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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  New England kills the brakes - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By Don - May 29 - 2:11 pm

  We bought our Sonata new 22 months ago and have enjoyed driving it. This week, after 22K miles, the rear brakes started making loud, grinding sounds. The dealership installed new rear brakes, pads, shims and clips at a cost of $265. Hyundai headquarters sees this as normal wear in New England with the sand and salt and all. My 50 years of driving tells me otherwise. Something is wrong with the Sonata brakes. The service manager at the dealership explained the companies concern over the issue. The company itself was unconcerned with my complaint. If you drive a Hyundai in New England, be forewarned.

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  Not Impressed! - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By jime - May 29 - 2:00 am

  My significant other bought this vehicle. I can not drive it! The steering is stiff and hard to handle... seems like it has no power steering... I need that. I get back aches from the seats... seems like there is no lateral support for my back and bottom, as I slide side to side in the seats, and my back side is not small...

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  Very Dependable Vehicle - 2000 Hyundai Sonata
  By dependable vehicle - May 28 - 6:58 pm

  Ive had this vehicle for approximately 9 years and it has been a good value for the money. Ive never had any problems with it and will definitely buy another one when the time comes. The only drawback that I can think of is the manual shift, 4 cylinder doesnt have much power. Other than that, I love the car.

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  It was too good to be true! - 2002 Hyundai Accent
  By will buy again - May 28 - 10:00 am

  We enjoyed every mile we spent on the road with this small car. We are a family of four, and our 5ft. 7in. tall teenagers were very confortable on the back seat. We travelled 200 miles every winter week-end to our country home and to ski areas. Highway, icy winding mountain roads, bumpy dirt roads, it handled everything nicely. No windnoise or rattles, even at high speeds. Althought the trunk is on the small side, it took all of our gear with no problems. Unfortunately, it was stolen from our driveway a few weeks ago. We really miss it...

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  Ok car, but not a Toyota - 2004 Hyundai XG350
  By Freeagent35 - May 28 - 1:33 am

  I have now owned this vehicle for about 14 months. Overall, I am satisfied that I got what I paid for (having bought it used in good condition, cheap). It recently started running very rough. I went to dealership and they said plug wires rotted after 4 years is "common" for Hyundai. Hyundai calls this "wear and tear" and will not warranty. I had heard weak reviews on their actual execution on their so- called "Americas Best Warranty" and I now have first hand knowledge. If you can buy it cheap, and in good shape, not a bad ride. But I will not buy a new Hyundai as their warranty promises clearly are not kept, in my opinion and experience. Back to Toyota I go.

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  New hyundai 3500 miles - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Rustic - May 27 - 6:00 pm

  Love it. The only problem I have is not getting the fuel economy I thought I would. Get 22 pretty consistently. Wanted 25 or more for highway. other than that, its been great for as little as Ive had it.

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  Darn Good Car - 2008 Hyundai Sonata
  By John - May 26 - 10:15 am

  I bought my Sonata after renting a few on business trips and was very impressed with the car. The 6 has all kinds of get up and go and smooth... This car is very quiet at 70 mph and fairly nimble when doing evasive maneuvers. A lot of bang for the buck and even better reliability. Mine nw has 32000 miles at 15 months of age and has never been in the shop for repairs. I think it blows away the competition as far as price performance and comfort. Yeah, Id buy another one.

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  Very good economic little car - 2002 Hyundai Accent
  By talisyn - May 24 - 11:10 am

  I bought this car used in Jan of 05 with 36,000 miles on it.I put an average of 20,000 miles on this car every year.I have very few problems with this car.Its low on fuel usage averaging 28-30 mpg(I dont know if this reflects "in town" driving as my day begins and ends with a 15 mile commute each day),and up to 38 mpg on a roadtrip with all the right conditions.Problems Ive had in the last 4 years:replaced the tires twice, warped rotors, burns oil and the guard underneath the car tore loose after rubbing up on too many curbs- the car has fairly low clearance (Ha, and bad judgement on my part!)Overall,this car has been a value beyond words!Too bad it is overly cramped with my family of 4!

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  One word - Awesome! - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By electriceye - May 24 - 1:53 am

  Traded in our 2004 Hyundai Sonata straight up for this 2006 SEV6. Have owned for just over 2 years now. The dealer replaced oil injector (pre- luber) and right front strut at 2 years.(Warranty, baby) Other than that, no other problems,period. May trade in for a 2009 if they can pry me away from this one. ) Biggest complaint is the road noise when driving on concrete surfaced roads, pavement isnt to bad. The stock 17" Michelin tires wear out quickly...will not buy those as replacements.

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  Comfortable commuter car for tall guy - 2015 Hyundai Sonata
  By jeremy1980 - May 22 - 7:06 pm

  After looking at many different cars in this class I chose the Hyundai Sonata Sport 2.4L with the Sport Premium Package. Being 65" I was looking for something with plenty of room for me an comfortable seats that still got good gas mileage. My first long trip was 340 miles round trip out I-70 and I-68 to Morgantown, WV. I averaged 31 MPG even given that it is a very mountainous trip and was very comfortable. I paid $22k and was $23,800 out the door with tax,tag and fees plus the $200 add on for tinted windows that I need to take back to have done still. My two kids had plenty of room in the back as well.