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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  What a car for the money - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By Jim - May 26 - 10:00 am

  We just bought the car and drove from Ohio to Wisconsin. The car DID get 35.6 mpg at 70mph! WOW! So much better than the Jeep we traded in for the Sonata. Quality of components, design and looks of the car are outstanding! Hyundai truly out did themselves with the car. We selected the SE for the dual exhaust and larger wheels, but liked the appointments of the Limited. Not sure why Hyundai doesnt put all of the good items they have available on the Limited. We love the car! a GREAT buy. Check it out! We think you WILL agree!

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  Sure is nice. - 2014 Hyundai Sonata
  By cravey - May 26 - 3:48 am

  I picked up a 2014 GLS after several rides in a friends 2013. All the current tech gizmos are there including butt warmers and a hi-res backup camera. The ride is comfortable and secure, handling is very good. Visibility is only average as the seating seems a bit low. The transmission has an "Eco" setting which works great on the highway but is annoying around town; regular mode delivers 25 mpg anyway in a 50/50 mix.

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  Comfort & Intelligent Interior - 2008 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Country Girl - May 25 - 10:50 pm

  Quality interior & creature comforts sold me on this as well as a solid ride, not jittery like the Honda. Very well thought out! Front seat folds flat, several plugs for accessories such as dvd player, plenty of cubby holes, 6 cup holders, storage nets on back of both front seats. 4 adjustments for driver seat-very comfortable for a bad back. Great ride & handles nicely with tight turning radius. High quality materials. Very quiet & little windnoise. Very deceiving on power, feels like it is slower than it really is, power is adequate, about the same as a Ford Ranger & does great on the hills with it smooth shifting tranny. Can manual shift. Excellent mileage, 27 mpg in town.

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  Sussex - 2007 Hyundai Elantra
  By B.Knoll - May 25 - 1:41 pm

  We drive this 80 miles round trip at least 2 times a week, plus errands. Mileage varies from 30 to 25 mpg.

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  Poor company response to safety defect - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By sedan - May 25 - 6:09 am

  The head lights are of poor design and make driving the car unsafe at night. I drive emergancy vehicles and have been trained for over 26 years. This car makes it so you over drive your headlights at night and is unsafe. The company response to the problem is very poor and not owner friendly. They do not seen to care about the safety of their buyers.

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  Driving is believing - 2006 Hyundai Elantra
  By javax - May 24 - 9:20 pm

  I test drove Honda Civic and Nissan Sentra. And also looked at Toyota Corolla and 2 other domestic cars. Among those cars, Hyundai Elantra came up on top. It runs much quieter than other cars in its class and has more safety features for the prices. It also comes with a traction control system. I had a Honda Accord V6 EX before this one and I like Hyundai better than Accord. Although it lacks the horsepower like Honda Accord, for its lighter curb weight, it accelerates as fast as Accord. I hesitated to buy it in the beginning but I am so glad that I bought this quality car.

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  04 Santa Fe review - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Cyril - May 23 - 8:26 pm

  The most practical vehicle I ever owned. The first vehicle I had that didnt burn any oil. The 3.5L engine performance is great. Rides like a luxury car. Problems so far have been minor. Has lots of neat storage compartments. A nerds dream.

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  What A Vaule - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By ZeusCharles - May 23 - 5:50 pm

  Big car size. Comfortable Ride. Appealing Interior. Decent 4 cyclinder performance. Attractive Dash. Huge trunk. No matter how I worked the numbers I could not justify a Malibu, Accord, or Camry. At least it is assembled in America with 50% U.S. parts. Yes depreciation is tougher, but 60,000 bumper to bumper warranty and $3000 less all up front more than makes up for it since I drive cars to over 100,000.

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  my car - 2005 Hyundai Tiburon
  By J. Presley - May 23 - 12:20 am

  I love driving this car - lots of fun and lots of compliements.

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  Very happy - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Jaye - May 22 - 2:00 am

  I thouroughly enjoy this SUV...it was exactly what I wanted