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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  I love it! - 2001 Hyundai XG300
  By Ashish Arya - April 12 - 10:16 am

  I bought this car used from a Hyundai dealer 5 months ago and have been in love with it since then. It looks like a big sedan on the outside...and with so few of it on the road, people do wonder "Looks like a nice car...what model is it" People who sit into the car are really impressed by it generous interiors. The only problem has been that the CD player did not work since day 1. It accepts a double din system which are expensive and I have been lazy to get it replaced.

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  Nice Car - 2001 Hyundai Elantra
  By Steve - April 12 - 8:17 am

  I traded my 1997 Ford Crown Victoria Police Car in on a an Elantra because of the gas milage. I was impressed by my moms new Tucson and thought I would give Hyundai a try. Ive put a little over 5200 miles on it since Ive bought and have a few little weird problems but nothing big. I had a headlight burn out already, when ahead and put a nice seat of head lights in it. I did belts and front rotors and thats it. There is werid noise in the front end like something is grinding that I only hear at about 75 mph on a windy day. Other then that it has been a pretty good. Im getting ready to take it on a 1000 mile trip this weekend. I do mixed driving and Ive been running right around 27.

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  Veracruz; dont knock it till you try it - 2008 Hyundai Veracruz
  By Veracruz fan - April 12 - 7:06 am

  The Veracruz is a luxury powerhouse of a vehicle. I am still in awe of this spectacular ride. With the windows closed you hear very little outside noise. The body stlye is sleek and beautiful. I can not think of anything I dont like or love about this car. Way to go Hyundai this is the best yet.

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  entourage - 2007 Hyundai Entourage
  By cara rutzel - April 11 - 3:16 pm

  The car is extremely comfortable to ride in and to drive. it handles well on the road, a bit harder in wind thna other mini vans.

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  I Love my Tucson - 2010 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Becky - April 11 - 9:26 am

  I bought this after my Murano was totaled. I loved my Murano, but it couldnt touch the Tucson price or gas mileage. Bluetooth is great, very clear. Exterior and interior design is beautiful. Acceleration is incredible. For its class the ride is decent.

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  Absolute best bang for your buck! - 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By leesekay - April 11 - 5:12 am

  I literally test drove every mid-size SUV imaginable in my quest to buy my next vehicle. Coming from a Honda CR-V, I needed more interior space to cart around my large friends (All are well above 6ft tall) and my two large dogs, along with their crates. The Santa Fe was an option I was unwilling to consider, until I drove one. The ride is beautiful, and comfort mode steering helps tremendously. My small frame is a bit overwhelmed by the large seats, but the power seats and lumbar support make it more than comfortable. The options I have: heated steering wheel, front and rear seats, back up cam, navigation, Bluelink and leather seats for less money than a mid range Honda. #hyundaifamily

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  A Shockingly Luxurious Vehicle - 2016 Hyundai Azera
  By Gregory Dearth - April 11 - 4:52 am

  You get a lot for your money buying Hyundai. The Azera is an excellent example. The competition cannot come close to the size, speed, comfort or amenities of the Azera at the price or even at a higher price. One thing to note is that the Infinity sound system is pretty good but lacks a bit on the high end, thoughyou can make up for that using the equalizer. The functions of the stereo are quite common sense and well laid out withactual buttons for many functions. The competition seem to rely far too much on the touchscreen. I dont find that I have to use the touchscreen at all for most actions as real buttons handle most common tasks from running the climate control to changing the volume. A lot of perks also exist, such as the automatic headlights. Not only do you never have to turn your headlights on manually, but even the brights are automatic. If a car is approaching head-on the brights deactivate rather quickly and reactivate once the car has passed. The timing of this feature is absolutely perfect. You COULD also manually control the lights and bypass the automatic functions, but the computer and sensors handle this so well that you wont mind relinquishing those tasks. All of the tech is bypassable including the smooth and responsive automatic transmission. The option exists to use the stick shifter to change gears manually in a small mini gate to the left of the main automatic selection gate. This can really make the large sedan feel sporty, rocketing from zero to sixty in a respectable time under 7 seconds. Of course, one also has an economy mode. I was able to squeak out 32 mpg highway and 28 mpg in-town while still driving a bit aggressively and fast. It will hold 80 mph at 2000 rpm, so you have plenty of room to achieve higher speeds. At 80, the fastest I went, the sedan feels remarkably connected to the pavement while also somehow feeling a bit light. It is like flying nore than driving given the smooth suspension. But cornering ath higher speeds was nonetheless snappy and the body did not noticeably roll. The wet road handling is OK, though the wide tires feel uneasy in heavy rain and the wheel wells really fill up with an alarming effect if you hit a large puddle. Still, the car never hydroplanes, the braking and suspension instead compensating well for the excess power that might otherwise be problematic in unfavorable elements. It does indeed have that Asian import look (many are US built), but the exterior style is well executed and modern. Not a boring car to look at. Rather the playful fins sculpted into the rear harken back to the 1957 Chevy while the aggressive hood and fascia definately remind you that this vehicle exemplifies the future. Somehow the sculpted wavy lines all work together to make for a sporty yet elegant body. Vastly prettier tha an Audi or BMW, and more exotic than a Mercedes or Cadillac, the exterior will make the owner quite happy and satisfied. You dont seem to get used to looking at this car. It sticks out in a parking lot, unapologetically shaming more expensive luxury sedans for being so boring.

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  Great Car, Great Value - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By dudpete - April 10 - 3:26 pm

  Have had my new Sonata for 1 month and put 2,500 miles on it. Am very satisfied with this car. This is my third Sonata, so was already sold on Hyundais reliability and excellent warranty. My experiences have been exceptional as has many others relayed here. My only complaint was with the tires. I felt that they sacrificed a little smoothness and ride quality in order to get superior gas mileage. I ended up trading my tires in on a set of General Altimax HP 225/60-16s. These tires were very highly rated on Tire Rack and I feel were well worth the extra $350 I paid out the door. Also, my speedometer is now correct, it was about 1 mph too fast before.

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  All luxury - 2005 Hyundai XG350
  By Cathy - April 10 - 1:13 pm

  I love this car! It rides so smooth and who can beat your warranty. Great price for the luxury you get.

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  Great Car - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By Wild Bill 47 - April 10 - 10:00 am

  Just bought this car, and love it. This is the second Hyundai I bought, first was a 95 Accent which has been phenomenally reliable. Incredibly comfortable and very smooth ride. Must get the sunroof. No better value for the money you will spend.