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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  Easy driving and high fun factor! - 2010 Hyundai TUCSON
  By FMG - June 11 - 2:00 pm

  Too soon to evaluate reliability with 500 miles. Once you get used to the power steering in about 150 miles -- no issue AT ALL. Hard bumps are noticed but overall driving is nimble and sporty. Accelerates smoothly with little hesitation when your foot is squarely on the pedal. Drive sloppy and you get sloppy. 31-35 HWY but city driving, oh my!. I get off the highway and almost immediately go from 31 to 18-ish with little transition (I drive with the eco light on 90%). Test carseat before purchase. My 1 Britax in the middle makes seating for 2 more people VERY tight. Understand it is a SMALL cuv. Trunk hydraulics move up easily once you pop and nudge. Overall, VERY satisfied with purchase.

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  Super ride - 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Shayne - June 11 - 1:10 am

  We bought this for my wife after looking at and driving many others. We looked at Mitsubishi Outlander and Subaru Forester. Both did not come close to the drive, features, and fit/finish the Hyundai had. We love the features on the Limited model and didnt need the nav or dvd packages. You might find other makes that have similar features but will probably be a lot higher in price. Awesome vehicle for the price!!

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  Hyundai is the next Lexus - 2009 Hyundai Genesis
  By Scott Lepore - June 10 - 6:46 am

  Who would have thought that you could spend $40,000 and drive out of a dealership and own a world class automobile that rivals the 750-I BMW. The electronics alone are amazing but the car has good power with the V-8 and rides very smooth. It also is very roomy and handles great. I bought a Mercedes E-350 in 2006 for more money.This care is quality. Trust me.

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  Good buy so far !! - 2008 Hyundai Sonata
  By NItin - June 10 - 1:56 am

  I purchased this car in feb and have been happy so far. The car have been giving me 24-25 City driving. The exterior styling of the car is amazing, but the interior needs some work. Purchased the car @ (15000 + TTL) on the last day of the rebate, so saved some green. The only thing that should be improved the vibration when braking the car at high speed. This could merely be that the brakes have to wear out a little..

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  Just Awesome! - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By Nkohs - June 10 - 1:36 am

  This is my 3rd car overall and 1st new car just coming out of college. And I am impressed. I am 68" and am quite comfortable in this vehicle. The leg room is not quite as much as my 2004 Impala but it is definitely very good for a sedan. So, you tall guys out there have nothing to worry about. Also, the interior design looks great! The 2010 Sonata had a nice interior design and they blew that away here with a sleek and luxurious looking design. The XM radio and Aux cable is great I can charge my Zune and run everything through USB and that is nice. The XM radio is good for sports radio but ah. The exterior speaks for itself. The looks I get and the compliments go get one!

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  My second - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
  By true - June 9 - 9:50 pm

  This is my second Elantra. My first was a 2001. I didnt intend to buy a car when I went on the lot, but the value and improvements in the interior got me. I did have some trouble with the gas mileage at first, but switched from ethanol to regular unleaded and my mpg has increased to approx. 28 in town, and 34 on highway. I have had quite a few headlights go out, which was also a problem with my 2001. Solution seems to be to replace both at the same time. Minor work has been done..mostly cosmetic rather than repairs.

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  Update of Winner in Columbus, NC - 2007 Hyundai Azera
  By Update of 4/22/07 - June 9 - 6:06 pm

  I submitted my first review on 4/22/07. I have just finished a trip of 600 miles round-trip. The car performs better then I first reported. The is NO front end "floating" on the highway as I experienced with my 2005 Avalon. The Azera tracks and stays on the road. It is one terrific car.

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  Muralis review on tuscon - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Murali - June 9 - 7:10 am

  I like the quality so far and is really good for long drives.

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  Lots of bang for the buck - 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By ddh - June 9 - 6:26 am

  Bought this car 3 weeks ago and have put 1700 miles on it. Ive been getting 26-27 mpg combined city/hwy mileage. The base V-6 is quiet & delivers spirited acceleration in town and when passing on the highway. The 6-speaker stereo sounds good; I really like the XM satellite radio, and the USB as I can put all my music on a tiny jump drive and dont have to clutter the car with CDs. Interior is comfortable, well- appointed, and build quality is as good as Honda, Toyota, etc. Handling & ride quality are excellent, & the stock tires seem to work well in all conditions.

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  A Great Little Car! - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
  By suzie - June 9 - 2:31 am

  We purchased this car new a little over 2 years ago and havent regretted the purchase yet! My husband drives a lot of miles for his job, and the gas mileage/price is what attracted us to this car. It handles nicely and has the right amount of get-up-and-go for highway and interstate driving. We were also attracted to the safety features. We havent had to do any service on the car other than routine maintenance, but we have had to have the little clips that hold the floor mats down replaced a few times on the drivers side - they seem to break off easily. This car is surprisingly roomy and comfortable.