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:

• 

  New Sonata is Great - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By Greg - June 19 - 7:10 pm

  I havent been a fan of Hyundai vehicles until I saw the new new Sonata on the TV commerical. I decided to go for a test drive and was hooked instantly with the cars options and looks. The price was great for the packages I got on the car. Performance is amazing with the redesigned 4 cylinder engine. Gas mileage as something I have been worried about, but no so much an issue anymore with this car. The engine components are covered so it cuts down on engine noise on the highway, you can hardly tell the engine is running at 80 mph, and idle sound is pretty much non existent. The seats are great, and evne though it sits low to the ground its not a hassle to get in and out of.All in all its an A+

• 

  2006 Hyundai - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Al Fralich - June 19 - 3:23 pm

  great styling - much more than expected. performance very good, gas mileage quiet, and very smooth ride. best in safety features.

• 

  Shimmy Vibration - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By Chris - June 19 - 8:13 am

  07 Hyundai Sonata Limited -- shimmy or vibration begins at 44 mph and continues depending upon roadway surface. I would not buy the car again.

• 

  wont start - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By judy - June 19 - 1:08 am

  I was very pleased with this car at first. After 4 months, all of a sudden the car wouldnt start. The A/C also wasnt working right. The dealer kept it a week . They replaced a switch for the a/c & another switch for the neutral disable . Well, about a month later, its not starting again. Im very discouraged.

• 

  No major issues after 7 years - 2001 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Sarge - June 18 - 7:56 pm

  Bought this car originally for the mileage and warranty...and hasnt let me down yet. Nothing major (besides hitting a deer).....replaced normal wear items and battery. Only out of ordinary issue was a bad rear wheel bearing at 75K. Couple of design quirks....the cup holder sucks, tilt steering is funky to operate, the front end look is love/hate. Still averages 35MPG on the highway...only aftermarket parts is a larger throttle body and K&N drop-in filter. The paint does suck....clear coat is gone in spots...but all in all I got more than my $ worth out of this car. Good hauler too....did just fit 50 2x4 studs in the thing, all I had to do was take the headrest off the pass seat lol

• 

  Elantra Limited - 2007 Hyundai Elantra
  By davids - June 18 - 5:49 pm

  Me and my significant other have already put 5K miles on our Seattle Blue Limited with light gray leather. He fight each other over who gets to drive it. I like the looks of the old Elentra but this version is incredible. The Mazda3 Grand Touring is nice and perhaps more handsome but basically costs 5K more with inferior gas mileage. So its not even close IMHO. The 4c is peppy, climbs hills easily. 5 spd better than auto. The rear end sits up high so rear visibility is not good. But other than that, its a great, great car. There are a few little things I wish it had, (see below) but I venture to say this is the best bargain of all cars, all cars, sold in the United States right now.

• 

  The little car that could - 2007 Hyundai Accent
  By Gearcat - June 18 - 5:30 pm

  I really like most everything about this car except for the low quality, hard plastic door panels which scratch so easily. The car handles and steers with great precision. Fuel mileage is not quite what is stated on the sticker. I average 28-30. I doubt Ill ever see 38 on the highway. The car is no dragster but its right in the pack with the other subcompacts. Its more fun to drive a slow car quickly than a fast car slowly anyway! Its very fun to drive and the speakers sound awesome with my new aftermarket HD stereo. I love the THUNK of the doors when they are shut. they sound like a luxury car. I dont find the car to be overly noisy at highway speeds. Its typical of the class.

• 

  half and half - 2007 Hyundai Elantra
  By rendawn - June 18 - 4:04 pm

  I love the drive of the Elantra and so far the mileage is great. Be careful when washing the car you dont want to apply too much pressure or you will dent your car. The interior is extremely comfortable but I have to go to the service dept this week to get the seat belt adjusting piece fixed,its stuck and the sunglass holder is broken and Ive never even used it. I have made more trips back to the dealer than Ive ever had to with a car. I previously owned a Tucson and I never had a single problem so I thought I would get the same quality with the Elantra. I hope nothing else breaks. Its fun to drive, handles nice but the cheap parts are cheap...I still prefer it over a Toyota or Honda

• 

  The Elvismobile - 2013 Hyundai Genesis
  By Terry - June 17 - 4:16 pm

  This car could pass as a high end Benz or Bentley.....Eye catching beauty. The comfort, quality and that Lexicon sound system makes this car an amazing highway cruiser.

• 

  frequent traveler - 2013 Hyundai Sonata
  By dennisnkc - June 17 - 2:53 am

  I bought this car with the popular package which was pretty good with heated front seats, power drivers seat and alloy wheels. (Cant stand hubcaps). I also got the power rear view mirror. Overall, I am satisfied. The one issue I have is that the steering is electronic power and does not have the center detente. Wherever you point it, it goes. So it does not center itself when you let go of the wheel. This is OK when I dont think about it, but has a disconcerting affect if I do. However, for the money, this is a great car. I frequently rent cars for my job, and the Hyundai Sonata has always been a favorite. If you iphone, you will like the options. I prefer playing through bluetooth.