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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  Best For Your Money - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Bruce - June 15 - 6:03 am

  I would highly recommend this to anyone searching for a quality built vehicle. They gave this suv a lot of thought. Has alot of room to haul people or grocerys. The warranty they put behind this suv is amazing. If all the other manufactures can build them this good then they would back it up with a warranty like this one has. It is a joy to drive. I would buy this one again.

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  Great Car - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By WK - June 15 - 3:50 am

  Great car to drive, very comfortable for big person such as I. Havent had car long enough to judge fuel efficiency, but getting 18.5 city/hwy driving thus far. Lot of luxury for the money.

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  Still great after 1 1/2 years... - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By Pianoman - June 15 - 3:50 am

  I read the posts of others who are unhappy, and I just want to say, thats not my experience at all. After 25,000+ miles, I am still delighted with my 2009 Sonata Limited 4 cyl. Absolutely no money spent other than normal maintenance, and the car continues to run like a champ. Have gotten up to 37 miles per gallon on non-hilly interstate traveling at 70 mph - it is a great highway cruiser with a quiet, smooth ride. Lots of room inside, and build quality is great. It is definitely not a sports car, but I didnt buy it with that expectation - I drive my wifes Legacy GT if I want kicks. Still like it better than my 3 previous Accords. Overall, Im very happy - no buyers remorse at all.

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  Very Happy Touring - 2009 Hyundai Elantra Touring
  By cinell234 - June 14 - 7:16 pm

  This is an ideal car for a small family. I have also owned VW GTI S I cant say that this even compares but my dollar bought one sweet ride. The real deal would have much more needed power and some quite tires they are really loud on some roads. Its a poor man sports wagon I hope I have similar luck with this Hyundai as others have with the Sonatas it seems like every body likes them even when they have hundreds of thousands of miles. So as of now I only have a few thousand I would recommend this wagon to a friend or even my brother that I did. Good luck on your future purchase other cars to check would be Mazda 3 but will cost you a few more dollars and they dont have a warranty as good.

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  Great Car, except... - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Helen - June 14 - 2:30 pm

  I am quite pleased with my 06 Sonata. I bought it used and it has had a few squeaks and rattles. The main problem Ive had is the rear shelf squeak/rattle sounds like the car is going to split apart. Dealer finally replaced the shelf this morning and well see if that worked or not. Mileage is okay, but not great. I love the car, its performance and its look, both inside and out. Id buy another for sure!

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  2005 Hyundai Sonata - 2005 Hyundai Sonata
  By Vinny - June 14 - 12:32 pm

  Not having much experience in car buying & owning at only 19 years old this car caught my eye. It has the performace needed for being a teenager. Has the confort, safety, room, & reliability as being a single parent. Out of my three cars Ive owned (1994 Ford Probe, 2003 Ford Taurus, & this 2005 Hyundai Sonata) this is definitely the best. It is the most refined & the price is reasonable.

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  Great Value - 2002 Hyundai XG350
  By AHyundai?? - June 13 - 10:00 am

  I went looking at the Nissan Altima, Honda Accord, and Toyota Camry. My budget allowed for only a low end version with 4 cylinder. Before I bought, I went and drove the 03 Sonata and was quite impressed. I then realized that I could probably get a XG350L for about what I was going to pay for a low end Altima with a 4 cylinder. For the price the value was too hard to pass up. Had the car now for a week and looking forward to the next several months. I have had a guy driving VW passat, a BMW, and a Mercedes pull up beside me and try to figure out what I was driving. I wanted to hold up several thousand dollars to show them what I saved!

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  Great Vehicle - 2008 Hyundai Veracruz
  By REG331 - June 11 - 12:20 pm

  Purchased a 2008 Hyundai Limited AWD 3 weeks ago. So far I have been very impressed with the build quality and performance of this vehicle. This vehicle is loaded with all the options found in Lexus. The best part is the price. Purchased this vehicle for thousands less than Lexus, and a $4,000 Rebate. Mileage is better than my 2000 Tundra and even though I wish it was better, what can you expect when you purchase a 7 passenger vehicle. Navigation system is manufactured by LG and much easier to use than the Nav system in my Lexus.

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  Styling and bang for the buck cant be beat. - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By peter95949 - June 11 - 7:02 am

  This is a lot of car for the $$! The styling is a head-turner. Not only have people stopped to ask me about the car, but when I see one on the road ahead of me, I mistake it for a Jag. At 11,000 miles, mileage has improved and returns a consistent 38mpg on the open road at 70+ mph. Slow down to 55, and the reading jumps to 40+ mpg! City driving returns about 24mpg if there is a little freeway driving mixed in.

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  Our 2010 Veracruz Experience - 2010 Hyundai Veracruz
  By DRAR - June 11 - 4:43 am

  Only had it a week or so but we absolutely love it! The acceleration is brisk when it needs to be, the tranny shifts so smooth you barely notice it. The gas mileage is not the greatest BUT we knew that going in. This enabled us to downsize from a minivan but keep the ability to haul all three teenagers if needed. I had never even looked at a Hyundai before but we are ecstatic that we included them in our list of prospects. My wife drove one, read some reviews, and we used magazine reviews to help with it all. We could not be happier.