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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  Gotta Love it !! - 2016 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid
  By Keith Bombard - November 1 - 6:56 am

  Love this car...great interior and exterior fit and finish, mileage is out of this world! Pearlcoat paint job is flawless, and great body lines...car gets high marks for styling. I could only spot two areas that could use improvement. Tire noise is a little excessive in the SE trim...higher trim packages are equipped with better tires. Brakes are a little touchy, but this is pretty common on all hybrids. This is an exceptional car with many options available, and I would not hesitate to recommend it to anyone. Compare prices, looks and fuel savings, it really is a no brained. Buy the Hyundai...did I mention the fantastic warranty?

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  Impressive, Impressive, and Impressive!! - 2007 Hyundai Azera
  By Jack - November 1 - 6:03 am

  I purchased a 2007 Azera Limited with Ultimate package a couple of days ago (traded in my 2000 Camry) and have driven this car slightly more than 100 miles. But I can confidently say that this car surpasses all my expectation and cannot be compared with other competing cars in this class. This car is even quiter and more comfortable than Lexus ES 350 that I test-drove. Simply impressive. I cannot express my satisfaction enough. I have been skeptical about spending around $28K on a Hyundai. At this early stage, however, it appears one of the best buys ever in my life although time will tell more clearly. Very impressive! You wouldnt be disappointed.

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  Very nice - 2006 Hyundai Tiburon
  By John - October 31 - 10:10 pm

  I wasnt really ecpecting a nought-60 8.9sec car to be really fun, bj=ut i did. quite safe, really pleasant to drive, and i love it. Also stylish.

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  Love this vehicle! - 2008 Hyundai Veracruz
  By Laurie L - October 31 - 7:26 pm

  This is my first Hyundai and I am impressed. I had two Navigators before this and it is so nice to downsize. I have about 2750 miles on the car so far and I am getting 18.7 mpg. I am on the highway and in the city equally. The ride is very smooth and quiet. I love the navigation system. I was going to buy the Lexus 400h, but I saw a review on this car and took it for a test drive. I was sold and very happy to save over $10,000! I would recommend this vehicle. I am very satisfied.

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  Sonata owner since 2007!!!! - 2017 Hyundai Sonata
  By lauree - October 31 - 1:00 pm

  My second sonata since 2007! Let me say this 2017 has So much interior room and a nice ride on the road! Huge trunk! The only downfall for me is the fabric on seats..I feel it should have been better quality for a 21,000 dollar car. My other sonata was a 3.3 liter and I loved the extra horsepower. Maybe for 2018 model Hyundai should add V6 as a option which will make me buy another great Sonata!!!!! also change the fabric on the seats to have them higher quality and plush.

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  Owners comments - 2005 Hyundai XG350
  By KenLima - October 31 - 8:33 am

  In general I am very pleased with this car. I love the interior design and overall quality. The exterior is pleasing although a bit stodgy. The engine is adequate, however with 3.5 liters it is way underpowered in both hp and torque compared to what most other manufactures are offering. (Look at Acura with a 3.2 liter engine putting out 270hp.)The car is very pleasing to drive. It is smooth and quiet. One other question is why put in a transmission that can be manually shifted, but shifts automatically when pushed? My only real complaint is that in "city" driving which is where I do 90% of my driving my gas mileage is under 13mpg, which to my way of thinking is where large SUVs should be!

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  Value for Dollars - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Milind - October 30 - 9:30 pm

  A lot of standard features. ABS, ESP, CD/MP3 player, keyless entry, anti theft. Great style, wide tires ideal vehicle for Candian winter conditions. I did a lot of research compared Honda CRV, Toyota RAV4 an landed up buying a Tuscon and I feel I made the correct decision

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  1st Impressions - 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe
  By Van - October 30 - 8:30 am

  We were going to buy a Sonata when we saw the coupe and were floored. Took it for a test drive and were sold on the spot knowing Hyundais reliability. Having only put 250 miles on the vehicle, its a little early to give true impressions and ratings on the vehicle until it is broken in. MPG for this vehicle so far is good having obtained an average of 25 MPG on both Hwy/City... as long as you can keep your foot from getting heavy on the gas. This car is a blast to drive for the price and handles very well and predictable. Yes, there are some small quirks Ive noticed, but I can easily look past these for the fun and pleasure of driving this car.

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  Fun but unrefined - 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe
  By Nomad - October 30 - 7:43 am

  The car is fun to drive and look at, but has many flaws. Ive had multiple transmission problems to include a total replacement at 4200 miles. Traction control doesnt work all the time, the bluetooth radio is horrible as it syncs and wont allow calls until complete (which can take 15 minutes each time you get in the car). The paint on my hood had to be buffed and polished due to it being "soft", the speedometer is inaccurate, and Hyundai refuses to act on many of the issues. I would not recommend this vehicle and am in the process of using the lemon law on mine.

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  Not a bad choice - 2006 Hyundai Elantra
  By gls117 - October 29 - 6:39 pm

  I like this car very much so far. It took me for a ride in the first 8000 miles with a broken motor mount and air bag light, but it was all covered under warranty...no questions from the dealer. The 5spd trans is pretty responsive and much more fun to drive than the auto. I bought the car new feb 06 and have 44000 on the clock. No real problems since. I recommend this car as long as you keep up with the maintenance.