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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  Nice car, questionable quality - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By David - August 4 - 2:03 pm

  Love the style, features, etc. Unfortunately, after owning for one week, the air bag light stayed on. After two weeks, I had transmission problems (hit a slight bump in the road and the car downshifted to 4th gear and it was stuck in 4th gear from that point on). Took it to the dealership and they said it needed a new transmission, car was in the shop for over a week as they had to get the transmission from Korea. In short, I had to have the car taken to the dealer for service for two items for a car that was less than 3 weeks old. Complained to Hyundai consumer affairs which was a waste of time. I can only hope that the reliability will be better going forward.

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  4 cyl surprise - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By Homer - August 3 - 9:10 pm

  I am flabbergasted at the smoothness and agility of the Sonata 4 cyl. It surpasses anything I ever expected. I have been driving a 3.8 V-6 with every conceivable option. This Sonata beats the pants off my old car even though I liked it a lot. Mileage is in the low 30s, pick up is surprisingly quick and quiet. The ride is great, albeit not quite as good as my XG350. It handles very well with a good feel on the road and in traffic. It has enough options to be comfortable and complete.

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  sonata - 2012 Hyundai Sonata
  By bossman54 - August 3 - 8:52 pm

  good purchase

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  too many clutch replacement - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
  By browneyes - August 3 - 11:25 am

  I have replaced the clutch 2 times within a 6mo time. The original clutch was plastic and broke, the second clutch went out (broke) and now after 3 days it is out again. I am a single mother going to school to become a rn. I cannot afford the cost of replacing the clutch and never at the dealership. How can I deal with this?

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  Avid Over Azera - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By M. Newhouse - August 2 - 3:39 pm

  I was very skeptical about buying a luxury Hyundai, but Azera has surpassed all of my expectations. The ride is powerful, sporty and yet comfortable. The seats are amazingly comfortable and memory seats make it easy to switch drivers. Fuel economy is very good for a large car: 22-24 city, 27-29 highway. Service has been excellent so far. We compared ride to Avalon and found this less floating and more sporty. You feel like you have a fast car, but very good at holding road and over bumps. Great car- big surprise.

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  Great value - 2017 Hyundai Sonata
  By Steve Manicor - August 2 - 2:29 pm

  For the price I paid, this car is a great value. It has loads of interior space and great safety features. The interior design is ok, nothing spectacular but again for the price more than adequate. The exterior design is very nice, especially with the sport package. I would recommend this car to anyone who is looking for a great value. The longer I own the car the more satisfied I am with the purchase.

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  His Seat Dont Fit - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By MaryLou - August 2 - 1:26 pm

  I bought this car and I love most everything about it, but I have a problem. My husband hates my drivers seat, he can not get it to go back far enough. I took it to the dealer, two times and they say its just the way it is, but after reading all the reviews, no one has complained about the seat, so that tells me, my dealer just blew me off or my husband is the only man who cant fit behind the wheel. I like this car and most everything about it, but I dont want to do all the driving, when we go on a trip. Can someone help?

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  First Three Months with Genesis V6 - 2009 Hyundai Genesis
  By Lake Runner - August 1 - 4:26 pm

  We purchased our Genesis V6 -- Premium Pkg. -- in mid-July this year and have been extremely happy with it to date. Fuel economy is amazing, 20 - 22 in strictly in-town driving, high 20s to low 30s on the highway. On our first 1100 mile trip with mileage divided 80/20 between Interstate and local/city, we averaged 29.4 mpg. The comfort level is beyond any other car weve owned. The engine is nearly silent and very strong -- it loafs at 75 mph on the Interstate. Would strongly recommend a test drive to anyone who is looking for a very high level of comfort, features, and performance.

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  Not worth the money - 2013 Hyundai Veloster
  By zuk961 - August 1 - 9:41 am

  Too many problems, unwilling to fix. Many times the radio stopped working, finally they replaced it. The back up sensors constantly beep. They fixed one, but now it beeps again and they said its cold outside and thats normal when its cold. There is an air flow problem. When I drive the car and its cold outside, the temperature with the heat on high is below freezing from the seats down. The dealership tested and found the temperature to be below freezing, but there is nothing to fix. Now the keyless entry works half the time, and they wont fix it. Bottom line, dont buy this car if you live in a cold climate. Dont pay $28,000 for a car that works 8 months out of a year.

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  2007 Santa Fe - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Mary Bertollini - July 31 - 6:40 pm

  Extremely enjoyable to drive - handles very well - tight to the road. Love it!!