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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  Love the car. - 2002 Hyundai Sonata
  By Bone head - October 25 - 10:00 am

  All I can say is its a great car and would tell anybody to buy one..Love the car.

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  Best car I have ever owned - 2009 Hyundai Genesis
  By Love My Genesis - October 25 - 8:46 am

  I had followed this car ever since it was revealed in Detriot Show. The only thing I can say is this is the best car Ive ever owned. I was an advent Nissan car owner, but when I test drove the Genesis, I was sold. For what you get at the price, you cant beat it. A gentleman in a BMW 7- series stopped me in the parking lot to ask me what kind of car is that, I proudly said "The Genesis"

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  Great all around car - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By MontanaHyundai - October 25 - 1:33 am

  This car is great! Fun to drive, fast, sporty, and great on the gas. The only complaints I have are that the car does not have cruise control and the paint really stinks. We have a car port that the cats like to get up into the rafters on. When they jump out onto the car it scratches the paint so I have to figure out a way to keep them out of the car port or keep them from jumping on my car.

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  An excellent car so far - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By parkerjnc - October 24 - 8:19 am

  Purchased this 2011 2.0t several months ago. It now has 50k miles. It is quiet and performs very well, being fun to drive while also getting 30+ mpg. The interior quality of materials are much better than expected for a car at this price point. Will have to see how it holds up over time, but so far very impressed.

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  Perfect Car for your teenager - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By Danielle - October 23 - 5:29 pm

  I love this vehicle. My daughter mainly uses it to get back and forth from school and to run errands. It is perfect for teenage drivers because of its hip look and its saftey ratings, not to mention the unbeatable price!

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  we love hyundais - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
  By lionstar0803 - October 23 - 3:07 pm

  We absolutely love this car!!!In fact this is our 3rd hyundai. We recommend hyundais to our friends.. When we look for a new car we dont look anywhere else.

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  Spunky and easy-handling, economical SUV! - 2006 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Tucson mom1 - October 22 - 10:04 am

  That front seats are stiff, not for large people. That while spunky, it is not a race car. My mileage has always been great when I do not go by car door inflation, but rather by the tires. I get 24 in city average, and 30 on highway. KOREAN tires wore fast, I replaced with Michelin Harmony and now General Altimax........wonderful ride. Does have some road noise but I always play radio. Great handling in all weather. No major repairs of late, just replaced radiator hose and had to use double clamp to hold as hose is thicker than original. Maintain oil and filter and transmission as dictated for city. Takes semi synthetic oil. I replace all filters myself, further savings. Dealer replaced engine bushings, worn, which he noticed, and was under warranty. Has never let me down, runs smoothly still in 2016. Bought new with 8 miles on it. Cargo hold is excellent, seats down, holds garden and groceries and building materials well. My back has not hurt at all since buying this, as you sit higher than in a car and at better angle. Recommend it highly.

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  A Well Kept Secret! - 2007 Hyundai Elantra
  By JEM - October 21 - 5:26 pm

  Looking for better gas mileage on our daily commute, we downsized from a 99 Lexus ES-300 to the Elantra, and we dont feel deprived at all. We test drove the Nissan Altima and Honda Accord and Civic, Subarus and also the Sonata, but we ended up buying the Elantra 4DR SE (with sunroof) because of the interior roominess, comfortable ride, excellent handling, braking and acceleration. Not to mention that all of the safety features are standard. Weve put 500 miles on the car in 2 weeks and are getting an average of 28 MPG or so in mixed city and HWY driving (at 65-70) with lots of hills. This car is a great value with a comfortable ride.

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  JUST A NICE SUV - 2007 Hyundai TUCSON
  By aokmike - October 21 - 4:56 pm

  Every about it is a value for the money

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  Great gas mileage & fun to drive!!! - 2002 Hyundai Accent
  By kayleigh - October 21 - 2:33 pm

  This is a great little car. It is my first car (I bought it new when I was 16), ive had it for almost three years now and I have never had any problems with it. If you are looking for a car that gets great gas mileage, is fun to drive, and can seat four people comfortably... This is it! This car has everything that you need and surprisingly a lot of stuff that you would want. Have I mentioned the gas mileage... On long trips ive gotten up to 40mpg!!! Amazing car...