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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  My New Veracruz - 2011 Hyundai Veracruz
  By cwilli2 - November 15 - 12:30 am

  When I was looking to purchase a SUV I went shopping as most consumers do. Truthfully I went to Volvo actually liked the SUV itself but it didnt have the room I was looking for. During the process my daughter said mom you are a Hyundai loyal customer what are you thinking. Went to Rick Case Hyundai on a cold day. Salesman called me from outside telling it was cold to come in get warm and to tell him what I was looking for. I drove out that evening with my Hyundai Veracruz, everything they promised was delivered. I love my Hyundai and I love Rick Case.

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  Picking my Mouth up off the Floor - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By TS - November 14 - 9:56 pm

  Well I must say that I have been thoroughly impressed by this car. I purchased it today and as soon as I sat in it, I noticed the high quality of all of the interior components. Love the grey/black two tone and placement of the controls. Driving was just as great. I ended up with the 4 cylinder and was surprised by the pep. Handling is great too. Low road noise and great looking body. I also was impressed with the standard features like stability control, electronic breaking, six air bags, etc. Check out this site and the Hyundai site and then go get this car!

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  We Almost love it! - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By deck99 - November 14 - 5:23 pm

  Owned a 2003 Elantra and really really like it. So when the 06 Sonata LX came out we decided to take the plunge. The car is super quiet. cannot believe the sound of the doors closing! Lexus? Traded in a Mercury Grand Marquis, on which I got constant 29 mpg on long trips. So far mileage on this V-6 is about in that range. great car!

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  Great Price for More Car Than I Paid For - 2003 Hyundai Sonata
  By TexAZ - November 14 - 2:00 am

  We own an 03 Sonata GLS, W/ sunroof & spoiler, & standard Sonata package. Honda & Toyota go head to head here. We have seen in Hyundai, the turn both Honda & Toyota made years back, from disposible cars, to quality products. The 03s are a testimony to Hyundais desire to turn the corner, and they have done it! The looks, performance, interior & exterior, they put together a machine to be proud of. Add to that, Consumer Reports "Recommended Seal", plus the warranty, and theres no comparison. People trying to figure out what it is from the looks, makes the whole ownership thing really pleasing. Test drive it, and I know which you will choose!

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  Great purchase, superior in many ways - 2009 Hyundai Elantra
  By Mike - November 13 - 9:57 am

  I bought my Elantra just a couple of weeks ago and I am so happy with it. I did have an extended search and compared it with other cars like Honda Civic, Fit and Toyota Corolla, and my Elantra has everything I need, nothing to envy the competitors. Great look, smooth ride, the hp 138 gives great torque enhancing performance, very spacious inside, not feeling like driving in a "can" as I was feeling in others. Interior design is superior definitely, plenty of storage in easy to reach places. Blue tooth, ipod, satellite radio, what else do you need? Prior reviews on the 08 about safety speak for themselves, and this one has 5 star crash rating... Oh, of course, great gas mileage 33-35 mpg...

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  unnecessary Hype - 2001 Hyundai Elantra
  By Sebben - November 13 - 4:41 am

  I bought this car after reading the review at Edmunds. Whoever is the author should be fired. Dmn, you should be nuts to compare this one with civic. Let me list the problems, 1. Transmission seals leaked 2. Transmission sensor doesnt work 3. Trans axles have problem 4. the check engine light never goes off 5. Emission canister always go bad. 6. poor mileage. 19 on highway I can get it from a good SUV A waste of money. I have already spent over $1500 in repairs

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  Love my Sante Fe - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By JEAN - November 13 - 4:30 am

  We looked at many vehicle comparisons in searching out the perfect one for us. Much exhausting research to be confident in our decision. After looking at dealerships, searching on line, and auto shows,we feel we absolutly choose the best of the rest in our Sante Fe. It is the best value for what you get in it. After driving cars all our lives, we wondered how we would like driving a SUV. Suffice to say, we will only buy SUVs in the furure. Our Sante Fe is truly fun to drive, and has great looks and features for the price.

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  Younger Than its Years! - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Tom Haederle - November 12 - 10:41 am

  I bought my used 2007 Limited in late 2014, when it was already nearly eight years old and had 124,500 miles on it. I certainly had doubts about buying a CUV with mileage that high, but the test drive impressed me enough to roll the dice. Im glad I did. My Santa Fe has been a joy to own for the past year. Ive put nearly another 15-k miles on it with no problems. The engine still purrs, the interior and exterior look great (I keep it clean and wash it frequently) and the climate control system works to perfection. The car is for me a perfect combination of size, power, and good looks. The only non-routine expense of the past year was the replacement of both fuel senders, which has been a noted trouble spot for Santa Fes in general. My previous vehicle was a Mazda Tribute ES, which I loved for its sporty feel and quick acceleration. The Santa Fe isnt quite the same racehorse, but its a much smoother ride. All in all, a terrific CUV. If you can locate a good used one, dont necessarily be put off by a high odometer reading. With normal maintainence, this car will last.

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  Wife loves Car - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By bklynguy - November 12 - 10:13 am

  Was tired of noisy poky 4 cyl cars and decided to go for broke with a top of the line midsized V6. With gas at $4 a gallon, had second thoughts about the V6. Test drove the Sonata SE and was impressed. With the Limited V6 priced about 6K less than the Camry XLE or Honda EX, decided to go for broke and use the savings for gas. Now that the price of gas has come down, Im delighted with the choice. Wife mostly drives it and loves it.

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  Awesome GLS V6 - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Rev. John Akers - November 12 - 4:50 am

  Aftering owning 3 Camrys and 3 Accords over the years we took the 06 Sonata GLS V6 for a test drive. Wow. This car is totally on par with both the Accord and Camry and exceeds them in many areas. My suggestion - look really hard at this car before you purchase an Accord or Camry. You will be very surprised at its value, roominess and power.