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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  Didnt know much about Hyundai.... - 2000 Hyundai Elantra
  By hyundai1st - October 28 - 2:39 pm

  ... was a little nervous buying one. I bought this car 11 mos. ago w/72000 miles on it. It now has 83000. I have had to replace front brakes/rotors, Tires, and Battery. I do a lot of up and down hill climbing and wanted to start with new rotors and brakes, Tires I nknew about when I bought it, and the Battery was originaland 5 yrs old. All regular maintenance in my opinion. I am 62" and 260lbs, and feel comfortable behind the wheel.

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  Better than comparable competitors - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By Peter S. - October 27 - 11:46 pm

  Drove new Accord, Camry. Looked at Altima, Malibu, Mazda, Subaru. None made the cut! Test driving the Sonata, salesperson said to adjust seat to my liking. I liked it! I wanted one! Ordered a GLS but a carrier came in with 3 Sonatas. The white was my choice and the upgrade to the next level was well worth it! So far, gets great mileage, like the radio-hooked on XM, Great looks, quality is a 10, great handling. A cat is a lucky critter as the brakes saved him! If dealer service matches the car, Ill be in high cotton!

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  Sexy and Safe - 2007 Hyundai Veracruz
  By lakopp - October 27 - 3:00 pm

  I had my Veracruz for a month when I was rear-ended by someone going 45 mph (I was at a complete stop). I was able to walk away from this. The Veracruz not only looks good and drives well...it crashes well! The cabin is very quiet and the ride is smooth. Great vehicle!

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  save so much money - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By i-suggest-this-car - October 27 - 10:00 am

  This is overall a good car, and better than others because costs so much less. Bought mine 11k with cd player for $8000, no defects at all. It is very reliable and better than many including the regular focus, sentra, aerio, cavalier, and neon. I would suggest it to anyone who wants an economy car that is decent in all respects and absolutelty no problems. Reliability and savings are the best 2 aspects of this car

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  my hyundai - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By meljamiefreckles - October 27 - 10:00 am

  this is a great car/suv, very fun to drive, easy to manuver into tight parking spots. Before this I had a dodge ram which I loved, but trying to park it in todays parking spots was horrible!! The santa fe works well with my sirius satellite radio plug and play, the sound is good, there is plenty of room for a plus size person in the drivers seat as well as in the rear seats. Seat belts have plenty room, cargo space is good as well. There is NO TOP HEAVINESS some might experience with other taller SUVs. Very stable vehicle, an excellent car to drive!!

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  Best car I ever purchased - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
  By bernie - October 26 - 11:50 pm

  At the age of 50 I have owned my share of cars, THIS is the BEST car I have owned. It hugs and holds to the road in down pouring rain with no problems, I anticapte NO problems this winter with the snow. The warrente was the orignal reason I first started looking into a Hyundai, one I test drove it I was hooked. I HIGHLY recomend this car, it is GREAT!!!!

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  Turbo Hyundai - 2012 Hyundai Sonata
  By lzabelsky - October 26 - 2:08 pm

  Great car for the money. Dont buy this as a substitute for a BMW, it is a great everday driver and a deal for the money. Great warranty, performance, comfort etc... No regret on the purchase and have had less gas station visits. The extra $1,500 for the SE 2.0T was my best decision, very fast for an inexpensive family sedan and fun drive. The SE ride is a bit rougher with the low profile tires. No complaint other than it appears the paint gets chipped easy on the front of the vehicle from road debris. Very nice family sedan, nice on long trips.

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  14,000 miles of smooth, quiet trouble free driving - 2015 Hyundai Sonata
  By Yomps - October 25 - 5:10 pm

  Love this car. Smooth, quiet, tons of room, great gas mileage, not one problem with anything. Package with back up camera, XM, power drivers seat, automatic headlights and the homelink auto dimming mirror made the base model a great commuter and road trip car. With very little effort I can get 40+ mpg on the highway and for a car this size thats amazing. The only thing I dont like is the buzz of GDI engine when its cold and no spare tire included (I bought one with the jack for $200). $21,500 out the door with 0% financing made it the perfect new car.

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  22,000 miles of smooth, quiet trouble free driving - 2015 Hyundai Sonata
  By Yomps - October 25 - 5:10 pm

  Love this car. Smooth, quiet, tons of room, great gas mileage, not one problem with anything. Package with back up camera, XM, power drivers seat, automatic headlights and the homelink auto dimming mirror made the base model a great commuter and road trip car. With very little effort I can get 40+ mpg on the highway and for a car this size thats amazing. The only thing I dont like is the buzz of GDI engine when its cold and no spare tire included (I bought one with the jack for $200). $21,500 out the door with 0% financing made it the perfect new car.

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  ELANTRA GT - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By quietjohn1 - October 25 - 10:00 am

  Overall a neat car. my only complaint so far are the sweaty leather seats, would rather have cloth. As to horsepower, the specs say 140 HP. If this engine has 140HP, they must be Shetland ponies. My 1995 ford contour with a 2.0 litre 4 cyl. (122hp), and my 1995 ford probe with a 2.0 litre 4 cyl. (118hp)both have a lot more power than this one. The car does handle nicely and the hatchback is what I wanted. Just wish it really had 140HP.