievable car! - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By joe jones - September 27 - 2:00 am

  Great car for 25000, nevermind the 17000 sticker price

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  Love my baby.... - 2018 Hyundai Sonata
  By Gabe - September 26 - 4:28 pm

  Great value. I call my 2018 Turbo Sport "Leila" because she is a beautiful black piece of machinery. There were other models I was interested like the sporty version of the Camry and the Tesla but for all practical reasons, the Sonata have me the best value for my $$$. The only improvement I strongly recommend is that the stereo system lacks BASS power.

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  Amazing - 2007 Hyundai Veracruz
  By suvlover21 - September 26 - 3:02 am

  Bought this vehicle used just recently after looking for the past 3 months for an SUV that suited my needs. I test drove SUVs ranging from the kia Sorento Base all the way upto a Mazda Cx9 loaded. The Veracruz V6 and 6 speed transmission gives it plenty of power to get out into traffic, merge, and pass. The ride is incredibly smooth as well as the transmission shifts. I also love the fact I found an SUV that averages 20.5 MPG in mixed driving when my 2007 V6 sedan was averaging 25 mixed, I figured Id be dropping MPG a lot more than that and I am quite satisfied I was wrong.

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  Pleasure to Drive - 2009 Hyundai Genesis
  By Photo1 - September 25 - 8:03 pm

  I was ready to buy a new civic...but this thing blew me away and forced me to change my game plan. Have owned many cars and currently have a 528i in the garage. The Genesis is an extraordinary vehicle in that it is smooth - driving it is actually almost a pleasure (I drive over 100 miles a day for work). It is not as tight as the 5 series, but has more power than the 528. Refined, many options, very quiet, awesome interior detail. Not sure it will hold its value over time but jumped on a great lease deal for the premium plus package. Do get the premium package at least on this vehicle or you will lose money when you sell it. This will not replace a BMW, but sure complements it.

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  I Love My Car! - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By MrsPiggy549 - September 25 - 2:26 pm

  I just love this car, so far. I have only driven about 2,000 miles, however, each one of them has been FUN!

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  soggodsofar - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By lovethecar - September 25 - 10:00 am

  I had a 1999 tiburon that stayed in the shop more than on the road. I traded for the 2003. I already can tell a hude difference. Barely any noise... can hardly tell when it is cranked. The car gets tons of looks... TONS. People stop dead in their tracks and look at the car, trying to decide what it is. It looks like a mix between all the best selling sports cars. It is great and a lot of fun to drive.

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  Wow. - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By ColumbiaSCParalegal - September 25 - 4:10 am

  I fell in love with this car at first sight. I saw a red 2011 Sonata SE in the parking deck of my office building on a Monday and bought the very same car two days later. Compared to my 2007 Hyundai Sonata Limited, I feel like I am driving a luxury sports car.

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  You must test drive this car! - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By blnewt - September 23 - 7:23 pm

  After doing extensive research on several comparable models I "discovered" the Sonata on Edmunds.com and Im sure glad I did! I hadnt considered a Hyundai, but I was willing to keep an open mind and give all the vehicles a shot. This car is very tight & solid, has great acceleration and is very pleasing to the eye. The doors close w/ a heavy thud, not a tinny feeling like some models. The interior knobs and buttons have a substantial feel to them and are placed in a logical order. The shiftronic transmission coupled w/ the V6 makes for a very fun driving experience. So many standard features for the price really make this a car you MUST consider.