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:

• 

  Proud &Happy Hundai Owner - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Houston - June 22 - 7:46 am

  Fun to drive, plenty of power while delivering 23-26 mpg on highway. Wet road traction is outstanding with the AWD. Rear seating has adequate foot room even with front seats all the way back.

• 

  Best Buy Out There - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By William Manners - June 22 - 5:06 am

  We have not owned long but what a pleasure to drive. It is fun to drive, handles great in and out of curves. The 2.6 has all we need and the shiftronic is great as well.

• 

  Never will I buy American again! - 2007 Hyundai Entourage
  By Luv My Hyundai - June 21 - 11:55 am

  Weve had our Entourage for 30 days now & absolutely love it! We took it on a 1,000 mile trip a week after we purchased it & we had a wonderful trip! There were 4 adults & 2 children & we had loads of room & the ride was as smooth as it could be. This was our first minivan & we werent sure if we would like it or not. Weve always had Fords in the past but had several bad experiences with our Explorers. I would definitely recommend this van to anyone that may be on the fence especially if you cant decide between the Hyundai, Toyota, & Honda. This van is a much better buy than the other two & cheaper too! The Toyota van would have been about $10,000 more w/the same options!

• 

  Better than a Lexus ES350 - 2007 Hyundai Azera
  By Maximus - June 20 - 8:53 pm

  Yes, this is not a Lexus. But it is better than a Lexus ES350 in terms of overall quality and value. The price is about $12,000 cheaper than a comparably equipped ES350 but quality is equivalent or actually better in some areas. For example, the ride is not floaty as ES350 since the Azera provides a firmer (better road handling) yet very comfortable ride. Inside the cabin is quieter than the ES350 (closer to the LS430) since I could hear my wrist watch ticking at 65 mph on a hwy. Azera has a bigger interior space than the BMW 760i. It is a true luxury at a very humble price.

• 

  Better than Lexus, Infiniti, Acura, et. - 2007 Hyundai Azera
  By Belton Bob - June 20 - 11:57 am

  Looks, rides and feels like a luxury car. Others look like made over versions or their regular brands and they are small inside. Getting about 3 MPG less than I did with a Camry V6-and that is great for this size car. It is a better designed car than Lexus or Infiniti. Compares very well to Lexus LS and Infiniti M. Dealers want to sell the cars, whereas above want to get as much money as possible out of you. Paid far less than TMV or even Consumer Reports bottom line-and still got a much better car. Friend says it rides better and has more front seat room than his Mercury Marquis. It does seem to create a lot of brake dust, but only has 1700 miles on it. Best not considering price.

• 

  New Sonata is Great - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By Greg - June 19 - 7:10 pm

  I havent been a fan of Hyundai vehicles until I saw the new new Sonata on the TV commerical. I decided to go for a test drive and was hooked instantly with the cars options and looks. The price was great for the packages I got on the car. Performance is amazing with the redesigned 4 cylinder engine. Gas mileage as something I have been worried about, but no so much an issue anymore with this car. The engine components are covered so it cuts down on engine noise on the highway, you can hardly tell the engine is running at 80 mph, and idle sound is pretty much non existent. The seats are great, and evne though it sits low to the ground its not a hassle to get in and out of.All in all its an A+

• 

  2006 Hyundai - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Al Fralich - June 19 - 3:23 pm

  great styling - much more than expected. performance very good, gas mileage quiet, and very smooth ride. best in safety features.

• 

  Elantra Limited - 2007 Hyundai Elantra
  By davids - June 18 - 5:49 pm

  Me and my significant other have already put 5K miles on our Seattle Blue Limited with light gray leather. He fight each other over who gets to drive it. I like the looks of the old Elentra but this version is incredible. The Mazda3 Grand Touring is nice and perhaps more handsome but basically costs 5K more with inferior gas mileage. So its not even close IMHO. The 4c is peppy, climbs hills easily. 5 spd better than auto. The rear end sits up high so rear visibility is not good. But other than that, its a great, great car. There are a few little things I wish it had, (see below) but I venture to say this is the best bargain of all cars, all cars, sold in the United States right now.

• 

  The Elvismobile - 2013 Hyundai Genesis
  By Terry - June 17 - 4:16 pm

  This car could pass as a high end Benz or Bentley.....Eye catching beauty. The comfort, quality and that Lexicon sound system makes this car an amazing highway cruiser.

• 

  frequent traveler - 2013 Hyundai Sonata
  By dennisnkc - June 17 - 2:53 am

  I bought this car with the popular package which was pretty good with heated front seats, power drivers seat and alloy wheels. (Cant stand hubcaps). I also got the power rear view mirror. Overall, I am satisfied. The one issue I have is that the steering is electronic power and does not have the center detente. Wherever you point it, it goes. So it does not center itself when you let go of the wheel. This is OK when I dont think about it, but has a disconcerting affect if I do. However, for the money, this is a great car. I frequently rent cars for my job, and the Hyundai Sonata has always been a favorite. If you iphone, you will like the options. I prefer playing through bluetooth.