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 value car! - 2016 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid
  By Norman kavanagh - March 21 - 5:16 pm

  Looks, great warrant and super value.

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  Tucson Bond - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By DooDazz6776 - March 21 - 3:26 pm

  As a primarily sports-sedan driver, the more I drive my Tucson, the more I am bonding to it. Surprising number of luxury design features, including heated leather seats, reclining rear seats, hard-shell rear compartment cover, hidden full-size spare tire, dual opening rear hatch/glass. Contemporary styling both interior and exterior. User-friendly interior design and controls, with easy accessiblity to compartments and storage. Generous standard warranty.

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  Great Car - 2000 Hyundai Elantra
  By Maxefforts - March 21 - 2:00 am

  Awesome car..thumbs up!!!! I love this car so far..I hope everything goes as plans...I think I made the right choice.

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  Head Of The Pack! - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By kipstorm - March 20 - 10:42 pm

  34,500 miles, used, and still going strong. At first, I didnt like the vinyl dash, but good protectant has it looking like leather. Steering is tight and responsive. Lots of room in engine compartment; easy to maintain. Dealership was a GM one and even the salesman was impressed. I feel like a kid driving Dads better car again. Read the Edmunds review and confirm this is the best in class, all around, at an affordable price.

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  Solid Purchase - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
  By M.W. Mould - March 20 - 5:40 am

  Priced right, fine warranty, and comfortable to drive. Its actually fun to drive. Has been most reliable. That said, I read someplace that Hyundai has had a general problem with transmissions that hang up briefly on occasion. I found this interesting in that, although very infrequently, I have experienced this with the Elantra. In spite of this, I give the car a good grade.

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  Impressed so far - 2006 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Kermeo - March 19 - 11:43 pm

  Have only had it for a month now and the only draw back Ive noticed so far is the gas mileage. Will invest in the K&N Filter and see how much that helps. Overall not a big disappointment though. Will report back in about 3 months.

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  Hyundais Homerun --> The Azera! - 2007 Hyundai Azera
  By Susan - March 19 - 6:13 pm

  Hyundai hit one outta the park w/ the Azera! It is stylish, comfortable and reliable for very little cash! Ive had mine four days, and Im enjoying every minute in the vehicle. The fit and finish are superb. It handles with minimal float around corners. The cabins quiet ... and the sound system is decent.

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  Great Value - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By MSlevens - March 19 - 8:20 am

  It took about a year to decide to buy the Sonata. After driving 3 Sonata rental cars I was impressed with the performance and tightness of the cars. First impressions with my new Sonata is that it is like driving all over again as far as fun goes. This car is tight, handling is nimble, not like my 2006 Mustang GT but very close to it. The car loves mountain roads, and turnpikes. Gas mileage to the mountains was 29 mpg up and 32 mpg home over 400 miles round trip . Comfort meaning quietness , temperature controls and radio is excellent.The car does have the typical Hyundai road "feel" meaning that you will feel road surface imperfections such as poorly installed blacktop.

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  Great Car, Great Price - 2003 Hyundai Accent
  By EFlo - March 19 - 2:00 am

  I bought an Accent GS 2-Door Hatchback over a year go and still no problems. Paid just under $12K including tax, tag, and title, and its fully loaded. (Auto, CD player, power windows/locks, moonroof, etc.) The seats are comfortable and the arm rest is a great addition. Great everyday car with a smooth ride. Car vibration can get a shaky on the highway after 70+ mph. Engine noise a little loud, but easily drained out by the excellent sound system. Roomy for the driver and front passenger, but a little tight in the back. If you want a new car at an affrodable price, definitely take a look at this car.

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  awesome - 2004 Hyundai Tiburon
  By SuzyQue - March 19 - 2:00 am

  Best looking car hyndai has made. I have a 1997 Hyundai Tiburon, and I love my car.