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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  SATISFY - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By DON - April 3 - 10:00 am

  WHEN I STARTED LOOKING FOR A CAR. THE ELANTRA WAS IT. IT HAS EVERYTHING YOU WANT IN A CAR. PRICE,SAFTEY,RIDE AND THE STYLE.

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  Fun, inexpensice & zippy - 2006 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Heather Raven - April 3 - 8:50 am

  This car was a LOT less expensive than I imagined. I looked at Eclipse and Mazda 3,6,RX8 and I think the Tiburon looks better than any of them. The car takes corners so nicely you almost dont feel them. The 4 cyl does not accelerate as fast as my last car (A Prism- can you believe it!?) which was disappointing. Also in 5th gear the car runs high rpms.... feels like the car needs a 6th gear. This makes highway driving a little noisier than I expected. Good stereo system helps to make up for this. If youre looking for style and a smooth drive for less $, this is an excellent car for you.

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  A Car You Grow to Love - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By Guyton - April 3 - 6:13 am

  I was not all that excited to be trading in my two seater sports car for the Elantra. However, I was growing out of the racer boy image and I needed something practical and good on gas. Now, I cant figure out why I had been driving anything else. This car is great. It excels at the things a "daily driver" should excel at and it still surprises me with thoughtful features designed into the vehicle that I had not known about. Can you believe it can tow over 3000lbs! I just found that out today and my jaw dropped. Awesome car.

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  Grand austerity - 2007 Hyundai Accent
  By bbwalk - April 2 - 7:04 pm

  Purchased it in Jan. 08, very pleased with the build quality, performance and gas mileage. I am tall, over 6 ft and have adequate leg, hip, head and shoulder room. However: the drivers seat is very uncomfortable. The side cushion on the left side of the seat pokes me in the ribs, making driving even a short distances uncomfortable. I have been told there is nothing wrong with the seat. The dealership is refusing to replace the seat. My wife finds the seat comfortable even on long rides. If you are tall check out the comfort level before purchasing this vehicle.

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  Drives like a dream - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By mtlcdn1 - April 2 - 3:43 pm

  Looks like a Honda Accord but Drives like a Beamer. Love my Sonata V6- GLS. Now have 50K miles on it and with the exception of paying out of pocket to have the center brake light replace ($125). Nothing but smooth, quiet and a powerful ride. Was looking at an Acura, BMW and a Accord. Out the door with tax including sunroof for 18K. Would buy again.

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  I love my Hyundais .....but - 2007 Hyundai Azera
  By Randall G - April 2 - 12:29 pm

  Good price, and lots of goodies for the price. Great ride, and if you take care of them, they will not only turn heads on the higher end vehicles, but also keep going for years to come. I kept my XG350 and continue to drive it in tandem with my Azera. However, Hyundai does a poor job in transport. Visually inspect any new purchase very closely. They are poor when it comes to care after it leaves the plant. Deep scratches and sometimes missing clearcoat spots seem to be a problem with Hyundai and the attitude extends to its dealerships.

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  Excellent minivan - 2007 Hyundai Entourage
  By Phillip Lau - April 2 - 12:25 pm

  We have the minivan for 8 months now withou even a minor problem. Everything was much better than we expected. We tried all the well know minivan such as Toyota, Honda and Chrysler before we brought the Hyundai, but none of them compare well with the Hyundai in the same price range. Everything were so well designed, they may be standard in many minivan now, but Hyundai did it well too.

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  Great Car - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By First Time Hyundai - April 2 - 9:05 am

  Like others, I was hesitant to look at Hyundais because of the brand name and its old reputation as a cheap car. Well... after looking at sticker prices, I was "forced" to take a look at the Sonata, and I cant be happier about it. The car performs fantastic. Its quick off the line, powerful in highway passing, has a smooth ride, and the gas mileage isnt too bad (most of my miles are highway). Ive driven family members Accords/Camrys/Altimas and my honest judgment is that I have the best car, and saved thousands over their choices. My only complaints are purely superficial, seats need to be longer for comfort, steering wheel radio buttons dont allow channel changing.

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  Love the styling, but shocked at the MPG lie!! - 2013 Hyundai Elantra GT
  By dmortaz - April 2 - 4:56 am

  Last week we purchased the 2013 Elantra GT with the Touch-and-Go package for our every day commute car! But I am sorely disappointed at the Noise in the cabin specially on the freeway rides. I am also shocked that despite the rebates on the inaccurate Gas Millage claims, our sticker on the car was still showing a 30 MPG average!! This cars dash only shows 24-25 MPG which is far shy of the stickers claim! I wish I had known about the exaggerated millage. I am NOT sure if it would have caused us to change our decision, but now I wonder what other facts the Hyundai folks have been exaggerating about.

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  A Hyundai? - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By $2nassau - April 2 - 4:20 am

  Yes, a Hyundai! Hyundai wasnt even on my radar, but while test driving a Toyota, I saw the new Sonatas on a lot. So, after dropping off the boring Camry, I stopped to look, test drove all three Sonata models, and bought the SE on the spot (liked the wheels and dual exhaust). Sharp looks, roomy (Im 64" and have plenty of leg and head room) and very well built. I used to sell Infinitis, and this cars build quality and standard features rival the G37 Sedan, and blows it away on looks and value (about $15k less!). Unless your ego is tied your cars badge, you wont go wrong here.