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 my Sonata! - 2003 Hyundai Sonata
  By Ryan Conrad - February 13 - 4:02 am

  Although Ive only owned my car since Sept 2004 I feel it was a great choice. I did lots of research & found this to be the absolute best over-all buy! Ive had only minor issues & will defintely purchase one again in the future!

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  Nice car - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Vlad - February 12 - 9:33 pm

  I really like it. Doing a lot of driving, find this car almost exactly what I need. Despite this is the basic model it has enough for every day extensive driving (sometimes 1000 Km a day). Extra hidden storage in the trunk is amazing! What was a nice surprise for me it ‘s a gas consumption! According to specifications vehicle with manual transmission consumes more gas then automatic. This is NOT TRUE! Manual is very economical and not just has more power, but takes LESS gas. I found the WORSE city driving (heavy traffic and ac constant use) 11L/100Km and 7.5L/100Km on Highway. Excellent on ice and snow and it is not an AWD. This the only SUV of this size and price range which is availa

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  12,988 BRAND NEW!! A TOTAL STEAL - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By cardawg29 - February 12 - 2:00 am

  I drove every other car I could compare this to. Nothing even came close to the Elantra Gt. Car for the dollar, Hyundai has it won. what do I have to worry about??? Absolutely nothing, I have a 10 year 100k warranty on this bad boy!!

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  Love my Car - 2005 Hyundai Sonata
  By Jeff - February 11 - 8:03 pm

  The car has given me all that I asked for. Four adults sit in comfort. The AC and heat work well. The sound system could be better but all in all for the price you cant ask for more. I will buy it again and this is my third Sonata. I am looking forward to the body style change in 2006.

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  Sporty, Fun, Love it! - 2007 Hyundai Tiburon
  By TophNWHSU07 - February 11 - 5:50 pm

  Ive had my Tiburon for one month so far and absolutely love it! Looks awesome, great early acceleration, and the Infinity system is phenomenal! (If youre getting a GT, spend the extra $$$ and get the Sun and Sound Package, well worth it!)

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  Great value! - 2015 Hyundai Sonata
  By TCB - February 11 - 2:28 pm

  My first experience with a Hyundai. And over all,I have been impressed! I have the Sport model with Premium package. Coming from an Accord,I was a little skeptical. But I liked the styling and interior. Classy looking exterior. The interior,is very well laid out. Functional with easy to use controls. I love the digital odometer. The dual auto temp AC works great. The back up camera works very well,with a surprisingly clear picture. The radio and speakers are adequate.Quality look and feel to the materials. The leather Sport seats have cloth inserts,so you dont get burned in summer heat. I have a sensitive back,and with the side bolsters,and power adjustments,including lumbar,I am very comfortable. The car is very quiet. The engine is very smooth running. Transmission shifts are not felt. I do hear, a slight road coarness,from the performance tires. I have been surprised at how roomy the car is. It is EPA classified as a large car,with 122 cubic feet of interior space. That is the same as a Chrysler 300. Only without the bulky exterior. It has a big 16.3 cubic foot trunk. With a very large pass thru opening. Which comes in handy,when carrying a big item. And it has dual struts for the hood! A rarity in cars today.Only a few minor complaints. I am so far only getting 26 MPG in mixed driving,in the ECO mode. I am hoping that will improve,with a little more mileage.The cup holders,in the console,do not have a gripping device to hold the drink in place. And the cup holder in the doors,is only big enough for a slim bottle or can. They could have made the touch screen bigger than 5". I dont see why they did not include the data system in the radio. Overall for the money and long term warranty,you cant beat the 2015 Sonata.

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  Its a Winner - 2005 Hyundai Sonata
  By FAKEIDEE - February 8 - 8:02 pm

  Bought this honey with NO options. The LX is LOADED. Best buy at this price...$4-5,000 less than Accord or Camry. The editors rating here is a little off.

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  Irene loves her Sonata Hyundai - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By Julia Powell - February 8 - 10:00 am

  I love my Sonata. Its stylish, reliable and is great to drive. It is also very luxurious looking, inside and out. For the money, it is an excellent value. It is roomy for the passengers in the back seat as well as for us in the front. I get compliments all of the time on what a sexy looking car it is. I cant think of another car which would even come near all of the wonderful extras which are automatically a manufactured part of the car. I wish that American auto- makers would come up with just such an automobile for me to buy. I have tried for many years to find American autos which compare to my Sonata Hyundai.

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  Former Honda Owner - 2007 Hyundai Azera
  By HappyAzzyOwner - February 8 - 6:10 am

  I want to drive the Azera. Going to the store for my wife is a pleasure.

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  Like it better than the Civic EX-L... - 2008 Hyundai Elantra
  By chris88 - February 7 - 8:56 am

  Wife wanted small car with auto, leather, and good mpg. We only buy Japanese. (American cars still not made as well) we looked at the Nissan sentra sl&Honda civic ex-l. Sentra-wierd feeling steering, rear drum brakes, &torsion beam (cheap, non-independent) rear suspension. Civic rode low, wife thought it was boring & spaceship like. We drove hyundais after seeing the new consumer reports mag. Drove a 09 sonata 4 cyl limited & a 08 elantra se with leather/auto. Sonata is great, but we wanted better mpg. Elantra drove almost as well as a new VW jetta & better than the civic or sentra. Pros-ride, handling, steering, grip, warranty, brakes, overall quality, mpg, price&rebate. Hyundai is now making good cars!