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:

• 

  Not Bad For $8900 - 2002 Hyundai Accent
  By Mars - November 24 - 4:52 pm

  Bout this car in august 03. It had 15000 miles on it at that point. Now (Nov 07) its at 102000, and I have had my first tranny problem. None of my service was done at the dealership. I dont trust dealers so no one touches my car other than my regular mechanic. With regular oil changes (and tranny fluid changes every 30000 or so) its run well for me. had the plugs and wires changed around 50000 and had a problem with the rear brake hardware somewhere in there. Ive actually been really pleased with this car. Its made several trips back home (1200 miles twice a year) and only just now conked out. I can accept a tranny problem at 100000, hope its not an expensive fix.

• 

  Tucson 2010 GLS - 2010 Hyundai TUCSON
  By LWB - November 24 - 2:20 pm

  My purchase experience was nice. The dealer gave me a great trade on an 07 SF Limited with 58000 mi. I got $3,500 for it and no money out of my pocket to drive this baby off the lot. My monthly payment decreased $25 per month with $18,800 drive off financed, including t,t & l. Im impressed with the motor pep, interior package quality and ride. I love the bluetooth and I have no complaints with it. My first trip was around 800 mi and I averaged 27.7 with the air on and cruise set at 75 mph.

• 

  Impressed w/ the quality of Korean cars - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By Sin-Kie Tjho - November 24 - 8:00 am

  I test drove Camry, Accord, Galant and Sonata. In terms of performance, and comfort, I think there is no significant difference among these competitors. Sonata, however, is $5000 less than the comparably equipped Accord/Camry, and $3000 cheaper than Mitsubishi Galant. According to JDPower and Consumers Report, in terms of overall quality and reliability, Hyundai cars rank third or fourth, just behind Toyota and Honda but ahead of Nissen, Mazda, Mitsubishi and other second-rated Japanese cars. Knowing that the quality of Hyundai cars has improved tremendously in recent years, I wanted to give the benefit of doubt to the Korean underdog, just as I extended the same to Toyota 25 years.

• 

  What more would you want!!! - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Eric - November 23 - 11:40 pm

  The 2006 Sonata is truly a fun car to drive. The exterior and interior are so refined. I have looked at every other competitor and when it came to buying, this was the car for me. The safty features are second to none for the money. The warranty 100000 miles is second to none. The power is awesome as well as the low noise level. The cloth seats are ok. They seem to sit a little low but the adjustments make up for it. The handling seems to be top notch for a sports sedan. 0-60 in just 7 seconds.. Very elegant lines on the exterior looks like a cross from Acura "TL" to a Mercedes C class. Please test drive and see for yourself you will not be disappointed.

• 

  Very Happy With My Tuscon - 2010 Hyundai TUCSON
  By mah - November 23 - 6:56 pm

  I love my new Tuscon. It has great pick up on the highway, the air- conditioning cools the car off fast, it handles well around town, and the styling is great. The only thing I am disappointed with is the gas mileage. It is not getting the advertised gas mileage and I only get about 310 miles to the tank. I wish I would have upgraded to the Limited however because I am not super happy with the leatherette seats. They are comfortable, easy to clean and dont look bad, but I wish I had gotten the leather.

• 

  Im Still Smiling - 2007 Hyundai Azera
  By MsAzzy - November 23 - 2:36 am

  After the issues that Ive had with my dealearship, Im still very happy with my purchase. The car rides beautifully! Although other say they get 20-23 mpg Im only getting 17.5 but maybe because of my lead foot or either an issue with the display. I tell everyone that I know that I have an Azera and they say a what??? Im in a way glad that Im not seeing myself 1000xs on the road.

• 

  Best Sonata Ltd. Ever - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By Jerry Meyers - November 22 - 11:10 pm

  After owning the 2006 and 2007 Sonata Limited during the past, I was amenable to test driving the 2009 based upon several auto magazine reviews and 60,000 combined driving miles. My 2009 Sonata Limited ranks among the very best autos(including Mercedes, BMWs, Infinity Q45 etc) that I have driven during the past 40 years. The ride is exceptional smooth, handling secure, road noise non-existent, braking responsive without fade, and highway entrance acceleration terrific! The interior is well appointed,and XM radio stations crisp. In addition, my combined gas mileage is over 26 mph,and, I often approach 31 mph on highway driving. My only two complaints are the navigation system & blue odometer.

• 

  Awesome Car - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Sean - November 22 - 3:40 am

  Great purchase my wife and I have been looking for a new car in the lower to mid 20s weve test drove the xB, xA Aliama, Corolla, 300, 500, Civic and Accord LX (which Ive owned 6 - Im a very big Honda fan) Anyways we drove them all and this one won hands down. More standard features more power and overall better value. I just wish this was the first test drive I did. I would have saved myself about 7 saturdays sitting around the dealerships.

• 

  Bad Gas Mileage - 2007 Hyundai TUCSON
  By rainybstn - November 21 - 9:03 pm

  I bought my 2007 Hyundai Tucson SE 4dr SUV (2.7L 6cyl 4A) at the end of 2007. I thought i had done significant research, but I must have missed the complaints about gas mileage. Although I really like the feel of the car, I expected better than 14mpg city and 18 hyw. I change my oil every 3k and have never missed a scheduled maintenance. The quilaity of paint is also very poor. Scratches very easily.

• 

  Hyundai Review - 2005 Hyundai XG350
  By Richard McInnis - November 21 - 7:20 pm

  This car has a nice smooth ride. It is a pleasure to ride and to me exceeds the comfort ratings of simularly priced mid-sized vehicles. I have had no mechanical problems or problems of any kind with this car. I get 27 mpg hwy @ 75mph. The one thing I would change would be the elimination of the cigarette lighters & ashtrays and substitute with radio controls on the steering wheel.