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 all-around car - 2009 Hyundai Elantra Touring
  By SacDriver - December 24 - 9:00 am

  Wife and I spent a few months looking for a good mid-sized hatchback/wagon, this one was it. The matrix, and Mazada3 didnt even compare. Im picky about my cars and usually buy Japanese. This has been a great family car over the last 6 months. Im 62 and I fit comfortably in this car. This car is not the Elantra, it is the German designed i30, handles like a Euro car and is built much better. This not only is the most well rounded mid-sized wagon its also the best priced. Love car so far!

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  still love it - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Still Love it - December 24 - 5:36 am

  I have had this car now for about 1 1/2 years and only had 1 minor problem that the dealership took care of instantly. I am very satisfied after 1.5 years. Mileage could be better but I still enjoy all the features and the vehicle has held up well thus far. I use it a lot for work to transport things. I have no complaints with the vehicle thus far.

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  surprise surprise - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By gerry cullity - December 24 - 2:00 am

  after 2 disappointing tries at hyundai, the sonata is a delight. powerful - cute and confortable this car is a treat to drive.

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  06 Azera - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By texxsurfer - December 23 - 7:09 pm

  The car is great overall. I wish I would have opted for the 07, because of some upgrades they made to audio controls and mirrors, but I got a great deal on the 06. Power, luxury, warranty--cant beat it for $24K out the door. Comparable to a BMW or Cadillac in my opinion.

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  Better car than my Lexus RX300 - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By James Padlock - December 23 - 2:19 pm

  The azera really accelerates, and the shifts are seamless. This car has all the bells and whistles. It is extremely quiet at 75 mph. The outside paint finish is flawless. The seats are very comfortable, and the leather is of high quality. When going through turns, it really hunkers down and grabs the pavement, it feels like you are glued to the road. This car has great brakes with little pedal fade. The motor is so quiet that you have to listen really hard when you start it, to hear if it is running. The combination of headlights and driving lights really light up the road ahead. There has not been any warranty items that I have had to have the Dealer correct, this being a first for me.

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  excellent!!! - 2007 Hyundai Azera
  By nancy - December 23 - 8:20 am

  This is a wonderful car to drive! The power is awsome and it looks beautiful! will recomend it to everyone! really happy with it.

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  So Far, Very Good - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By camilio - December 23 - 12:42 am

  I was a Camry guy for years, having two in a row I kept for 9 years. After I started having problems with the brakes (and all the press), I decided it was time for a change. After 3.5 years (I bought the car in August of 2010), and 60,000+ miles, the car has done very well. The only problem was the battery did fail prematurely, but no other issues. The car is a beauty, I only paid 18K for it (base model), has great pickup, and handles a lot better than my Camry ever did!

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  06 Sonata is a winner - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By baltimorerider - December 21 - 7:36 pm

  Sold off my old Camry XLE V6, and got an LX V6 Sonta. It has every feature you find in higher priced cars, but sells for under 25K with better warranty. No more toyota for me. I also tested the 05 camry SE V6, and toyota dropped the ball; that car simply doesnt handle well even with the ESC. I looked at Avalon, and its much better but the price is 10K more.

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  What a Value - 2016 Hyundai Sonata
  By Brian - December 21 - 6:41 pm

  I bought a 2016 SE to replace my totaled 2013 Outback. I have had the car for 3 weeks and have 1500 miles on it. So far it has been great. I was initially attracted to the car due to the value. I received 5k off MSRP and was out the door for less than $20k. The only other midsize car that I could have gotten for a similar price was a VW Jetta and the Hyundai beat it in almost every way. In no way do I feel I compromised by not going with a more expensive midsize sedan (Accord, Camry, etc). The only feature that we did not get in this car that we wanted was heated seats (3k more to get the trim/options just to get the heating seats). Everything else we were looking for was included in the SE. 7 inch entertainment system with bluetooth/android auto, steering wheel controls, keyless entry, alloy wheels, and the best warranty out there. The car drives very smooth and was completely comfortable on a 800 mile road trip. I cruised at 80 with no issues and returned over 35 mpg on the trip with about 50 miles of heavy city driving thrown in. Car is quiet and smooth. The entertainment system is very responsive. The bluetooth syncs faster than any other car I have used. Rear seats have more space than the outback (we have very large car seats that fit just fine). Hopefully it proves to be reliable.

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  Cant afford the GT, Buy GLS Hatchback - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
  By Richard - December 21 - 7:46 am

  For the money, the best car youll find GLS Hatch, hss same underpinnings and stearing as GT. Save the $2 Gs if you dont have it. Get the CD player with 6 speakers & cruise. Get a respecable 28 mpg overall.