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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  Love my Sonata! - 2013 Hyundai Sonata
  By Mitchell - July 20 - 10:34 am

  This is my second Hyundai and I love it. The SE turbo with paddle shifters is both fast and comfortable. A great travel car but still fun during the daily commute. Sexy and sleek. I will never buy anything but a Hyundai.

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  Awesome Vehicle! - 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Lori - July 20 - 7:46 am

  I bought this SUV new in 2001. I have kept up with all suggested maintenance, and have never had any problems whatsoever. It looks and drives just like it did the day I bought it. I absolutely love it and will most likely buy another one when the time comes. I have recommended this SUV to many friends who have wound up buying their own and are just as happy as I am. Buy it!

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  XG350L - 2005 Hyundai XG350
  By kevin yates - July 20 - 4:40 am

  I have owned Mercedes Benzs, BMWs, VWs and a Corvette this is one of the nicest cars I haved owned. Right now you can get a xg350L for about 21000 plus tax and tags. This is one heck of a lot of car for 21Gs. It has more options that my BMW 7 series that I traded in on the XG350L had. The mirrors point tothe curb when the car is shifted in reverse. Iknow this does not have sport suspension but remember it is a luxury car and if you drive it like a luxuary car it drives very nice.

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  I hated to trade it in - 2013 Hyundai Sonata
  By Hal - July 19 - 6:15 pm

  This was my first Hyundai and I was very impressed. The only reason I sold it was because I needed a truck. 3 years of flawless performance. No squeaks, rattles or disappointments at all. The only time it saw the dealership was for oil changes. Id buy another Hyundai in the future.

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  High Quality Vehicle - 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Ash - July 19 - 8:36 am

  I am a field claims adjuster for an insurance company so I look at wrecked cars all day every day. Recently I have noticed that Hyundais build quality has improved vastly. Ive also taken note of how well they hold up in crashes. When we received a letter from our local dealer offering added incentives for Toyota owners to trade their vehicles in, my wife and I went to the dealer and checked out the Santa Fe.We we were sold on the looks, the quality of the interior and the performance, and traded in our 07 Rav4 right then.Dont be put off by Hyundais prior reputation, the fit and finish is at least equal to Honda and Toyota and the warranty is excellent.Feels like a lexus inside.Recommend!

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  good for the wallet - 2007 Hyundai TUCSON
  By eric - July 19 - 2:03 am

  what can i say its not to big and not to small its just right for me and my famaly (wich includs 5 ) lol and we all are very very happy with it and its look,value,its power and money savings .

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  I Love this car - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Zachary - July 18 - 1:53 pm

  This car is amazing, I got a steal of a deal, and for the price of base accords, and camrys my care is fully loaded(v6,homelink,leather,seat heaters,auto air, sunroof,subwoofer). The car is Very fast, I totally enjoy the great pull anywhere in the rev range, and the throaty growl btw 4-5k. Im 64 and can sit with the seat fully extended, and still not touch the drivers seat when i sit in the back. The mileage is amazing(34mpg going 75mph), but i noticed i get only 24mpg when i put premium in it.

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  Sparkly Red, Sunroof, and Attitude! - 2016 Hyundai Elantra
  By Julia Stapp - July 18 - 5:02 am

  This is a great vehicle with features I only dreamed of having. I have under 2,000 miles on my car so far and am averaging 34 MPG in a mix of town and freeway driving, mostly in town. Plenty of pep, very comfortable, and great styling. I love the comprehensive warranty...a special blessing for a single senior woman. The trunk is gigantic. Highly recommended. August 2016: I have now had the car fourteen months and love it more than ever. Absolutely no problems whatsoever. It went through a lot of snow like a champion last winter.

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  GREAT CAR - CANT BEAT IT FOR THE $$! - 1999 Hyundai Elantra
  By METOO - July 18 - 2:00 am

  My husband bought me my little red wagon (same as in the photo actually!) in Aug. of 1999. Parts that we have replaced were all past the normal wear mark and we have done NO major repairs at approx. 36000 miles. Great warranty, roadside assistance, great price. Actually recommended the car to my mom and she purchased a 2001 Elantra sedan-what more can I say?? Next - I want the Sonata!

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  Front passenger seat - 2015 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Gerald Newby - July 18 - 12:27 am

  At first my wife and I had an issue with the front passenger seat, but after a little research I found online aftermarket spacers for the passenger seat. Only took about 1/2 hr. or so to install and made a huge difference with the comfort of the front seat.