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 Van, Great Value!! - 2007 Hyundai Entourage
  By Alabama - April 25 - 3:37 am

  Have had the van since June of 2006. Love every aspect except fuel mileage. The ride and the feel of the van is terrific. My wife does not want to drive anything else. Took this van on a 1200 mile trip and never had any problems or complaints about comfort. Entertainment system is awesome with the 8 speaker system and Infinity sound.

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  Superb Vehicle - 2017 Hyundai Elantra
  By Nicholas Rodriguez - April 25 - 2:31 am

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  Not so bad for a low-end compact SUV - 2011 Hyundai TUCSON
  By hyundai3 - April 23 - 11:46 am

  This is the third Hyundai I have purchased. So far, it is great. Would love the electric drivers seat though. Has a rattle in the rear door, may be the license plate bracket, still havent figured out where it is coming from yet. Not a big deal. Fuel economy is from 16.5 to 19.1. Hot summer here so using AC all the time, plus city driving mainly. Has under 700 miles on it but I really enjoy driving it. AC seems to run warm on occasion. Had five people in it and drove nicely, still had ample acceleration.

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  Love My XG350L - 2005 Hyundai XG350
  By sue - April 22 - 10:43 pm

  This is my first-ever new car, so perhaps Im comparing apples to oranges, but I Love This Car! After test driving many makes & models & thinking I wanted a used Lexus, by chance I came across the XG350L & immediately knew it was the car for me. It looks rich, has a wonderful ride & a spacious, well-appointed interior. A friend who recently bought an Avalon, said she didnt like those light weight cars when told I had purchased a Hyundai. As it turns out, my car weighs 150 pounds more than hers. The car is great, the warranties give peace of mind & the dealership was terrific. While Ive owned this vehicle only 3 months, I expect to keep it a long time.

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  Best Car ever owned - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Westpalmer - April 21 - 7:26 pm

  When I mentioned Hyundai to some guys I get the rolling eyes and the standard remarks, cheap, non performing, low ratings etc. I bought my Santa Fe new after much fighting with my hubby who wanted me to buy anything but that. Well, my car has a 155,000 miles and other than regular oil changes and scheduled maintenance (which I performed faithfully at the dealership), the only out of warranty repair I had was a new battery at 101,000 miles and a broken power steering container at 107,000 miles. Its a perfect vehicle for busy families. Its comfortable in the front and back and the back holds plenty of luggage and supplies. The money I saved was used on vacations with my family!

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  Great car - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By excop820 - April 20 - 6:44 pm

  I first saw the Azera on the road in mid-summer 2006, thought that it was a good-looking vehicle. When the transmission on my minivan failed at 62000 miles I started to shop for another car. Pricing the Camry and the Buick Lucerne along with the Azera I felt more confident with Hyundai and their 10/100000 warranty. The Azera is the most vehicle that I have ever purchased and I have not been disappointed.

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  Fun Car.... Already check engine light - 2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid
  By smooser - April 20 - 1:01 pm

  My wife and I love this car... Super fun to drive. The mileage the computer was reporting was about 36 average at best. Not bad. After a month and a half the check engine light came on. No problem... My wife took it in and the dealer said they fixed four recalls. (she didnt get a work order from the dealer with the details, a little strange) Now the car averaged 41.5 MPG. I was a little disappointed with the mileage, but that seems to be taken care of. Over all, we love our purchase. Hopefully we dont have a reoccurring check engine light problem. Thats precisely why I leased a hybrid. Wait until the technology has become the norm in the market.

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  Best car I that I have ever owned - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By jhandy - April 20 - 4:46 am

  Excluding the 56 Packard that I owned from 1955 thru 1959 This is the best car I that I have ever owned.

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  2 years and still satisfied! - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
  By Ken - April 18 - 9:31 pm

  I was hesitant to buy this car at the start, but quickly fell in love with it. Price, economy and warranty are just plain unbeatable. I was trying to purchase a 3-5 year old Camry or Honda and got into a brand new Elantra for the same money.

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  worth every penny - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By AIBRA - April 16 - 8:47 pm

  Best value in its class (large sedan). Smooth and responsive. Very well finished in and out. Long list of safety and luxury features. Comfortable, and relatively quiet. No regrets, Id buy it again and again.