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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  My Cute Little Hatchback - 2010 Hyundai Accent
  By tess - April 13 - 9:09 pm

  Love at first sight. In fact my husband asked me to go see the car personally and see how I feel about. Love the color "Ice Blue" No radio when we purchased it, but have it installed. Anyway, try one and see it for yourself......Just get the one that has a radio already built in. Its quite lonely driving when their is none. but all in all its beautiful little car.

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  Fantastic luxury sedan at a bargain - 2010 Hyundai Genesis
  By Tennessee Phil - April 12 - 9:30 pm

  The Genesis is an incredible vehicle. It exudes luxury, has unbelievable power, and the interior is attractive and comfortable. The 4.6 V8 engine is incredibly powerful and smooth. Cruising at 75 MPH barely touches its potential. The adaptive (radar) cruise control works extremely well. I use it in stop- and-go traffic on 2-lane roads going into work. Navigation and voice control systems work well. Visual display is large and easy to see. Backup camera is great. My iPhone pairs with system using Bluetooth. This is an incredible car priced about $25k less then comparable cars like BMW 550i. Dont buy a luxury sedan until youve driven a Genesis.

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  my first genesis - 2010 Hyundai Genesis
  By gusirani - April 11 - 1:39 pm

  i switched from a 5 series bmw, mainly because the 2011 5 will not come out till june, i am very glad i made this decision for the genesis, i read all the reviews and after test driving it fell in love, its not a bmw but its better then a lexus, all the luxury and options for about 20k less. i have had it only for 4 days now and am loving it, the electronics are so easy to use, its a great change from the stupid i-drive from bmw.

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  Best of the Best - 2010 Hyundai Genesis
  By Richard - April 10 - 8:34 pm

  For the past six month I have been searching for an affordable sports,luxury car.I have been on the internet many nights comparing vehicles that matches my needs.The problem is they all starts at around $50,000 with few bells and whistle.The truth of the matter is a friend told me about Genesis made by Hyundai.I kind of laugh and said Hyundai only make small cheap cars.To make a long story short,we went to a Hyundai dealership in Miami and test drove both 6cylinder and the 8cylinder.I was so impressed with the 4.6V-8 with the tech.package.The dealership did not have one in stock.I waited 6 weeks for the arrival of my new car.The sales people treated me like family. Excellent purchase.

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  Buy one youll be glad you did. - 2008 Hyundai Sonata
  By Dan - April 4 - 5:46 pm

  First thing you need to do is spray the seats with stain guard the material on the seats is awfully easy to stain. The car is great rides and drives better then Camry or anything else in its class with a very quick engine, no motor noise comfort is stellar it is very roomy for the size. I just can cant find anything to complain about. It is a great little car and 32 mph mixed driving is not bad. Do that in a Camry I dont think you can and gas will get to about 4.00 a gallon just wait and see. The car is fast no motor noise cant be beat for the money.

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  21,000 miles later - 2009 Hyundai Elantra
  By rajo394 - April 4 - 1:53 am

  2009 Elantra SE, only defect was the radio and one speaker not working after 21,000 miles. Surprised to read about suspension problems. The ride seems very good considering the type of car. The seat covering could be better, attracts dirt. The steering is quick, have to keep your mind on the road. Handles Arizona bumps and potholes fairly well. It is my everyday work car and have been pleased. Second Elantra, I will hold it for 5 years and trade it in. Lots of plastic, holds the weight cost down. I get 28 mpg in city over 30 on highway depending on how fast I go. I believe it is the best value on the market.

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  Fun to drive 2006 - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By ken - March 29 - 7:15 pm

  We have had ours 2 weeks and love this car so far. Excellent gas mileage fun to drive.

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  Looking for excuses to drive it. - 2010 Hyundai Genesis
  By Ash - March 29 - 1:21 am

  Ive always disliked taking "Sunday Drives" in cars just to drive around for no reason. After buying my Genesis though, Im actually looking for excuses to take it out and drive it. It is the first vehicle Ive owned, and Ive been driving for over 40 years, that I actually want to take out and drive around for no reason other than the sheer joy of driving it! The 4.6 is responsive and quiet. The interior is roomy and the leather seats are buttery soft and comfortable. The brakes have excellent stopping power. The ride is firm but not uncomfortable. I love the trunk space I have in this car too.

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  Wise Choice - 2010 Hyundai Genesis
  By SoCal - March 27 - 9:29 pm

  Have had car for a month and so far there have been no delivery or production issues. The most noticeable aspect of the car is the quietness of the ride and insulation from surrounding vehicles courtesy of the laminated glass and rigid chassis. Of course this helps accentuate the amazing audio quality from the 17 speaker, Lexicon stereo. It makes for a very comfortable and relaxing trip, so that you dont arrive fatigued. V8 has more than enough power - it never feels strained and is well- matched to transmission. Standard seating materials are a very soft, supple high quality grade of leather. Other makes either have high quality vinyl (think P-leather from M-B) or are non-perforated.

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  Best little car - 2007 Hyundai Elantra
  By Brian B. - March 24 - 9:09 pm

  Ive had 4 hyundais. Two were Accents and 2 were Elantras. All were exceptional in quality and performance. My newest is a 2007 Elantra GLS. The fuel economy, performance, and vehicle quality are the best you will get for the money! This car well be around for years to come. You just cant beat it.