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 it!! - 2004 Hyundai XG350
  By Mouse - June 20 - 2:00 am

  My 350XL is one of the nicest cars I have ever had and Ive been driving over half a century. It is so driver friendly and comfortable. A friend was so impressed he went down to buy one for his wife when he drove mine. I only wish Hyundia made a smaller model with the extras my 350XL has.

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  2005 hyundai lx - 2005 Hyundai Sonata
  By carl solomon - June 20 - 12:31 am

  Love this car. Great style, value and ride.

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  Great Buy - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By Don N - June 19 - 10:00 am

  The reviews by Edmunds.com was right on the money. I really feel like I bought a great car for less money. Great pick up, comfortable seats, and a nice looking car. My daily commute is now enjoyable. Everyone that has seen it is impressed. I truly recommend.

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  Poor Traction - 2007 Hyundai TUCSON
  By BillF - June 19 - 2:00 am

  This car is nice but it doesnt get the traction one would expect from a 4WD. The tires have a "B" traction rating which would mean lower end. Other than that its not a bad SUV. In many ways its better than the more expensive counterparts.

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  Delighted With My Veracruz - 2011 Hyundai Veracruz
  By likeit - June 18 - 7:07 pm

  Bought it new (2011 GLS) two weeks ago and am absolutely delighted with it so far. Wonderful driving experience, super capacity, overall luxury feel.

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  I love my Sonata!! - 2005 Hyundai Sonata
  By Sandi McCullough - June 17 - 4:07 am

  This is the perfect car for me--not too small, not too big. The exterior is as nice as the interior. It is comfortable and gets great mileage!! The ride is smooth and very quiet. The warranty is great, I have been happy with my decision to purchase a Sonata.

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  Haunting noise - 2009 Hyundai Genesis
  By Dave - June 17 - 3:46 am

  Ive had mine a couple of months now and 5000 miles. Two issues,,The speedometer reads about 10% fast. I hate doing math while I drive and I dont like knowing the odometer showing 10% more miles than actual, not to mention the gas mileage indication is also overstated. I also hear a faint "knocking" sound at 1900 rpm just before shifting. Seems to have changed somewhat after the recall reprogram. Dealer has been unable to assist with either problem. Anyone out there having similar issues?

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  A great buy! - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Emily - June 16 - 8:10 pm

  I love my Tuscon. This vehicle is incredible. I routinely get comments on how nice and easy the ride is. The drivability is great as it has very quick reflexes. Its awesome. Fuel economy is the same as what I had in my old sedan--24mpg. Its stylish, versatile, easy to drive, and an excellent buy.

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  Azera - Hyundais Red Headed Step Child. - 2016 Hyundai Azera
  By Brad Rawls - June 16 - 5:17 pm

  This is our 2nd Azera, replacing our 2012 Ltd. For some reason Hyundai does not advertise this car. In the 4 years of owning out first Azera, we only saw one TV ad for this car. I my opinion, this is the best car in its price range - bar none. The styling is great, quality is fantastic, great acceleration, the back seat is like a limo, and the value for the money is unbelievable. The only minor problems we have with the car is the stupid placement of the control for the power seats, up on the front part of the door instead of on the lower part of the seat bun where they belong, and the gas mileage. It get about 20 MPG around town and about 27 on the road. I thought it would be better, but it does have 290 HP, so I may be dreaming expect more. This car is best deal going too. We got ours for almost $8K off list, which made it to good to pass up, but it was deal at list. If you are looking at something in the $35K range, check out the Azera - you wont believe the value.

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  Best car Ive ever owned - 2017 Hyundai Sonata
  By Matt M - June 16 - 4:18 am

  Stellar performance. Car features are very nice, such as Android Auto. All my friends think I must have paid close to 30K for this model. In fact I paid a little over 17K. Im driving Sonata for a month now, so far its the best car Ive ever owned.