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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  After 4 years ... - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By DetourM - August 28 - 8:35 am

  After 4 years of owning my GT, Im on my third set of tires (all good brands), have had the breaks replaced once and the front end aligned twice. This is all within the first 40k miles!!! The car is horrible in the snow, almost to the point of being dangerous. Other than that, Ive had no other real issues. It still looks good and handles great. On my daily commute (city and highway driving) I average 28mpg. Im debating if I want to buy a 2009 or go to a Civic/Corolla

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  3rd gear ??? - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By Watash - August 27 - 11:40 pm

  At nearly 50,000 miles, I can give a fair evaluation. My Azera has snappy acceleration that requires you to pay attention. The pro review that said they got 17.7 mpg is way off base. He must have done his review driving around in 3rd gear. I get 26 to 28 mpg combined mileage, about half city and highway. I am an All-American, but I love just about everything about this car. Easy on tires? I am just about to buy the first set of replacement tires, going to get 235s this time it will be even better. This car will not disappoint someone who wants a very smooth ride. Its quick, very comfortable with a big trunk for all my things, and a ton of very usable features...Ed

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  Nice Combo Of Quality and Economy for U - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Havefun.Drive - August 27 - 8:06 pm

  Vehicle is great. Very great deal for the price. It is very big on the inside- room-wise. Deepwater Blue and Beige leather is a killer combination! LXV6 will knock your socks off. Back seating is comfortable and very spacious. Trunk is large. Engine is laid out excellent, where you can find everything easily. Gas is still a mystery since I just bought it on 01/04/06. Heated seats work very well.

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  Stepping Up - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By Gwen D - August 27 - 9:20 am

  I am going from a Kia Sportage to the Sonata. Boy what a step up! I feel like I have died and gone to heaven in this car. I was also scared of buying another Korean auto but so far I have not been disappointed.

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  A lemon underneath a very nice looking exterior - 2013 Hyundai Sonata
  By judgemalloy - August 27 - 12:39 am

  The 2013 Sonata is a very nice looking car. I traded in a 2010 Elantra for the Sonata. The Elantra is a much better car than the Sonata. The Sonata has a very rough ride, especially at highway speeds. I expect this to lead to abnormal tire wear. The GPS/Radio/Bluetooth/AC combination is poorly designed and difficult to use. The combination design gives you control over one function at a time. For example, when the navigator is active and you receive a call, the navigator goes to the background. If you are on the call when you need to make a turn, you will miss it. The voice recognition feature is absolutely horrible. I have gone to using an external GPS and avoid using the built-in

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  A cheap Lexus! - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By livewiremd - August 26 - 12:18 pm

  I have had this car for over 2 years now and am still impressed. I am also surprised that I see so many Sonatas on the road and so few of these! I was afraid to gamble on Hyundai after a bad experience in the early 90s but the warranty sold me. The first year warranty seems to replace ANYTHING (I didnt need to use it) and the roadside assistance package cant be beat. This car has a nice but a bit conservative look. The led tail lights make things stand out some. This car has a lot of power and it is easy to be going close to 100 without even feeling it. The car does have a little soft ride and corners a little sloppy for my taste but it is an impressive car overall.

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  Pleased so far - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By B.S.S. - August 26 - 2:00 am

  Ive been very pleased by my 02 Hatchback. The stick is fun to drive and has more punch than I anticipated. Great standard features and warranty. Exterior look is sharp too.

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  Its a good car... - 2008 Hyundai Elantra
  By A Y - August 26 - 12:01 am

  I purchased the Elantra SE with optional sunroof and heated seats. So far I have had no problems, it is comfortable to drive, great gas millage (33.5 MPG), lots of leg and head room. I traded in my 2000 Chevy blazer as it was starting to have problems and I needed better MPG. I looked around for about 4 weeks before making the purchase. I test drove the Mazda 3, Ford Focus, and Chevy Cobalt. All instruments seems to be in good locations and easy to use. I like the XM radio and will keep the subscription. Large trunk, nice looks, and I love the sunroof. I would like fully powered seats, bigger side mirrors, and GPS/on board computer option, and bluetooth. So far I am happy with my purchase.

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  Excellent Car, Best in class - 2008 Hyundai Elantra
  By Wayne - August 24 - 6:40 pm

  I bought the car on a Friday and took it on an extended trip, 2000 miles in 7 days. On the first leg of the trip I filled up 1 time after 485 miles (and the tank still had a little less than a quarter tank). The same performance on the trip back. Mileage was half on interstate and half on backroads and in cities. Im rather large and the seats remained comfortable throughout the trip. Overall an excellent driving experience.

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  Transmission Design Error - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By TraniLeak - August 24 - 10:00 am

  When my husband decided to purchase this vehicle I was a little scepticle. We have had nothing but transmission leaking from this new car. As soon as I saw it I took it to the dealer and they stated there was no leak. So the very next day, the leak appeared and it got worse and worse. So now we are back at the dealership for the third time. I found out from reliable sources that there is a design flaw but I know no one is going to fess up to a flaw. I am very disappointed. Signed, Still Leaking with pictures and all.