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:

• 

  It saved our lives( Im not kidding) - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By kwilli024 - February 13 - 11:37 am

  I bought my Sonata in October and its been a great car. I recently was reminded on how good it really was. I was driving with my family a couple of weeks ago, when we we struck by another vehicle. We were t-boned at an intersection on the drivers side. Both front and rear airbags deployed and the car was considered a total loss. Fortunately, my family was fine, with a few bumps and bruises. I am grateful that the car protected us in such a violent crash. Needless to say, Im shopping for another Sonata. Thanks Hyundai!

• 

  LOVE! - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Goldmember - February 13 - 10:00 am

  I LOVE IT! its so solid! Buy it! U wont regret it!

• 

  nice well built car - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By david olson - February 13 - 12:40 am

  well built car also well worth the money

• 

  Surprised!! - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By Sky - February 12 - 5:43 pm

  Got Limited Today and so impressed. 3.8L powerful engine enough for sports car like driving. Wood trim interior feels like 50k luxury car. Can beat tons of standard feature with this price. Totally surprised Hyundai can build this quality cars. Satisfied

• 

  No Problems - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By streak - February 12 - 1:49 pm

  Have had this car for over 3 years. Light usage, mostly in town, some trips. Have had no problems..nada. Guess Ill take it in at 30k for checkup. Have not replaced any lights,but will check them all out after reading other reviews. A very fun and reliable car.

• 

  Love it a year later - 2008 Hyundai Tiburon
  By DL - February 12 - 5:20 am

  I bought my Tib in Dec 09, so have had it almost a year and have racked up 17k Ive been thrilled with this car so far. It is fun to drive, nice tight steering and adequate pick up for a 4 cyl (although I would like a little more pickup). The gas mileage varies wildly for me. During the summer in the city, I averaged about 20mpg, but on the highway I usually get around 32 regardless of air conditioning. Drove the car cross country twice, and would say if you plan to do something similar, be warned about the base model. No cruise control! It does make a difference. Also, it does seem to have a big blind spot to get used to. All in all, very happy, love the way it drives. Fun, fun car

• 

  The 2016 Sonata Hybrid is AMAZING! - 2016 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid
  By Douglas George - February 11 - 8:30 pm

  We have 2 other Hyundai (07 Accent & 13 Elantra GT) and theyve been good cars. We ended up with a Sonata Hybrid SE as a service loaner car and really liked it. It was getting 40+ MPG on the same driving mix that the Elantra GT got 28-29. We decided to make a change, trading in the Elantra GT and our 07 Audi Cabriolet. We opted for a Limited (for the leather interior, heated/cooled seats) with the Ultimate package (panoramic sunroof, 400W stereo, saftey gadgets). We got great deal! MSRP of $36K and we got it for under $30K. 900 miles so far and still 200 miles left on the 2nd tank of gas. Ive seen as high as 56mpg reported on a few trips and consistently getting in the low 40s. Very quiet ride, it drives very sporty for its size, and the acceleration is very reasonable since the electric motor provides instant torque.

• 

  Luxury look, poor mileage for class - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By MNsota - February 11 - 2:40 pm

  This vehicle is an exceptional purchase in every way save for one key item, I only get 15.9 mpg in town. Though driving long distances this does get up to abut 23 mpg, I am very dismayed at this mileage. And yes, I do tend to have a heavier foot, but this is too low for a "smaller" SUV. One other small issue is a creaking noise in the cabin coming from the dashboard, maybe was put together too tight or something? Otherwise, everything else feels like a luxury SUV about this vehicle. Great power, nice looks, decent room, very cool lighting at night.

• 

  WELL SATISFIED - WAY TO GO HYUNDAI - 2008 Hyundai Veracruz
  By John - February 11 - 1:40 pm

  I just purchased my 2008 Veracruz SE (with Power & Leather Package) about two weeks ago and LOVE IT! Bought the Titanium Blue with Gray leather interior. VERY NICE! My wife and I are extremely pleased with our new Veracruz. We love the heated seats, XM radio, power sunroof, power liftgate & backup sensors. I am impressed on how smooth the vehicle rides and there is no outside wind noise. The Veracruz is FUN to drive and has alot of "get up and go" under the hood. I am averaging about 19 mpg in the city and 24 mpg on the highway. The ShiftTronic transmission feature is very nice and comes in handy when driving on step upgrades. A little disappointed that the SE model doesnt have memory seats

• 

  my second Tucson - 2010 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Buddy Murphy - February 11 - 1:06 pm

  I loved my 07 Tucson so I got another one this month. I really like the 10 design and I got the full add on package with navigation. This navigation system blows my garmin away. It is very accurate and the hands free voice input for nav and phone lets me keep eyes and hands where they need to be. These Tucsons are excellent vehicles and the value of their product and accessories beat the competition hands down. The only things I do not like are the timing belts that have to be replaced. Also, the subwoofer that they brag about in my upgraded sound package is not even remotely noticed. My standard system in my 07 sounded just as good. Very disappointing.