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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  very good car - 2015 Hyundai Sonata
  By young46 - June 6 - 8:29 am

  i returned my 2013 sonata from lease and got another one. 15 sonata is little bigger and more comfortable and better mpg. one thing i did not like about 13 was all the blind sights but they fixed on 15. i have 10 thousand miles on it already and and this one is giving me 540miles per a full tank of gas and not as sporty as 13 but it is ok.

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  Sweet Ride! - 2008 Hyundai Sonata
  By Manny - June 5 - 8:10 pm

  Good power, great handling, I dont know what they are referring to saying the handling isnt very good, I love it. Had a Honda before this and this tops the Honda head over heels. XM radio is awesome and the infinity sound system blows people away. Gas mileage is about 25 mpg average between city and freeway. I drive mostly in the city, so i think that 23 mpg in the city is pretty good. About 31 on the freeway. All in all a great ride and I would highly recommend!

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  water leak passerger side - 2016 Hyundai TUCSON
  By erik - June 5 - 12:07 pm

  check underdash by feet feel inside lip of edge of dash insalation will be wet and left side by center column you will see a bolt cominm down water will drip there if you dont check after rain not coolent ,your carpet will be bad and moldy and floor will rust out.

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  Excellent Value - 2002 Hyundai Sonata
  By 4below - June 5 - 8:56 am

  This vehicle is an excellent value for the features it provides. It is stylish and comfortable to ride in. Handling is good and the engine develops plenty of power for accelleration and Interstate cruising. I tested VW Passat and Nissan Altima. Those are very nice vehicles, but cost far more for the features the Sonata LX offers. The 10/100,000 warranty eases any concern over long term reliability of this vehicle

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  Cant be touched for d price!!!!!! - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By Russ - June 4 - 7:50 pm

  Leased a 2011 Sonata this weekend after test driving 4 different Infinities. Not to say that this car is better than any of those that I test drove, but the value that you get with this car is absolute mind boggling.

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  Great small car - 2003 Hyundai Accent
  By Danielle - June 4 - 6:44 pm

  I love my little car! Its great on gas, and very peppy in traffic. It is also easy to park and very manuverable. Smooth ride, but a little loud interior, particularly on the highway.

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  Really nice car - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Peter Guertin - June 4 - 3:13 pm

  This Sonata was the top of the Sonata line. The stock 17" low profile tires hug the road excellent on all corners encounted. The speedometer goes to 160 MPH which I do not doubt it will do since I have had it up to 120 in 4th gear before it shifted into its 5th gear. The heated leather seats are well worth the extra price if you live in a cooler climate like I do.

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  very good - 2001 Hyundai Sonata
  By engin - June 4 - 2:50 pm

  didnt have any major problems. When had problems hyundai service took care of it under the warranty

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  A lot for your money - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
  By Jim Wagner - June 4 - 2:43 pm

  The bottom line for me was the bang for the buck and reliability factor. The Elantra has some nice features that you cant find on similar class vehicles. I previously owned a 2000 Honda Civic LX and yes it was very dependable, but it was also boring. The Elantra has helped me to remember the excitement of driving once again!

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  03 Std Tib - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By lovemytib - June 4 - 1:00 pm

  I have owned this car for over a year now. I bought it used with 42k on the odometer and since have put another 31k on it. This car has never left me stranded - always starts and just goes! I have found that using premuim gas has not only improved my mileage but also improved performance. It may NOT be the fastest coupe or the best handling one either - but from a maintenance point of view - you couldnt GIVE me a GT-V6! Just ask any long term Hyundai mechanic and theyll tell you why. Besides which - the V6s MPG is rated at 16/29 - my 4Cyl is rated at 24/32 - and i REGULARLY clock 27-28 MPG with a high of 33 MPG on one tank! By the way - it is a HOT looker in Dark Blue Clearcoat Metallic!