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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  Nothing like anything on the road. - 2012 Hyundai Veloster
  By edz3 - January 19 - 2:33 pm

  Exciting exterior design is what drew my attention. And the high fuel efficient engine was what got me hooked. Its been about 2 weeks since I bought the car and I have been pleasantly surprised by the sporty handling. I have owned faster turbo engined cars that cost more but never had this many features. I love how frugal this car is on gas. The GDI engine was designed for regular grade gas and it is very efficient as well. I easily get 40 mpg on the highway and it seem to be the most efficient around 45-60 mph. I love how the 6 speed manual transmission shifter just slides and clicks into position. The clutch travel is very short and smooth compared to other cars I have driven.

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  Bravo Hyundai - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By tinydog1 - January 19 - 12:23 pm

  Have owned my Azera for 2+ months and I am happy to report it has performed flawlessly. I love everything about it, looks, inside and out, excellent build quality, great performance, super quiet and great ride. I find it to be a great touring car. Excellent feature content on Ultimate package for the price.

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  Go Ahead - Compare - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By Jill - January 18 - 3:25 pm

  I cant say enough about my first Hyundai. Drove Avalons for 10 years then when ready I compared Avalon with Azera cost less & has a better warranty. I LOVE my Azera. It rides as nice & easy as a Lincoln or Caddie has a powerful engine, comfortable seats, easy to reach dash controls.

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  Great car - 2010 Hyundai Sonata
  By pat - January 18 - 10:00 am

  The ride on a long trip is great! Ive made 2 long trips (over 2000 miles each) My first trip I averaged 34 mpg and the second trip only 32.5. On good pavement the car is very quiet at 70 mile per hour. On some pavement at that speed there is an annoying sound. In town the mileage is only 22-24. The ride is soft and comfortable both on a long trip and in the city. In the city at slower speed the car is very quiet.

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  Love My Limited! - 2011 Hyundai TUCSON
  By K - January 18 - 10:00 am

  Bought my 2011 Tucson Limited FWD with Navigation Pkg a week ago. Took it on a 300 mi mostly highway round trip last weekend and averaged 29 mpg. Its comfortable, quiet, and fun to drive. Learning the navigation package is a project in and of itself.

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  My Third Hyundai - 2006 Hyundai Elantra
  By L Bishop - January 18 - 9:19 am

  After owning an Accent, I moved up to an Elantra in 2003, and purchased my 206 Elantra as a new vehicle a few months ago. Great value for the money! Reliable, comfortable back seat passengers find it comfortable, too.

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  Im in love! - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By Aloha Robin - January 18 - 3:46 am

  I had just bought the 2006 Accord Ex and was happy, but kept seeing the Azera commercials on TV... just thought I would go see it at the dealership, well, I traded in my Accord and bought the Azera Limited off the show floor! I absolutely love everything about it! It has great performance, gorgeous sexy styling, and all my friends are envious. I am a realtor, and this sure impresses my clients! It is my dream car for half the price of a Mercedes or Jaguar! You need to get one!

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  Excellent Car! Sonata SE - Pacific Blue - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By Oscar S - January 17 - 7:26 pm

  Okay so I drive a total of 84 miles to work 5 days a week. Before I got this Sonata I had to fill up ever 3rd day. "Believe it or not!" TODAY I can drive all 5days to work and still have about 40+ miles till empty, AMAZING. Oh and just so you all know the speed limit is 70 and I drive 76 mph on ECO gauge. I PROMISE you wont be disappointed in those highway miles. Take it for a spin and try it out, go with the SE 200hp its by far a winner in my book. Acceleration is ridiculous for this type of car, pass and go without a hitch.

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  This car is alright with me - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Tim - January 17 - 5:16 am

  I have owned my Tiburon for a few months now. I have to say I went into the market looking to buy a sports car that would just get me some looks. I spotted this car and decided to take a look. I liked it immediately and bought it. The interior room leaves something to be desired but all other features were definitely A+. It has power and I definitely get some looks. It is also lots of fun to drive. The interior is plain but easy to upgrade all by yourself. I definitely recommend this car to any single person who just wants to have fun, look good, and not be looking for huge financial responsibility.

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  great fun car - 2008 Hyundai Elantra
  By deborah mcburnie - January 17 - 4:10 am

  Just bought this car in April...love it!!! Great price, style, and comfort what better car to buy for your money. I think everyone should own one!!