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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  Lovin it - 2005 Hyundai Sonata
  By Lovin it - August 23 - 11:26 pm

  I LOVE this car! Ive been spying the Hyundai Sonata from the first time I saw it. Being a person who gets what she needs rather than what she wants...I had to wait untill I needed a new car before I could buy one. I bought my goreous Sonata last month and I am lovinit! It is so sweet. The way it handles...drives on the highway...awesome. It is so good looking and comfortable I feel like Im getting away with something. Do yourself a favor...test drive this sweet ride.

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  Up -and-Comer - 2005 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Jimmy Cole - August 23 - 9:50 pm

  You will not see this car reviewed in many magazines, but do not let that stop you from considering these little pocket rockets. One drive and you will see what the combined efforts of the Koreans and certain Japanese companies, are spawning a love-child of possible historic value. I personally bought the 2.0L 4 cylinder with a manual transmission due to rising gas costs. But if you want power to spare you should go with the GT V-6. I do not know why all the magazines are not testing these cars, but I am sure once they start testing them there will be a great demand in America for them.

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  What an awesome machine! - 2008 Hyundai Elantra
  By Patricia - August 23 - 9:36 pm

  I really like this car. I have a 2005 Elantra and I am amazed at the differences. Both are excellent autos, but I really like the classy feel to my new 2008. She gets great gas mileage, good on the roads, and just overall a very comfortable car.

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  The Facts - 2007 Hyundai Entourage
  By Bob S - August 23 - 5:40 pm

  For the mileage I drive mostly highway (80%)and after 3000 miles I averaged 22 MPG. I can only say that if you are seeing 15 MPG as some have stated, there is a serious problem that needs to be looked at. I cant see why there isnt more of them on the road. My dealer took 2 weeks to find one in red and they didnt have any on their lot. My negatives are... No mp3 jack. Brakes are way too sensitive. Hyundais radios have always been poor. ( I have owned 4 other Hyundais)The reception is even worse with the in the window antenna. Darker carpet color to hide tracked in dirt. Floor mats are not standard. Give me a break.

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  Far superior value to Toyota or Honda - 2006 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Tom - August 23 - 2:33 am

  After extensive research & lots of hoofing it on foot in car lots, & many test drives the Tucson rose to the top like cream. The Honda CR-V is ugly & uncomfortable, the RAV-4 was *way* overpriced & lacked features we wanted & the Toyota dealers were arrogant beyond belief. As soon as we drove the Tucson, it was obvious. Super quality build, all the features one could ever need (Even in the bottom of the line GL trim we purchased), & most importantly, safety features beyond compare. Throw in the warranty & it is a no brainier. I find it hard to believe anyone would buy an RAV-4, which is overpriced to start then the dealer wants list price. Yeah right, Ill take my Hyundai thank you.

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  WOW!!!! What a GREAT Car - 2007 Hyundai Azera
  By Roger - August 22 - 3:34 pm

  I now have my Azera Limited for about 2 weeks. All I can say it what a truly great car it is. You sit back and feel like you are driving a $40-50,000 car. The features are excellent, but the drive is what really sold me. It is quieter than the Mercedes or BMW I previously owned. My Acura lease was up so I decided to see what the Azera was all about. On the test drive I could tell it was built well and was the car for me. It is very quiet and yet has plenty of power with its 263 HP engine. All my friends ask "what is this---it is beautiful". When I take them for a ride, they just cant believe how nice and luxurious it is. We are so glad we decided to get the Azera.

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  Camry Killer @ $15K - 2010 Hyundai Sonata
  By Bob A. - August 22 - 3:30 pm

  The manual transmission has a learning curve for the "Hyundai" clutch bite. But all is well given the necessary muscle memory to produce clean first and second gear shifts. Pedals seem close together and not power adjustable here. Tilt wheel, not telescoping. Nice seat height handle. The ride is smooth and quiet if not cream puff. The engine is refined and willing. The interior is both big and expensive looking with a quality fit and finish. Although the door lock button feels cheap as a light weight plastic. There is a big trunk with a split fold down rear seat. We are still above 1/2 a tank with 250 miles showing. The XM radio has spoiled us and our livingroom Lazyboy misses us.

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  Liked it at first...but not anymore - 2002 Hyundai Accent
  By AL - August 21 - 10:12 pm

  First car Ive owned, bought new. For the first few years it ran fine, only minor problems with the "check engine" light, which seemed to come on repeatedly. It was usually due to a "sensor" of some type. Only once did this affect performance. However, since the end of the 5-year warranty last fall, Ive had nothing but problems. It seems like everything has broken all at once! First it was the instrument panel (light flickers dealer unable to fix even after replacing it), then the engine light again (dealer "fixed" THREE TIMES - and charged me for each - in 2 weeks). Now the window is stuck down and will cost $400 to fix. I cant wait to get rid of this car! Dont buy a Hyundai.

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  Hyndai Azera - 2007 Hyundai Azera
  By Lynn Norsworthy - August 21 - 10:03 pm

  The first 2 months, 2000 miles, it drove and idled extremely smooth. A vibration or shake started at about 2 months. This has progressively gotten worse. The tires have been balanced twice and rotated once. Still the shake or vibration continues. It is in the steering wheel, the seat, and the floor board. The dealership says that it is driving normal. It also has started idling rough. Although it only started this about 2 months ago, the dealership says it, too, is normal.

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  BEST LUX CAR FOR $$$ - 2009 Hyundai Genesis
  By ARMEN BISHARYAN - August 21 - 6:56 pm

  very good all around car , nice exterior and interior