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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  great car - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By tre - April 2 - 1:55 am

  this car has been awesome!..i love the handling the features and the style. this is the best overall car i have ever owned!..little stuff bug me like the wierd wear patterns on the hubcaps..looks like painted thin plastic succecptable to wear...i need to have those replaced...paint in general seems thin on the whole car.. (easy scratch marks)...but that really is my biggest complaint..the car is a winner outside of that!!!...peppy..handles well..nice stereo and well designed..thank god i dont have to get my 63" frame in the backseat tho!...=)...not a ton of room back there, but enough for the average joe or jo-ette...i like this car alot, make driving fun for me again!!

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  15,000 mile follow-up - 2006 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Tahoe Commuter - April 1 - 10:30 pm

  I already reviewed (see below) right after purchase; heres my 15,000 mile update: Fuel economy is all the way up to 20.8 mpg with the 4WD V6. Pleasantly surprised with this, because I drive up and over a 9,000 foot mountain 2x a day and didnt expect the gas mileage to be this high after reading all the reviews. Ive had zero problems with the vehicle, havent had to go to the dealership for anything. Would still definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a safe (5-star crash ratings front & side), inexpensive 4WD with a great warranty. And its not killing me at the pump, either. From a guy who spends 2 hours commuting every day in the worst conditions imaginable: 2 thumbs up.

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  Hyundai - Best vehicle ever - 2002 Hyundai Accent
  By Hyundai Number 1 - April 1 - 9:13 pm

  This vehicle now has 122,831 miles on it and has only had the brake pads replaced and oil changes. There has never been any problems at all - Hyundai is the #1 non luxury import brand in America - rated higher in initial quality than overpriced Honda and Toyota. If you are looking for the best price, best car and best manufacturer - you owe it to yourself to buy a Hyundai

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  Hesitate - BUT Love My Purchase - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By MR - April 1 - 8:03 pm

  Even though Hyundai has come a long way, I was a little hesitate to go to the dealership to look. Once I looked, I was sold on it. Took car to the mountains, and it climbed those hills like a champ. I have had no problems at all. Sure I would like better gas mileage but this is a 6 cycle SUV. Cant have both. Would definitely recommend to everyone. Love the warranty and extended warranty. Im covered for 10 yrs 100,000 miles bumper to bumper and have free oil and filter changes for 3 years from the dealership. Im sitting pretty on the maintenance!

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  After Testing Servral Autos - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By BrianMac - April 1 - 3:43 pm

  I test drove 7 autos in this category and nothing came close to the comfort or the ride quality or the PRICE. We have the Limited V6 with everything but GPS. I kept reading reviews that the handling was all that great, our other car is a Avalon and I fail to see the difference. I researched this car for three years while comparing it to others and price/feature wise nothing comes close. Large trunk and well shaped with fold down rear seats, some have a pass thru.

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  Expectations More than Met - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By Geoff - April 1 - 12:56 pm

  Initially sought out the Genesis but walked away with the Sonata. For the money, theres no comparison. Consider the touch-button start and door locks, bluetooth, integrated IPOD and heated seats front/back.. for a 26k sticker price! Im giddy over the highway mileage. Getting between 36-38 highway averaging 72 mph. In the city, prefer to use the manual transmission shifting option as the auto tends to shift too early and often. Bottom line... I prefer to leave my Mercedes CLK 320 Convertible in the garage and drive the Sonata. Who would have thought? Do not buy a Camry, Accord, Fusion or Malibu without looking at the new Sonata.

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  Azera 2006 - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By Azera - April 1 - 5:36 am

  A sporty exterior with good road view. Interior well constructed and at speeds of 70-80 miles per hour the car is quiet and stable. Breaking is smooth.

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  Review of prior post 6/09 - 2009 Hyundai Elantra Touring
  By tellosahn - March 31 - 11:30 am

  I had my brand new Touring for 2 months until I was in the middle of a 6 car pile-up on the interstate. Needless to say, I hit my head on the steering wheel (no airbag deployed!), and my knee hit the dash/column really hard (no air bag here!). Ive been waiting 1 month to get it back from the autobody and lets just say that once I get it back Im selling it and buying something bigger and more substantial. I do not feel safe driving this car any longer. Its too small, and not built to withstand accidents. Look at the IIHS ratings not the other ratings for true information on safety!!!!

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  Car no good - 2015 Hyundai Sonata
  By Brian sturrup - March 31 - 8:13 am

  Fianance the car at 45k miles at 109k miles the whole engine locked after a oil change trash car

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  2011 Sonata - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By slackerman - March 30 - 10:00 am

  Just made a 200 mile trip with my 2011 Sonata GLS auto. I averaged 37.4 mpg on rolling GA back roads. That means periods of 55 mph, lowered to 45 near towns, then 35, and finally 25 by the speed trap. There was a brief period of interstate driving where the gas pedal was put to good use. 80 comes very quickly. The Sonata is not a sports car, but it can move!