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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  Reliable as any! - 2003 Hyundai Sonata
  By Aaron - December 5 - 1:14 pm

  I drive my car about 15,000 miles each year and currently have over 70,000 miles on it. I have done nothing but regular maintenance to it (oil, tires, replaced headlamp, etc.) and its been a great runner and a comfortable ride as a daily driver.

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  08 Accent GS AT - 2008 Hyundai Accent
  By Michael34 - December 4 - 8:52 pm

  I bought this car because it was very inexpensive. I put 4500 miles on it so far and discovered it has a large blind spot and the drivers seat is uncomfortable on long trips. I do get pretty good gas millage but other compact cars do better. The Chevy cobalt, Toyota corolla, and Ford focus all do a little better. I would not recommend buying this car unless it is a last resort.

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  LOVE IT!!!!! - 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe
  By Debi Murphy - December 4 - 5:03 pm

  My husband just bought me this car for my 50th birthday...what a great way to kick 50 in the butt!!! Ive had it for 4 days now, and I love it more everyday. It is a blast to drive and Im having so much fun with the paddle shifters. It is quick, handles corners and turns with ease, and the Brembos are awesome! Take one for a test drive....youll fall in love too!

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  Love it - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Pat - December 4 - 4:23 am

  I did the research. My Sonata is everything and more that I expected. Very nicely engineered. The body is beautifule and it is quiet and solid. My only digs are the front seats could be a little better and my MPG (90% city) is only at 23. I highly recommend this car. I paid only $18,100 and I got the 4 wheel disc brakes, the auto and the fog lamps!

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  best car under $40k - 2009 Hyundai Genesis
  By hack - December 4 - 2:46 am

  after 6 lexuss, i decided to save $20,000 and purchase a 2009 Genesis. after driving the car for about 6 weeks, i would honestly say i would purchase the Genesis over the Lexus even if they were the same price. BEST CAR I HAVE EVER OWNED!!!!

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  Great Van - 2007 Hyundai Entourage
  By Jim Proulx - December 3 - 9:43 pm

  This has been a great car. The dealer service has also been great. This is one of the finest cars I have ever owned.

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  Actually its not a cheap car! - 2007 Hyundai Azera
  By hyperblue - December 3 - 3:21 pm

  Being a Korean, I had many cars from Hyundai before comming to US 10 yrs ago. This one is the best of all (including Avalon I owned in the US). Silky ride and super quietness and the reliability also seems to reach the level of other big name brands. Let me tell you one thing. Some folks even compared this one with Lexus GS, but thats actually not a super surprising comparison. When I visited Korea last summer, I found that the MSRP of Azera GLS (Limited edition is not even available) is around USD 4k in Korea. That said, this car actually is not a cheap car at all, just provided in low price to get into the US market.

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  Accent Rising - 2007 Hyundai Accent
  By dchrist - December 3 - 9:49 am

  Great little commuter. My wife loves the way it handles!! Only problems: no cruise, needs more power.

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  Great Buy!! - 2013 Hyundai Azera
  By heicel Rodriguez - December 2 - 4:23 am

  Best choice and Hidden Hyundai jewel. My car has nothing TO ENVY to the expensive make and models out there. It its fully equipped and handles great.

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  SHARK ATTACK!!!!! - 2007 Hyundai Tiburon
  By XXXMrRubenXXX - December 2 - 3:43 am

  Well I had a 350Z like 2.5 years love it but stupid guy destroyed then I got and EVO and this one really love but had to sell it so the wife can have a new car. NOW IM I LOVE!!!! again with this 2007 TIBURON. love the 6 spd thats more than my evo and the best part is that I can take people with me something not possible in the 350Z. The color is the best BLUE, and power is no problem ill put a turbo system in a few month but is great for the price $10000.