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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  3rd Hyundai/Kia product in 8 yrs with no regrets - 2015 Hyundai Sonata
  By 6Speed8 - October 8 - 8:13 am

  First off, its a Sport 2.0T Limited. No choice for that in the sub categories. Was in the auto repair business for 30 years. Owned German cars. Reliability became questionable as time went on. 2008 Sonata traded with 115,000 miles with nothing other than normal maintenance. Its still on the road with 240K+.Traded for a 2012 Kia Forte SX 5 door. 80,000 miles on it now. No issues. Never seen a check engine light other than at start up with either. Never not started for any reason other than a battery replacement. Never left stranded. Took delivery of a new 2015 Sonata Sport 2.0T Limited March 2016. Love it. Im 6ft 2, 200 lbs and have nerve damage in my legs from cancer/chemo. The most comfortable seats of any car Ive owned. Drove 400 miles in 6 hours last week and could have kept going. 75+ mph, 90+ degree temps with the a/c on the whole time and some construction delays, I still averaged nearly 28mpg on that trip - and the car only has 2500 miles on it so the engine is still tight. Android Auto is great. I can dictate a text with the roof open at 70 mph and it works great. If youre buying a car in this price range for 0-60 times and not how it performs under "normal" driving, then you just need to get a Subaru WRX STi lol. Do you drive with your foot to the floor all day, every day ? SHEESH lol. No matter how fast your car is, theres always one faster. Ride is taught just how I like it. Brakes are great. Steering is ok for electric steering but every time I drive the Forte, I miss that real mechanical connection. Thats my only gripe. Blind spot monitor, smart cruise control are great. I didnt rate reliability or dealer service. I took it in at 900 miles for an oil change. I maintain my cars MY way, which is usually better than the recommended service intervals. I bought it with the reliability of the current Kia and previous Sonata in mind and expect nothing less. THANKFULLY no CVT transmission. UPDATE 11/18/2016 - Going on 9 months and 9,000 miles. Downloaded the nav uodate with Apple CarPlay so can connect either phone now. Still feel the same way about this car and no regrets. My other half got a little new car envy lol, so we traded the 2012 Forte SX 5 door for a 2016 Forte5 EX loaded with Premium/Tech, and factory remote start. So now its 4 Hyundai / Kia products and loving them.

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  Canadian SE trim (One below Limited trim) - 2017 Hyundai Elantra
  By Murali - October 7 - 10:43 am

  I selected this trim, since it comes with AEB (autonomous emergency braking) with all the safety bells and whistles such as forward collision warning and braking. I like the lane keep assist, which takes loads of burden off my everyday commute (52 km one way to work), and 7.5 Litres/100 km makes this a perfect every day commuter car with all creature comforts (Canadian SE trim comes with heated front and rear leather seats and heated steering wheel) at reasonable value. I am not looking for a peppy drive as you can see, I dont drive for fun, I drive to work. In short, this is a marked down Volvo. Please read mpg to L/KM, Miles to KM currency is C$, used Niagara (Buffalo) postal code

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  Everything I expected - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By toysax - October 7 - 4:53 am

  I have 2500 miles on the car. No rattles, no squeaks. Smooth, quiet. No flaws. Friend just bought a new infinti. So she says. "my car has push button start" yep." my car has bluetooth" yep." my car has heated leather seats " yep ." my car has top safety ratings " yep. My car cost $45k. Nope!

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  Impressed every time I drive my Genesis! - 2009 Hyundai Genesis
  By Miles - October 6 - 3:44 pm

  The Hyundai Genesis Sedan is a wonderful used car. In the past Ive owned big heavy V8, rear-wheel drive cars- but the Genesis is unbelievably refined. There is little to no cabin noise whatsoever, this is really noticeable on the highway. Nice quiet drive, smooth shifting transmission, and plenty of power for a luxury sedan. Its not a wolf in sheeps clothing like BMWs and Mercedes can be when optioned properly, but if youre looking for a luxury car like the Genesis, you probably dont concern yourself with such juvenile attributes. This car is a comfortable, quiet, smooth car that has been extremely reliable. My Genesis sedan now has 130,000 miles on it and it stills looks and feels like I just drove out of the showroom. If youre spending a lot of time on the road, youll want to spring for the optional Technology Package, Premium Package, and Premium Plus Package. This includes a wonderful navigation system with the same type of I-Drive out of BMW and Lexus, a seriously stellar sound system made by Lexicon- only found in Rolls Royce, and a slew of creature comforts like heated/cooled seats, perforated leather, etc.. If you dont feel the need to blend in with the wannabe BMW and Lexus drivers who finance ridiculously expensive cars that dont have half of the options, give the Genesis a try.

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  Anon Review - 2006 Hyundai Elantra
  By anon08053 - October 5 - 6:30 pm

  This has been a wonderful car so far. Everything about it is great...it rides smooth, looks great and is very comfortable. Best car Ive had in years.

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  hot stuff - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By billy55 - October 5 - 12:40 am

  I had the Hyundai sonata less then a month and love it!! I got the gls i4 with the popular option package, power seat, trip computer, auto lights, ect: I originally planned on getting an accord or Camry but the Hyundai dealer was right down the road from me and after test ride and pricing I grabbed it. The Camry or accord would of been a few thousand more. My only complaint is the air conditioner. We live in hot Florida and there were a few really hot humid days where the air just didnt seem to be good enough for me, but only around town,highway it is fine. My wife thinks its fine and said that I am just trying to find something wrong. great car! but bad resale value

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  Amazing car - 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe
  By flashgordondayton - October 4 - 5:20 pm

  I bought my genesis coupe a year ago and I still get asked what kind of car is that? Driving is amazing Power is great No problems Id buy another one in a minute

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  With intelligent driving, this car delivers excellent mileage - 2012 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid
  By ohio_pop - October 4 - 4:08 am

  I have 2 Sonata hybrids a 2011&12. The cars are roomy and provide excellent comfort. The ride is extremely smooth especially on the highway. For folks larger than petite or who have joint mobility issues, this car provides the most driver/front passenger leg room and ease of entry and exit. The controls are intuitive and the beeping signals - engine on/off, key in car etc easy to follow - somewhat similar to how a pet would communicate with you. The trick to getting excellent mileage is to use cruise control as much as possible - even in city traffic. This maximizes use of the electric vs. gas engine. I consistently get >40 mpg-see fueleconomy.gov OH entries. Luv driving this car!

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  Awesome New Style - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By TH - October 4 - 12:33 am

  We purchased our Sonata SE in February, 2010. We absolutely love it. Everywhere we go, everyone seems to be staring at the vehicle. We purchased the 2011 Sonata sold at our dealership, so few people knew what is was. Our vehicle is Venetian Red. We get compliments on the vehicle everywhere we go. Some have mistaken it for a Lexus.

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  Love my GT - 2006 Hyundai Elantra
  By stulesser - October 3 - 3:53 pm

  I bought my car in May 06 @ Universal Hyundai in Orlando. First contact was through the internet and I feel they gave me a great deal $13,900. No other dealer in the area could match it. Sales folks were more than helpful. They went over every detail of the car. Service has been very good. If I have it serviced at the dealer I get "tires for life". My wife and I took the car on a trip to NJ. It ran exceptionally well, averaging over 32 mpg. One tank got over 36 mpg. The car is exactly what I was looking for. Well probably trade our SUV for the new Elantra (have to see it first), Also considering the Sonata or Azera. No complaints with the car or dealership.