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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  High Quality Car - 2008 Hyundai Azera
  By Andy - August 7 - 7:03 am

  I bought my 2008 Hyundai Azera in June of 2008. And so far with about a month and a half of driving the car, I still enjoy the ride and its features. It took me a while to find out all the features it had. The ride is smooth and the comfort is great with leather seats. I really enjoy the LG Navigation system, this way I wont get lost anymore. There were a number of reviews I read before and after buying the car, and overall they speak well of the car, however they point a little about the steering. I find the handling and steering to be fine. I guess the only thing I could complain about is that there are a few squeaks and rattles from the car when going over bumps, which is annoying.

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  GREAT VAN FOR THE PRICE - 2007 Hyundai Entourage
  By ROSCOE GRAY - August 7 - 2:22 am

  Drive the speed limit and you will get good gas mileages..drives nice and with good power...Have not had any problems with the van as of now.........do my own oil changes....

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  Love our 2007 Sonata - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By jxaedm - August 6 - 11:23 pm

  Love this car. My wife & I wanted a mid- size car that was quiet & rode smooth. I did some research; we rode in the Camry (06) & Altima (06). Altima is a nice car; has more sporty feel & thus not quite smooth as the Sonata. If difference in ride comfort of Sonata & Camry exists then we didnt notice it. Look at the price difference, throw in the warranty, it isnt even a contest. Everyone who sees/rides in our Sonata is sort of stunned. It is a refined car & yet they havent heard of it. The V4 was peppy, but we opted for V6. We do a lot of highway driving so we wanted the power that a V6 offers. Also, it is more quiet than the V4. Quietness of the V4 pertains to all the models we looked at.

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  Test Drive one before buying another car - 2007 Hyundai Elantra
  By Todd - August 6 - 4:33 pm

  This is an excellent little car! This car drives nicer than the corolla and civic and handles great. Very comfortable. The fuel economy is not as good as I had hoped. I get 25 around town a lot of stop and go. It is very fun to drive and has a great little sound system. I like the mp3 aux jack. Drive this car before you decide to pay more for another model.

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  Read this review! - 2008 Hyundai Sonata
  By 3rd Hyundai - August 6 - 8:50 am

  Overall an excellent value, the V6 has tons of acceleration, gas mileage is just ok. The car is loaded with standard features that would typically be options on any other car. the appearance is outstanding, standard 5 spoke mags. The radio is better than I anticipated, after setting the eq levels, the sound system was dramatically improved. I discovered the trip computer accidentally, yet another nice feature... Best of all I did my haggling over the internet, and had the deal done before I arrived at the dealer, I was in and out in 45 minutes (a new record for purchasing a new car).

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  Tremendous Value - 2007 Hyundai Veracruz
  By mjb56 - August 6 - 12:50 am

  Im extremely impressed with the value this vehicle offers. Shopped Pilot and Highlander but this won hands down. Other Hyundai owners convinced me of the reliability and value. Dont pass this by in your vehicle search. Cant wait to take a trip.

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  Uncomfortable - 2008 Hyundai Elantra
  By Toni - August 5 - 10:22 pm

  We bought this car based on all of the great reviews. It wasnt bad when we did the test drive. But we live 50 miles away, and by the time we got home our low backs were really hurting. Tried driving it a couple of more times, but it is uncomfortable in about 10 minutes. Then met someone else that commented on how uncomfortable the seats are. Now have it parked and trying to sell it. I hate this car!

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  Rate My Ride - 2002 Hyundai Sonata
  By Louise A. Carasone - August 5 - 4:09 pm

  I have been driving my Sonata for 6 years and have little or no trouble with it. I have been keeping up the maintenance schedule and only taking it to the dealer for my service work. I now have approximately 58,000 miles on my car and the timing chain went and am now faced with rebuilding the engine, at a cost of $1,500.00, Hyundai is going to pick up the rest as a good faith gesture. I would not suggest that you keep this car past 50,000 miles. They say in the warranty 10 years or 100,000 miles. Im not sure this car is designed to last that long. Really Bummed in Connecticut.

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  Best car out there in its class - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By coolhokie - August 5 - 3:20 am

  I had a 96 Honda Accord and was totalled in an accident. Ive been eyeing on Hyundai Sonata ever since this new designed Sonata came out. After considering its style, lots of standard features, best warranty, price. I decided to buy this Sonata. And I am loving it more than ever after owning it. Car has so many safety features like front, side, knee airbags, Traction control, Electronic stablity control, ABS, etc. Engine is real strong yet quiet but very fuel efficient. Ride is very comfortable and nice too.

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  5000 Miles - 2008 Hyundai Elantra
  By hutch7 - August 4 - 6:40 pm

  This is a 5K follow up review. So far this has been a very good car. Everyone in my family (all 4 drivers) loves to drive this vehicle. Tight handling, good gas mileage and outstanding ergonomics make the Elantra a joy to live with. Absolutely no problems so far. The first service was free from the dealership.