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 Car at a Great Price - 2005 Hyundai XG350
  By Josie Thomson - December 15 - 2:20 am

  Ive owned this car for several months and absolutely love it. I test drove so many "high end" cars which were nice but the price tag was just too high! This car has a luxury feel without hurting my bank acct.

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  Too good to be true? No! Got my cake and ate it too! - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By keydet88 - December 15 - 1:49 am

  Ive had my Sonata SE 2.0L Turbo for 3 weeks now and still cant understand how Hyundai can offer a 274HP Turbo sedan with BMW like build quality and safety, for less than $25K off the lot. Even on the 2.0L Turbo, you can still negotiate with Hyundai and get it for at least $1K under invoice. I did. The turbo is quiet and makes for a quick car. If you dont kick the turbo constantly, you will realize the posted fuel mileage. Voice recognition system is a little clumsy and the XM radio sound quality is subpar compared to MP3s through an iPod. Be aware that Hyundai hides the warranty on the NAV system; its only 36K or 3yrs. Handling is not an Audi, but awesome for $25K sedan.

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  Wonderful Value - 2004 Hyundai XG350
  By John Babiarz - December 15 - 12:00 am

  We bought one (04) for my wife over 2 years ago. In 50K, 1 issue - resistor for the fan speed. Hyundai dealer fixed it under warranty even though we didnt buy the car there. Unreal value - pretty much every option you can ask for. Very easy to drive and you feel great after a long trip. Solid build quality - feels like it is built like a tank. I liked it so much I just bought one for myself - another 04. My commute is 100 miles round trip and it is actually enjoyable in this car. Sure beats paying crazy money for an Accord or Camry.

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  Love my 2016 Hyundai Elantra - 2016 Hyundai Elantra
  By Brittany - December 14 - 1:07 pm

  Highly recommend this car. I am so proud to own it, only 2 problems i have noticed. One, driving with passenger side window down there is always a funny noise like driving on a flat (not a big deal to me). Two the handling when driving over a bump is kind of shaky but not too bad it only took me a few times to learn my car and how to handle a big bump. Above all this car is amazing and can not talk negative about it in any other way. I made the right decision and picked the right car for me!

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  Best Car ever owned for the money - 2003 Hyundai Sonata
  By John & Debby - December 14 - 3:46 am

  Bought this lx for my wife 3 years ago been the best car we have ever owned for the money great power & Handling gas milage could be better (20+)at the rate shes been putting miles on it we will have it a very long time (15,000)

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  2003 Tiburon GT - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By imaginator - December 14 - 2:00 am

  Lets face it, the GT V6 Tiburon is a total winner for the price. It looks great, and if you like compliments abount the way your machine looks everyone loves the Tiburon style. Plenty of power, great sound system and my daughter loves it too. The ride after a few thousand miles smoothed out like a luxury car while still handling like a sports car.The only down side in my opinion is the paint job. I thought it was only my car, but lemmon peel is something most of them have. I can live with it considering all the other pluses ++++. How can you beat the 100,000 mile warranty. Yes, I will keep my red GT Tiburon. I really enjoy driving it.

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  Great Car for the Money - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By tjjazz - December 14 - 2:00 am

  After testing lots of other vehicles in this class, Elantra offered more bells and whistles than any others. I use it as commuter car and get reasonable mileage, very comfortable ride. Can easily fit tall folks comfortably in front and rear seats. Has lots of storage. Nothing better on the market for the money! I am so glad I went with this one.

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  Great Performance - at any price - 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe
  By Bob - December 13 - 9:46 pm

  I had bought 3 previous Hyundai models for members of my family and none of them have disappointed me yet. But when Hyundai went into the sports car market I wasnt quite sure what to expect - the Genesis Coupe, like the others didnt disappoint, it is clearly the best yet. I have owned other sports cars, BMW, Mercedes, and a Camaro and the Genesis Coupe outperforms them all in overall performance. Love the exterior and interior designs, everyone who has checked it out has been impressed. The interior is plush but sporty with a cockpit feel to it, the controls are easy to use, and the technology of bluetooth, XM radio, and Ipod connections add to the exceptional performance of the engine

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  fun to drive - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By robert - December 12 - 7:36 pm

  traded in my 2004 xg350l for the azera limited. got the car black with black leather interior and tinted windows. love the look and feel. has some much more power than my xg. I tend to forget how quick the car is. ride is smooth,braking is excellent. Interior looks and feels like luxury, especially for the low price.

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  I like it! - 2010 Hyundai Elantra Touring
  By TG - December 12 - 5:26 pm

  Looked at vw sportswagen, mazda3 and civic. Sportswagen was several thousand more and for what exactly? Civic had not enough space. Drove Mazda3 hatch and touring back to back several times (once in the rain) ultimately no contest -materials/space/dash layout were superior to the mazda3 (IMO). And I own a Mazda5! The ET has a very slightly softer ride but its a good thing! OTD for less than 20K. I do not find road noise or engine noise to be noticeable. Its relative to what you are used too and not the over-riding factor in this purchase. There really isnt anything on the market to compare. Looks better in my garage than in pics online! Hoping it holds up over time like my CRV.