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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  Sonata Limited - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By Fred - February 13 - 10:00 am

  Just turned my first 5000 miles on this car. I got the pearl white and everywhere I go my car gets the look from others. I even got a comment from the kid at the car wash! Averaging 30mpg between highway and city driving. Its pretty much fun to drive. Handles well, ready for my first service. Well reserve judgment until after my first trip to the service dealer.

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  New car - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By boyd - February 13 - 10:00 am

  We just purchased this car a day ago, I now have 100+ miles on it and so far so good. The engine is unreal only a four cyl. but acts like a six or eight. Since it is so new I really dont Know about reliability yet hence the lower rating. The one thing I can say is it was the best car buying experience I have ever had. The car is outstanding so many standard options it takes awhile to get use to driving it. I keep a car a long time so I hope the reliability is there. It rides a little stiff but I think its because of the low profile tires. All in all you cant beat it for the money which by the way we got a great deal from Pecheles Hyundai.

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  great car - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By wenslaw - February 13 - 8:26 am

  Now have 7000 miles is this vehicle. Absolutely no problems. I would recommend this car to anyone.

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  Low MPG - 2012 Hyundai Sonata
  By lasthyundai - February 13 - 6:59 am

  Disappointing gas mileage. Divide mileage by gallons and find its only getting about 24mpg for mixed city/hwy. Thats with the eco mode on and gentle driving. Not what I was led to believe. Steering is a little twitchy on the freeway. Seats are a little firm. Other than that its a nice car. So far no problems.

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  My Sonata - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By GCD - February 13 - 12:20 am

  I saw it and I liked it looks. I drove it I loved the way it drove so I bought it.

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  Appreciating Hyundai More, and More - 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Dan - February 12 - 4:23 pm

  After getting two Elantras for my children, I knew I wanted another Hyundai. The new Santa Fe (holy faith) with the new four cylinder engine has given me 28 MPG on my road trips. The fold down seats in the rear have also allowed me transport sizable cargo. To go along with the decent MPG and cargo space, I got a price that I could afford (OTD at $22,500).

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  Not Feeling It Anymore.. - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By niteflite888 - February 10 - 11:16 pm

  30k update. The pulling problem is pretty severe. The tires began to cup some times ago and the ride is noisy. Took to dealer and they wanted me to pay a few hundred bucks for some work-around to address unadjustable camber. I refuse to pay out of pocket to fix anything on a car with such low mileage. MPG calculator is not accurate. Power window doesnt function at times. Will steer clear of hyundai next time and stick to toyota or honda. maybe even a ford or cadillac.

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  Azera Rocks! - 2007 Hyundai Azera
  By DAVID - February 10 - 9:28 pm

  After reading thru these forums,I decided to take one for a ride. I was hooked. I traded my beloved 2006 VW GTI which was a blast to drive, but didnt have the amenities the Limited has. First thing I did was to take it on a 8 hr. round trip to Philly thru some real nasty winter weather on I- 81. The car performed flawlessly even though it is shod with all seasons instead of winter tires.The seats,ride,power and comfort are just amazing. Also...the Infinity sound system makes highway cruising a pleasure. I will update after piling on some miles. Take one for a ride...trust me...you wont find better bang for the buck.

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  Love this car but it has too many flaws... - 2004 Hyundai Tiburon
  By wicked_gk - February 10 - 1:55 pm

  Bought my Tiburon GT new in 2004. Day two of purchase my drivers window motor gave out. Warranty coverage the cost. I also had a fuel return hose rupture and fuel was spraying everywhere because Hyundai cheap hoses. Luckily nothing caught on fire and Ive read this is a common issues. The engine is very very sensitive to mods and will cause bad MAF and 02 readings. I loved the car because it was my first new car ever but i had way too many problems. I sold it at 55k miles only because of electrical and engine problems. You must use OEM oil filters or the internal HLAs will click. The 2.7L v6 is Hyundais worst engine. Their new engines are much better since they are not mitsubishi built

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  Commuter Dream - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By ubewell - February 10 - 2:53 am

  My wife drives this car 80% of the time to make her daily 36 mile round trip commute to work and home. It has made quite an impact on her when you consider our previous car was a shaker and rattler. The interior of this car is large with lots of rear leg room. Fit and finish is quite pleasant and unexpected in a car priced below equally equipped Honda Accords and Toyota Camrys. Those two models would easily have been two or three thousand additional dollars. Our only complaint to date has been squeeky brakes when reversing. (Paid our dealer to fix but came back just as bad!) Ride is quiet and comfortable. Superior warranty sold me right away. Doors sound great and solid when closed.