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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  Truly Delightful - 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Brian H - August 21 - 9:13 am

  I bought my Santa fe in the middle of January and I am fully satisfied. It is a dream to drive, smooth, comfortable, powerful. I have not yet experienced the bad shift from 1st to 2nd. I am in Cdn and we have a slightly larger gallon, so bear that in mind when I say I get 22.5 miles per gallon in the city. If I am real careful and gentle about how I drive. I also looked at everything else out there before I bought and just loved all that the S.Fe had to offer and how smooth it was.

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  My first Hyundai - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By Erick - August 21 - 4:36 am

  My 97 Lexus ES 300 was beginning to age and needed repairs. I decided instead to purchase a new vehicle. After a ton of searching, I settled on a 2009 Sonata. Ive put over 500 miles on it and have loved every second of it. After comparing it to the Accord, Camry, and Malibu, I chose the Sonata because I liked it better, regardless of price (even though price was lower). The cabin is very nice and I do not feel as though Ive downgraded from my previous Lexus. My initial estimates have me getting around 29mpg with about 50/50 city/hwy driving. Although some people seem to take issue with the steering/handling of the Sonata, I love it. I drive soft and easy, so the car matches my driving well

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  Ole Reliable - 2005 Hyundai Sonata
  By Julian Shea - August 20 - 7:38 am

  This 2005 Hyundai Sonata was my first car and I loved riding it. Drove it many miles never did I encounter any roadside problems. This car is reliable in the purest form, it gives first time drivers a luxury experience at a low cost price, with amenities that other first car drivers do not experience (power windows, sunroof, power seats, etc). The only trouble I ran into with this car was that only a minimal amount of times the muffler would either rust out or flat out break, and the antenna that goes up and down every time the car starts. The car is great and I would recommend this to any first time driver.

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  Switcher to Azera - 2007 Hyundai Azera
  By Johnnie Godwin - August 19 - 7:24 pm

  After owning a fine Honda and a fine Maxima, I decided to renew research and test driving before selling my 2000 Maxima to one of my sons. I researched as if I were getting a PhD and was surprised to find the research, testing, and then ownership of the Azera has proved to be excellent.

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  Sonata Hybrid Limited - 2016 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid
  By Mike - August 19 - 4:48 pm

  This car is extremely quiet, comfortable, and rides very well. Is somewhat sluggish in Eco Driving Mode but is getting a confirmed 45 MPG. Only negative Ive found is the depth (height?) of the trunk because of the battery below.

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  AWESOME - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By sonnysideup - August 19 - 2:15 pm

  I bought this car in early 2006. Not really knowing what to expect, I was a bit shy about Hyundais reputation previously, but was willing to take a chance. I am overwhelmed at its performance & great looks. Well assembled, it will shame most cars on the road today. I prefer driving it over my Cadillac.

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  2 Litre Sonata CDX Auto. (UK Spec). - 2002 Hyundai Sonata
  By Charlie - August 19 - 12:01 pm

  Well, what can I tell you?.......I thought long and hard before buying my Sonata, but what a good choice it was! Only things to go wrong in three years of ownership was a sensor broke down inthe engine, (easy fix warranty), and a sidelght bulb blew, 5 minute job to put right I love driving this car, and occasionally, when I am in hurry up mode, I use the "tiptronic" gear change, I have to say that this isnt very often, as I mostly prefer to drive at a more relaxed pace and let the auto do its stuff, which it does with super smooth aplomb! So far I have 42000 on the clock, which is low mileage for the year. Great car, highly recommend!

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  Gas mileage not what manufacter claims - 2011 Hyundai TUCSON
  By mike - August 19 - 10:00 am

  If I could do it over I would have held out for gmc terain, same price more horse power and better fuel economy. Also the Hyundai sheet metal is very thin and dents easy, I am trying to find side molding to put on to keep from getting door dinged. The paint on the limited seems poor quality, look close and you can see the flex in the sheet metal because of the thin layer of paint that chips easy. Hyundai still needs work. Design it is cool little SUV drive and handles good. More power and better fuel economy. My old Malibu maxx was a 2006 and got way better gas mileage with a 3.5 v6. At 215 hp.

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  Save your money - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
  By Unhappy - August 19 - 12:58 am

  This car is a nightmare!I have driven it 37000 miles and so far I have had 3 headlights replaced, the car is rusting out and paint is peeling off. Clutch and transmission both went last night with no warning. Dealership said "sorry its out of warrenty". So much for Americas best warrenty.

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  Everything I wanted - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By Rudy - August 18 - 10:49 pm

  I purchased this car because I regularly travel on two lane roads for two to three hours at a stretch. I wanted something that gave a comfortable ride, had good pull up hills, and got 30+ miles to the gallon. My Elantra gave me all of that. We are now looking at the 2008 Elantra for a family car.