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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  Tremendous Value, combination of Power and MPG - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By oldsroyale - September 8 - 6:33 pm

  Ive put 35k miles on mine. Simply put, you are not going to find a car that does 0-60 in 6.7sec that also gets MPG like this. The power delivery is nearly lag-free. Handling is good on the SEs. The stock tires are rubbish. I run a true summer tire on the stock 18s and that improves the handling, but makes the ride a bit choppier. I run 17s in winter and that makes a big difference in winter weather handling. It also helps the ride. I added heated seats- why that was not standard, dont know... The seats are not very comfortable compared to competitors. Ergonomics are a cut below Honda but still good. The dimension stereo is disappointing.

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  Well built automobile - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By Frank Hayes - September 8 - 10:00 am

  I really enjoy this fun car.The design and quality of this car would make you think that it cost thousands more than it actually did. Service has been excellent. Best kept secret in the automobile industry. Recieve alot of comments.

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  Santa Fe - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By shelleyshimes - September 8 - 10:00 am

  This is our first brand new SUV and we love it. It is everything I want in a vehicle. The safety rating is a plus. Its warranty is a plus. We have installed a DVD player in it for our children and they love it. My 2 year old calls it mommys Santa Fe. It is very comfortable to drive. I love the roomy trunk and the space it has.

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  Worth the Money - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By villrep - September 8 - 10:00 am

  I have had my 4 cylinder, front wheel drive, standard Santa Fe for 1 year and driven 25k miles already. I like the roominess, the ease of driving, the comfort of the seats, driver visibility, the fuel efficiency compared to other SUVs and even passenger cars (my old vw golf got 33, while this gets 27 on the highway...a reasonable variation)Yes, I even like the break the mold exterior design. I disagree that it rolls in turns. I find it turns very competently and without much tilt. My only dislike is the weak engine power/acceleration. Of course, its because it is only a 4 cylinder lugging that body around, but I still wish it would have more oomph.

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  What a ride - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Ken - September 8 - 8:46 am

  This is a wonderful vehicle. It has as much room for the driver as my Expedition. Drives like a sports car. The all wheel, 4 wheel drive option is quite surprising. Had the vehicle in the snow, no problems. The sound systems is very nice.

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  Extreme Awesomeness - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By Davepq - September 6 - 6:43 pm

  The car overall is great. It definitely stands out from the crowd of comparable vehicles. My wife and I love it. The small details and sum of its parts make it seem so much more expensive than it is. I purchased it for business, where I need to make a positive impression on clients. It reveals style, class and at the same time economical sound judgment (especially during this tough financial climate.) It costs THOUSANDS more for the Accord and Camry to match the features of even the base Sonata. Another note, I am 64 and have ample room in the front and rear of the vehicle. One last piece of advice: read the reviews here of the competition and you may become a proud Hyundai owner

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  so far, so good - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By flamangrove - September 6 - 2:00 am

  Researched this car extensively. Compared it to others, and drove several competing suvs. This one lokks like a winner, and so far drives like a winner.

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  The finest car you will ever own. - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By msm8221 - September 4 - 4:08 pm

  i have literally had 15 new cars in 18 years. Lets just stop there. This is the finest, funnest, head turner you will find without the Euro snob appeal and repair rates at 120.00 per hour. Just buy one. I read the finicky naggerlers of negativity with their minor peeves. They simply havent owned enough cars to know a winner.

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  Better than the TA - 2004 Hyundai XG350
  By ronsaat - September 3 - 10:00 am

  Traded in a 2001 Trans Am with all the goodies. Had been looking at the Hyundai line of vehicles for some time and noticing their vast improvement. Took it 1000 miles on a 4 day trip and no problems. Very comfortable ride and good road manners. Drive it 35 miles each way to work and back in the Boston area. Makes the traffic a lot easier to manage.

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  Fantastic and Fun little car at low cost - 2016 Hyundai Elantra
  By Roy Smithson - September 2 - 11:03 pm

  Be sure to get the Option 2 package with larger, wider alloy wheels and P205/55R16 tires. These wheels and tires increase handling and stopping power immensely. Beware the Korean Kumo tires that come with it, as I had tred break lose inside on one on my 2009 Elantra SE. This can be fatal, but fortunately I caught this when it was just beginning to cause vibration due to a lump when tires were perfectly balanced. I immediate had all 4 tires changed to Michelin Premier A/S. For the 2016 Elantra I just bought, I had the dealer take car to Costco across the freeway from them to install 5 new Michelin Premier A/S for about $750. I bought a 5th wheel identical to the 4 on ground, and a tire change kit, thus ending up with a full size spare--which fit in trunk well, rather than the ridiculous air and sealer kit, which will ruin tire if used. Another cheap mfr deal: There is no auto-transmission fluid dipstick, and no key locks on door or trunk. If you lose keys, youre out of luck, as only way in is with push button on key fob. This saves them a few pennies and says to heck with my customers... just as no spare tire at all does. Only thing is, all mfrs are going this way.