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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  Perfect no, but better than expected - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Advancing - April 21 - 2:18 am

  I like this car. It has been very dependable (65K no problems at all) and does everything I want it to do. V6 is better than expected, smooth, quiet and peppy. Not a screamer but I didnt pay for a race car. One minor complaint is the tranny hesitates when it shifts from 1st to 2nd gear just slightly. I was told this is normal, I dont buy it but it hasnt proved to be a problem. Interior is functional and initial critiques questioned the durability of the cloth seats, well they were wrong, good stuff. I bought this car to be functional and dependable, and it has been rock solid. Yea the front end can float a little but it was not a BMW. Bought with 14K for $13.5K. Best car for $.

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  Worst Gear Shifting Ive Seen - 2009 Hyundai Genesis
  By Tom - April 16 - 7:53 pm

  The car is OK except for the transmission. This car has a six speed transmission and it searches and searches ans still finds the wring gear. When going up a hill and you need to accelerate a little it will jump two gears instead of one. The transmission will also not release when you slow to stop. I cant coast in it. It is really an aggravating car to drive. Other than that it is a nice car or in other words, other than that Mrs. Lincoln, how did you enjoy the play? This inability to find the correct gear also has an affect on gas mileage.

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  Great car, poor paint. - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By woodnknoll - April 8 - 8:11 pm

  I bought this car new and have been thrilled with it. Its very reliable, quiet and roomy. Its just a bonus that its cheaper than the competition. After two and a half years though a little problem has come up- the paint is peeling off in sheets! Since it now has over 36000 miles there is no more paint warranty so Im pretty much stuck. It will be a great rolling ad to poor paint adhesion on a Hyundai. This may not be true of other colors or ages, but it sure is on my silver-blue Sonata. If I was Hyundai I sure would want to get these fixed before someone saw it, but thats not the case.

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  A little above average with few flaws - 2008 Hyundai Accent
  By g-dang - April 8 - 7:57 am

  I bought my 4 door Hyundai almost two years ago. And for the money I paid, I was a good deal. Ive already taken my Hyundai cross country from Nevada to Texas and the mileage was averaged out around 30 to 33 miles a gallon. The ac is cold, and I love the XM radio. The interior is a little plain jane, but I actually wanted it like that. Roll up windows are the best. Power windows always one way or another will find a way to cost you money. This car would have gotten a 9 or 10 from me in reliability if it werent for the battery dying on me 3 times within the first year. It was no big problem and all it needed was a jump, but that still made me sort of question its reliability.

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  Real value - 2010 Hyundai Azera
  By New Bethesda Owner - April 5 - 4:02 pm

  Bought the black on black. Looks very good inside and out. Drives like a very high-end luxury car. I am very satisfied with my purchase at less than $26,000. Unfortunately, I already got two small scratches down to the metal. I dont know if its the paint quality or just fate. Seats are very plush at first, but I found I needed to shift my weight around after about an hour of driving to be comfortable. I dont recall doing this in other cars.

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  Watch the rear brakes - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By notagain - April 5 - 3:25 pm

  Except for the rear brakes wearing out long before the front ones I dont have any negative thing to say. This issue alone will keep me from buying another Hyundai though. They were not very truthful with the info about the rear brakes. They acted like I was the only one. After reading all these posts it seems like a common flaw.

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  Sonata rebiew - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By Tony - April 4 - 8:20 am

  No problems for five years. Low maintenance vehicle.

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  Excellent Warranty - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
  By Yoga - March 31 - 11:37 pm

  The car is solidly built. I moved around a lot and the car still stand up well after 5 years. The warranty is great. They found problems with the CV boots, cylinders, and all 4 shocks, they replace them all for free! This car is going to last a few more years!

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  Could add a few upgrades - 2009 Hyundai Genesis
  By RK - March 29 - 11:02 am

  Having traded in a Lexus ls430 I was hoping for a comparable car. This model needs more storage space in glove compartment and center consul. It needs 3 way seats for small passengers. It needs wheel locks. It needs flatter response when cornering. Needs more leg room in rear. A 7 speed transmission would help mileage for longer trips. Otherwise, the car seems to be a good value with good performance.

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  I couldnt put up with the ride comfort - 2009 Hyundai Genesis
  By Paul - March 28 - 2:50 pm

  I was excited to buy this well priced loaded 6 cylinder Genesis. I loved the interior styling, sound system, and navigation system. I tended to overlook the ride comfort when I test drove it. What a mistake. It was the worst riding car I ever owned. Unless you were on completely smooth roads, the car would bounce back and forth quite a bit. After 3 months, I took a big loss and traded it in for a used Deville. Am I the only one to be bothered by the ride comfort of the Genesis?