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 - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By Vlad - December 11 - 9:17 am

  This is great car. My wife bought this car brand new. It is fun to drive and has been very reliable after 62,000 miles. We drove it all over the country to SC, FL, Phile, Kansas City, NYC, Cleveland, St. Louis, Gatlinburg. Good substitution for an Accord or a Camry. Great warranty on this also.

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  We love our car! - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By Cufferone1970 - December 11 - 9:03 am

  When looking for a new car my wife and I looked at several factors. Fuel economy, style, comfort, and warranty. We found all of these in the Sonata. We love the look of the car, the ride, style, and most of all the fuel economy. We drove 1000 miles on a tank and half of gas. The car has plenty of power to pass other vehicles. I am amazed that this car can get this kind of fuel economy with this amount of power. We love our car. Our son bought one the following week.

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  Watch out! - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Jack - December 11 - 2:26 am

  With many features like electronic handling, 5 speed auto, slap stick trans shifter, this car is really taking on Lexus and Audi.....not Camry and Accord. Honda and Toyota can only ask for endless dollars to match up, and match they do not.

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  Tremendous Value in the Ltd model - 2007 Hyundai Veracruz
  By JHARLEY - December 8 - 11:53 pm

  Needed a replacement for an Expedition eating me alive in fuel bills. Veracruz fit the bill. Build quality is extremely good (near Luxus) and it rides well. Some say the ride is too soft but in a vehicle like this its a good thing. I have driven it for 2100 miles (in 3 wks) & it runs great. Long 6 hr drives cause little fatigue. It delivers 22.5 mpg on highway and around 17.5 local driving. Handling is good (but no sport car) and the engine is responsive. The best part of the drive train is the 6 spd trans. Its smooth as silk. No joke, as in the TV commercial, my friend entered a nearby Lexus RX 350 thinking it my car. That said, the $31k I paid was money well spent. I am happy.

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  Excellent Vehicle - 2009 Hyundai Genesis
  By kapa75 - December 8 - 10:00 am

  I LOVE my new Genesis. It is the perfect vehicle. I just purchased the V8 Tech package Genesis and I could not be happier. It is a pleasure to drive. I find myself just going for a drive to no where specific. I love it. A+++++++++ I recommend that anyone interested in this type of vehicle at least go look and drive a Genesis. You will absolutely love it

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  azera - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By john - December 8 - 8:40 am

  have only had it 3 weeks but it is a very nice car, bought for wife and she really enjoys it, very quite on the road, no outside noise nor vehicle noise. would reccommend it to anyone and have to several co-workers. would buy again, lot of car for the money

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  Love It!!!! - 2007 Hyundai Azera
  By Mike - December 8 - 6:58 am

  I was looking for a car I could drive 25,000 per year and was fuel efficient. I was looking at the 2008 Sonata and to get the features I wanted I had to get the Limited with the leather. The salesman asked me to see if I would consider another car so he showed me the Azera. I am so glad he did. This car has tons of room and extremely quiet. Co-workers have quickly commented on how quiet it is. With about 1300 miles on the car I am averaging 27.3 mpg according to the trip computer. I love the cloth seats because living in Florida with leather can be a challenge for the bottom. The seats are very comfy The A/C cools the car quickly. I would highly recommend this car!!

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  You get what you pay for - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By Matt - December 8 - 2:45 am

  Not a bad car, but could use some work. The older it gets, the more cheap it feels. There are a lot of squeaks and rattles on the interior. Road noise is overwhelming, and makes it difficult to have a conversation. Simple parts are expensive and hard to find. Fuel economy is not as good as it should be for such slow acceleration. The paint is of poor quality, and easily scratches and chips. Leather interior feels and looks like vynil. Sun visor mirror covers broke without being touched, and drivers side visor will not adjust without making a horrible sound and feeling like it is going to break.

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  Proud to own one - 2003 Hyundai Sonata
  By T Pavlik - December 8 - 2:00 am

  My wife picked out the car, strictly based on looks (and the fact a Jag is out of our price range). I compared the car to the Camry and the Accord. Based on performance, features and cost the Sonata was the hands down winner. After owning it a while I found it fun to drive, with plenty of power, no matter what the horsepower really is. The airbag recall was a non event. The A/C failed (compressor) and was fixed after a three day wait for parts. No charge, and the dealer went out of their way to make us happy. Makes me real interested in their Santa Fe.

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  UNDISCOVERED GEM - 2003 Hyundai Sonata
  By highdrifter - December 8 - 2:00 am

  JUST BOUGHT THE VEHICLE ON THURSDAY 12/6/02. VERY IMPRESSED WITH THE LAYOUT OF THE CONTROLS INSIDE, THE QUALITY OF THE PAINT FINISH.RIDE QUALITY, PERFORMANCE QUALITY IS ALL THERE! BOUGHT THIS VEHICLE FOR $17, 200 PLUS TAX AND LICENSE. COMES WITH MICHLIN X TIRES, FULLY LOADED. BEFORE YOU BUY A CAMRY, OR ACCORD TAKE A REAL CLOSE LOOK AT THIS SONATA. EXCELLENT DOLLAR VALUE!