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:

• 

  Nice! - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By ViniG - December 18 - 7:58 pm

  I owned Nissan before I got 2011 used Sonata with less than 100k miles. Overall happy with it.

• 

  love it - 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By jimmy l snyder - December 18 - 10:00 am

  handles great good on gas easy to park more storage than jeep very depenable no recalls as yet

• 

  My Accent - 2004 Hyundai Accent
  By Mike Kirk - December 17 - 2:00 am

  I really enjoy driving my Accent. It has a lot of snap from the engine in every gear - even at top speed and max revs. Will I buy another one? Ohh yeah. Mike Kirk

• 

  Awesome Purchase - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By KM - December 15 - 12:13 pm

  When I bough my SUV i had been researching and looking for a new car for approximately 5 months. I decided I really wanted an SUV, and the newly designed Santa Fe was the first to catch my eye. My family was skeptical because everyone thought Hyundai was a not so great brand of car. They were wrong!!! With the warranty, I decided to give it a go. I have had my car for 15 months and it was an awesome purchase!! No problems whatsoever and it drives like a car, which is something I was looking for. I wasnt so sure about my beige interior either, but in my black car, it looks very classy... like myself! The only thing I would change would be to offer a sunroof package with all the models!!

• 

  Cheap, but well equipped transportation - 2001 Hyundai Sonata
  By ElTomaso - December 15 - 2:00 am

  I just bought this Hyundai used. I bought it after reading the Consumer Reports evaluation of the new Hyundai Sonatas. The new Hyundais are rated as above average in reliability. This 2001 is a four cylinder, but has good acceleration and handles well. It cruises at highway speeds easily. It is quiet, comfortable and fun to drive. I like the power moonroof and the cd player.

• 

  awesome! - 2001 Hyundai Elantra
  By seriousdriver - December 15 - 2:00 am

  Ill readily admit that I am extremely frugal (cheap?) and rather see my money grow in investments. I drive a lot and wanted a car that wouldnt break down but with all the amenities like air, power everything and auto. Ive driven about 42,000 miles in a bit over a year and the cars been PERFECT. Not a single problem and it has the added bonus of excellent passing power. Radio sounds great for all of my audio books, air is freezing cold (best Ive ever experienced) and Ive put in nothing but regular oil changes every 3,000 miles. This is my first Hyundai but now Im a Hyundai fan for sure.

• 

  the old paths view - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By theoldpath - December 15 - 12:03 am

  Have been driving the Sonata for a few months now, including two 600 mile plus trips. Comfortable ride, great gas mileage (26 around town, 34 on highway), and easy to drive. Especially like the addition of the USB port for IPODS or IPHONES, it works very well. Only downside is the noise the engine makes at idle. It has a ticking sound, which goes away once you get the car past idle. This sound is not heard inside car unless door or windows are open. The 5 speed automatic transmission makes up for any lack of power that the 4 cyl engine has. Overall, I have been very impressed, would buy the same car again, and recommend it for others.

• 

  Hyundai Heaven - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By karceneaux - December 14 - 4:43 pm

  I love my new car! I commute from the country to the city every day. This car handles the hills and winding backroads of the country, to the faster stretches of highway, to the stop-and-go traffic of the city with grace and beauty. I cant wait for a holiday, so I can take a long trip with my family in this spacious car. (The trunk is huge, too!!!) My husband loves the way it drives too, and is always trying to borrow it. (His truck is only a year old!) And you know its a hit when a teenage daughter gives her seal of approval.

• 

  My new tuscon - 2017 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Kathy Lindsley - December 14 - 2:08 pm

  Just so happy with my new car. The ride is so comfortable and the car handles so well. Just couldnt have found a car that had everything I want for an affordable price

• 

  Best car Ive ever owned - 2013 Hyundai Genesis
  By Tammy Sartor - December 14 - 5:13 am

  By far, this is the most comfortable, easy driving, quiet car Ive ever owned. Hyundai was not even on my radar when I acquired this vehicle, but it is by far better to me than Lexus. I have only ever owned Toyota, so I was hesitant to purchase this vehicle. I purchased the extended warranty as a result. The seats fit me perfectly, and the heating part of the seats is divine. I will often just drive with it on instead of the heater (and sometimes in the summer with the AC on since it feels so good on my back). I am also blown away by the stereo quality. That, combined with the very little road noise, makes for such a pleasant driving experience that Im not fatigued after a several hour road trip. What I dont like about this vehicle is it does not show the outside temperature continuously, it drips water into the trunk when the lid is raised in a rain, and the resale value is less than I would expect, say from a Lexus. However, the initial price is less also. I plan to drive the wheels off this car. The paint quality is excellent with some beautiful, not boring colors,( mine is Parisian Grey with a Saddle interior) the leather soft and high quality, the cruise control doesnt upshift on a grade like the Toyotas do, the transmission is excellent, LOTS of power for passing. It is effortless to drive.