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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  Pretty much what I expected - 2015 Hyundai Sonata
  By woiferl - October 5 - 4:54 am

  If you do your homework, this car doesnt offer many surprises. However, I would say the comfort and engine arent as terrible as some say it is. Its a family sedan, so you wont do 0-60 races that often. Theres some turbo lag to get it off the line. However, the mid-range strength is about what youd expect from 245hp and does not disappoint. Plus, if you need more agility, you can use the shifter paddles and youll be zipping around fast enough to guarantee tickets. The seats in the Sport are stiffer, but also provide more lateral support - they are not Mercedes quality, but then you can get a loaded Sport for less than $25K. In terms of value, this one is hard to beat.

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  Go for it - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By Paul - October 5 - 3:56 am

  I went from a bare bones Accent to the Sonata Limited because it was time to move up. I have never owned a car with power anything, cruise, cd, etc. I took my time and checked out other models. It took 6 months or more researching test driving and contimplating price and dealerships. One saturday I test drove 13 cars. Nothing really came close for the price and comfort. I am a large man and the room was incredable. My son (6) sat in the back behind me and he had plenty of knee room. My wife enjoys the heated seats along with all the room she has for her legs. I would recomend this car to anyone. I plan on keeping this car for a long time. Its to comfotable.

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  Nice care but underpowered - 2016 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Chris - October 5 - 1:21 am

  Nice car and you get a lot for the price. A couple of issues: the car is underpowered. The care seemed to struggle under hard acceleration. To me 175 hp is anemic. The car does not have seat memory which a car at the price range should and no power folding mirrors which in this day in age should be standard at this price point as well. The car colors are not exactly the best either.

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  Great Car to Drive - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By Allan - October 4 - 8:20 pm

  Purchased the 2011 Sonata GLS with Navigation package and upgraded stereo system. The car is fun to drive with great handling, great lexus like ride and roomy interior. Hyundai has scored a home run with the design and performance, great gas mileage and interior dash design. The Dimension stereo system has only average speakers and should be improved. Otherwise, i am pleased with the vehicle for a great price under 25K. It is hard to get a better car with all the features of the 2011 Sonata for under 25K.

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  Some good things some bad - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By dadams1000 - October 4 - 6:29 pm

  While most of my Sonata experience is good some things I dont like 1) When starting the car when the engine is cold I believe there is excessive noise, have told the dealer about it had them come out to my house so they could start it cold. They tell me its the fuel pump and the noise is normal. 2) The site lines to the rear are terrible. 3) The horn sounds like a bike horn. 4) I have owned the car for just over a year and I got aprox. 27mpg for the first 6500 miles. Since then mpg has gone down to aprox. 24 mpg. I have talked to the dealer about it but they tell me there are no error codes and ???.Overall I like the car but dont think Id buy another.

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  Won over - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By RN - October 4 - 5:34 pm

  I bought this car at 99,000 miles to get out of a gas guzzling van. I was wary, but now Im won over. I love this car. Good pep,good nimbleness, good gas mileage, good comfort. This small car even has leather seats and a sunroof! I looking for another Hyundai for my kid and stating to look for another used elantra in a more recent model year for me.

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  Walked away alive - 2008 Hyundai Elantra
  By Changingtide - October 3 - 3:35 pm

  I purchase this car in June and have loved driving it for the past three months. We took a long 2,000.00 journey and the car performed great and was a pleasure to drive. Two weeks ago we were rear ended at a light by a SUV and forced in to a truck in front of us (bad enough to declare the car totaled). The car crushed by the impact but protected everyone in the car. I cant complain one bit about the way the car held up in the crash. Were on our way to get a new Elantra next week.

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  Reliable and Affordable - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By Reliable! - October 3 - 1:55 pm

  I bought this car new in 2003. It is the base model GLS. It is not fancy, its only a 4.0 cylinder, but it is very reliable. It now has 105,000 miles and has not needed any major repairs and still running great! Im looking to get a new vehicle and after the experience with this one, Im thinking it will be another Hyundai. My husband bought a 2001 Ford Taurus in 2003, when I got my Hyundai and has had all types of problems with it.

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  Fun to Drive - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Ann Webb - October 3 - 11:33 am

  This is my SUV to own and I have been really pleased. This is my second Hyundai thought. I had a 2001 Sonata and traded it for the Santa Fe. Its fun to drive and handles well.

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  Fake luxury - 2001 Hyundai XG300
  By scottyaz - October 3 - 2:00 am

  I purchased this vehicle at the same time the new 2002 Maximas were introduced. I was torn between the two, but finances prevailed, and I purchased the Hyundai. It had most of the options the Maxima had, except for the horsepower. The Maxima boasted 255 HP and the Hyundai 190. The Hyundai definitely feels sluggish and since the first day I owned it, I kept telling everyone it didnt even feel like 190 HP. It turns out that Hyundai lied on its vehicles specs and didnt inform owners until the fall of 2002. The car doesnt have 190 HP but 180 and believe it or not, this makes a difference. I am joining a class action lawsuit as a result.