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 my 05 Tucson - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By SJ - August 13 - 1:26 am

  Ive driven 05 Tucson for 4+ years now, and Ive been very happy. So far just changing wears and tears like tires, breaks, oils, wipers, belts, etc. No major problems at all so far after 71,000 miles. My old Volvo usually cost me annually $2-3000 for major repairs with constant halts on highways. Happy to get rid of it. Living in East coast, went through a few big snow storms, and no problems at all with 2WD(front), and ETS always helped me staying on the road. I also took many long trips to Chicago, Main, Virginia, etc, and very comfortable with 5 people in the car with luggage. I also used this car a lot for moving, excellent when frnt&rear seats completely go plat, lots of cargo space.

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  Love it! Love it! Absolutely love it! - 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe
  By LMM - August 12 - 10:00 am

  I own my Genesis for more than a year. Never regret of buying it. I love my Genesis more and more everyday! I didnt know driving can be so much fun before having my Genesis. Visibility is excellent, controls are easy to use, and the blue lighting in the panel looks very attractive. The backseats are little bit tight (very common in sports car, so not a surprise for me) with limited head space but plenty of leg rooms. My family has domestic, Japanese, and high end German cars. The Genesis Coupe is our first Korean car but it gets the most praises and compliments. Highly recommend the Genesis Coupe to anyone who wants a fun and attractive sports car.

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  Love It! - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By Brittany - August 12 - 10:00 am

  My dad bought me this car a month ago and I absolutely love it! Im 22 so I love that it is sporty, but also lots of room for all my school books. I wanted the car since it came out and I know I made the right choice, it is an awesome car. It feels like youre driving a really expensive car and looks like it, too.

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  Glad I upgraded! - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By KDubb43 - August 12 - 10:00 am

  I traded my 2010 Sonata for the 2011 and Im glad I did. The 2011 is a much better car, with cleaner lines, exceptional features and better gas mileage. I also like the ECO mode, which tells you if youre getting the best fuel economy, without having to power-coast. The Pacific Blue Pearl color is beautiful. The dealer experience was fantastic as well.

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  new Tucson - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Mark - August 12 - 3:43 am

  With in the first 1500 miles I had to take my wife to a Philadelphia hospital.Thats a 250 mile round trip for me. The Tucson was great on the highway and even better driving in downtown Philly. I would recomend this small SUV to anyone.

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  Finally, a Toyota/Honda Killer - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By PRPreston - August 11 - 9:13 am

  Picked it up from the local dealer, Delray Hyundai, nice guys. They had the car from a dealer trade (previous dealer had a $1,900.00 adjustment on it...ouch for Miami). The car is great. Took it on a 3800 mile trip already and it feels great. More room in the back seat area than ANY other car like it. The truck--- my son said it could hold 3 bodies... Well, at least 4 peoples luggage. 4cyl-4sp Auto is just fine. Its a great car.

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  Great CAR!!! - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By sc2303 - August 10 - 2:23 pm

  I have owned the Sonata Limited PZEV (4 Cyl) model for 10 days now. I must say that I am really impressed. I got it for $21,500 with moonroof wind deflector, cargo mats, floor mats, cargo net. Hyundai is anyway giving a $2000 rebate on the MSRP. The interiors looks like any of the top of the market plush cars (Lexus like). The instruments are well placed and I especially like the soft wood finish on the dashboard.The seats are very comfortable and there is enough legroom and hip room for all passengers.The audio system is awesome!. The car handles very well.The pickup is very decent for a 4 Cyl engine. With 97% city driving, I got a great 23.5 mpg,which means a 23/32 city hwy split.

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  good job - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By glbpab1225 - August 10 - 5:00 am

  only thing i dont like is the tire noise on interstate. 17inch michelin tires are noisey. has a odd rattle i have not found yet in body some where. i love the new look. finish looks geat also

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  My Tucson - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By datunison - August 9 - 5:13 am

  I love my Tucson! The size is perfect - I dont feel like I am driving a bus. The ride is smooth and it is very easy to drive. It takes corners better than any SUV Ive driven. I feel comfortable and safe when I drive and thats what I love about it the most. I definitely recommend it to anyone who is looking for a smaller SUV and better gas mileage!

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  2016 Sonata Sport - 2016 Hyundai Sonata
  By Hardik Patel - August 8 - 7:32 pm