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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  Great Car - 2003 Hyundai Sonata
  By Larry Fowler - July 1 - 10:00 am

  Weve had this car for six months. Its the best car weve ever owned!

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  More Than I Expected - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Shadow - July 1 - 10:00 am

  My wife and I could not believe the number of options that were standard on our Santa Fe. The LX trim line really comes loaded to the point that you feel that you are in a luxury vehicle. Top that off with better than average performance and a very comfortable ride and you cant help but fall in love with the Santa Fe.

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  Not quite there yet, but almost - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By Big Ed - July 1 - 3:56 am

  Very good value when compared to Nissan and Toyota, with/without the rebate, and excellent value vs. Accord with Hyundai rebate. The 2.4 has good power, but performance of the 5 speed automatic leaves a bit to be desired. Hyundai engineers failed in "coordinating" the transmission gearing and/or final drive and/or cruise control sensor. Climbing any incline over a couple of degrees at 60 mph or so will surely result in downshift from 5th to 4th (an increase of 900 rpm) when some downshifting is not at all necessary, or only a 5th gear "shift" to clutch/slippage (an increase of only 300-400 rpm) in 5th gear would be sufficient -- though still busy. Otherwise, Im glad to own one.

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  Wonderful SUV - 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Big Red - July 1 - 12:56 am

  We love our Santa Fe. You will love it too.

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  Love it, love it, love it! - 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By C. Cook - June 30 - 11:46 am

  Great looking SUV and runs, drives and handles even better. Ride is a little firm on rough roads, but excellent on a good highway. The 3.3 V6 performs much better than the 2.7 with the same highway MPG rating. We LOVE the great looking beige premium cloth interior as well as the other upgrades that come with the SE package. The Limited package is nice, but we just dont like leather seats and one summer in Alabama will enlighten you as to why!

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  15,000 Mile Review - 2015 Hyundai Sonata
  By colonel12 - June 29 - 9:07 pm

  Ive had this car for about 8 months, 15,000 miles, and not a single problem. It is very comfortable, theres minimal road noise, and highway fuel economy is great. Its been very reliable thus far, only needing routine maintenance. We also have a 2015 Toyota Camry in the family, and this vehicle trounces the Camry in nearly every way. The interior materials are better, the ride is better, MUCH less road noise, etc. The push button start, proximity key, automatic climate control, heated seats, etc. in a sub $25,000 car is a phenomenal value. Im still enjoying my Sonata as much as I did the day I drove it home. Go check it out!

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  My favorite car ever - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By Webbtman - June 29 - 4:56 am

  I have yet to find something I dont like about this car. The only problem I have is the lack of aftermarket dress up items available.

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  The Best - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Danny - June 27 - 11:46 pm

  I was very skeptical about buying a Hyundai, but all my fears have gone away and I think that I will only buy Hyundai from now on. THis car is a dream come true..and affordable.

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  One Owners View - 2006 Hyundai TUCSON
  By William H. Lorentz - June 26 - 2:10 pm

  Throughly satisfied with this car. Handling, braking, ride, comfort, power, 4WD, stability control, quiet ride, warranty service -- all as good or better than any other car I have owned. So-called "estimated mileage" (26-34 mpg highway) and actual mileage (16-22 mpg highway) are as bad as any using the outmoded EPA ratings.

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  EXCELLENT SMALL SUV - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By ERIC C. - June 26 - 3:03 am

  This truck has an unbelieveable ride,not bouncy like most SUVs.Very roomy for this class.Power is adequate for a small SUV. Decent gas mileage.I have had it for over a year and still no problems.Drive one before you buy anything else...then compare the prices and if you are smart you will probably pick the Hyundai.