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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  A follow up #2 - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By Matt S Miller - March 1 - 10:00 am

  I have 3K miles now and love this car, would recommend it to anyone, but here are the changes that the H engineers will be probably making. 1. Seating-power on both-cooling-higher. 2. Visibility will be improved. 3. More insulation-road noise is < than perfect 4. Will raise front end-especially in snow climates- accident waiting to happen. 5. Will include manly horn. 6. Will check seat light colored fabric for staining. 7. Will hold phone books in memory to prevent 6 minute continual downloads on bluetooth. 8. Should increase the price (of the GS) the car is worth more than sticker.

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  Visiblity, windshield, horn, acceleration - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By linda - March 1 - 10:00 am

  Immediately after the purchase, looking through the windshield was a distorted view, Feeling as if cars were coming into my lane on either side- especially the lower portion has a bad ripple, The dealer is replacing the entire windshield. There must be numerous cars that were produced with the same glass. Also the horn can not be heard in traffic, Also occasionally the acceleration issues. Also, the leather has started to loosen up and buckle on the seats, not a good grade of leather

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  Family Vehicle - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Juan Rivera - March 1 - 12:10 am

  Very affordable price, nice SUV, user friendly.

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  Good Value - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Vince - February 28 - 10:03 pm

  It may not be the best midsize car, but it in the top 5 of the midsize cars and for the price its not bad. Out of 10 I give it a 7.5, lets be for real no car is a 10 humans make them.

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  Great Value - 2007 Hyundai Entourage
  By lightingguy - February 28 - 7:08 pm

  After a few months of research, I purchased a 2007 Entourage SE for my wife. From what I could tell the Honda had the best overall rating but for me, the Entourage was the best value. The sticker price was 27.500 and with our trade I paid 24,500 out the door. I paid close to the same money for my last van (2002 Windstar) and the Hyundai is three times the vehicle. The best thing is I have five years until I have to worry about my wife calling about a check engine light! It now has 300 miles on it and we really like it.

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  great little car - 2001 Hyundai Accent
  By sam - February 28 - 1:29 pm

  Lots of extra features I did nor expect. Get used to the road noise. Great warranty and they live up to it.

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  Best bang for your buck - 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By king_james - February 28 - 1:34 am

  I got the Santa Fe with a trade-in, and the total cost was about 29K (before trade) with the warranty/gap/taxes etc. Although I did not get a package like the sunroof, leather interior, rear view camera, gps, etc., I think the base model is still a great deal for the money I spent. I need an awd due to my location, and this vehicle is the best option out there for this price. I also checked options like Ford, Nissan, Mazda and Honda, and I would have to spend an extra 5-10K just to get the same level of comfort/performance from the other brands.

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  I Love My Tuscon - 2006 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Nancy V. Farrell - February 27 - 6:33 am

  I Love My Tuscon, it is the best SUV. I dont even think of it as an SUV, it just rides so nice and smooth, handles like a car, and is so comfortable. I didnt think I would like it, but was I wrong! I LOVE THIS CAR/SUV. Its fun to drive, its performance is just great. Its a well built vehicle. With being a Hyundai, it is a reliable car/suv. It does very well on gas. We drove to Florida and back and it averaged 28mpg. My husband was very impressed, but he still likes his Sonata. This will be my last car for a while and I am very happy that I bought a Tuscon. I Love My Tuscon!!!!

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  SO happy with my purchase! - 2008 Hyundai Elantra
  By Alyssa - February 26 - 10:20 pm

  This is the first new car Ive ever bought;I was car shopping for over a year prior. I test drove Civics and Corollas (in my price range) for about two months and something wasnt grabbing me. As soon as I test drove the Elantra, I knew that was my car. The interior is really good looking (get so many compliments, especially at night with the blue lights). I also love all the features (esp. the XM and radio controls on the steering wheel) and the drive is very smooth and secure. The car turns well and I love driving on the highway (quiet, good pickup). NOTE: I got a spoiler and it makes it that much cuter!

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  Good Size and 35mpg! No Brainer! - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By William - February 26 - 7:16 pm

  I thought being a 4cyl it would be a draw back..But let me tell you it gets every bit of 200hp!! Its Fast and Handle like a BMW I should know Ive had 3. My friends were right to recommend this car it has exceeded my expectations! GET NAVIGATION!