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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  Review - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By stvogi - February 6 - 4:03 am

  I purchased the SE about a month ago. So far i love the car. I got the Venetian Red with the Nav and Sunroof option. Every one asks me this is a Hyundai?? I looked at Ford, Chevy, Toyota and Nissan and for the options i got with it i would be paying close to 30k for them. I paided a little over 24. The 4 cyl has plenty of pep and getting around 29 mpg in mixed driving. you need to get the ipod cable for the ipod. they say that a regular USB cable works but it doesnt. i got the cable on eBay for 20 bucks cheaper that at the dealer.

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  Highly Recommend a 2007 Santa Fe SE AWD - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Powderhound - February 5 - 10:00 am

  Bought used w/ 30K miles. Having driven 10K miles in 6 mos., I have only good things to say (except about the headlights, which are too dim). Pre- & Post-purchase research revealed that: 1) only the bigger engine has a timing chain, not a belt; 2) tow package includes a transmission cooler & high- capacity radiator, & the tow bar wraps under the exhaust pipes to protect them; 3) the 18 in. Tires provide better handling and road feel than the 16 in. Tires; 4) the 3rd row has its own ac controls, which helps appease children who have to sit there; 5) only the awd version has the nice brushed-aluminum dual-exhaust tips; & 6) the Santa Fe shares an assembly line w/ the sonata, but has its own platform

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  Fun to Drive - 2011 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Bill - February 5 - 10:00 am

  Traded in our Audi Convertible because we needed more room. This is our first SUV and love it. It sits high with comfortable seats. Controls are easy to use. The dashboard looks impressive and the interior is pretty impressive as well. It doesnt look cheap at all. Our gas mileage, although only for 200 miles has been 30 miles/per/gal. Excellent. Of course thats mostly with hwy. The ride is ok, drives a little rough and you feel the bumps. But we are used to sedans. The car is worth the price and more.

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  Over one year of use and it is still enjoyable. - 2015 Hyundai Sonata
  By Ted - February 4 - 10:27 pm

  The car never stops my amazement in how little gas it uses. There are two week points that I have addressed. The factory tires are JUNK.... replaced with Pirelli P7. The car wanted to wonder (left & right) on all roads with any crown or grove. This was fixed with a bolt on strut tower brace that cost about $200 and is a simple 5 min installation. With those two changes the car went from OK to VERY GOOD. When you take a test drive make sure it is long enough with various road surface and speeds, as these items may not be a bother to you. One other item is road noise, it is much louder then a Chevy Malibu and many other new cars today.

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  nice car - 2003 Hyundai Accent
  By myCar - February 4 - 9:51 pm

  Never had a car so easy. Only had to wash and change oil.

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  Sonata, Great Car and Value - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By DTS - February 4 - 6:50 pm

  We bought a 2009 GLS 4 cyl. about two weeks ago. We have already driven over 1500 miles. Everything has worked great. Our last trip of over 600 miles averaged 35 mpg. Had over 560 miles on one tank of gas. Drives very nice, quiet and smooth. Could not get a comparable car for the money.

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  Love my Genesis - 2009 Hyundai Genesis
  By Julia Olmsted - February 4 - 12:46 pm

  You cant go wrong with a Genesis. I am so happy with mine and wouldnt drive anything else after having this vehicle.

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  Im Impressed - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By Xaviermgk - February 4 - 4:20 am

  This is my first new car, so my frame of reference may be skewed, but I think the Elantras overall package is simply unbeatable. The exterior design is slick, the interior is sufficiently functional and solid, and the engine definitely has some kick to it. The one factor that amazed me is the turning stability and turn radius, which nearly equalled my Volvo. Ive consistently gotten gas mileage between 29-31 mpg, with only about half of the mileage on the highway.

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  AWESOME - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By Bob - February 3 - 7:23 am

  Absolutely love this car. Traded in a 2005 GX350L that I really liked but fell in love with the styling on this car. I am averaging 32-33 mpg combined city/highway. Have gotten up to 37 on all highway. One month in and loving it ! Love the bluetooth and push button start. Getting jealous looks from neighbors and friends. Bought the black on black metallic finish.

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  Worst Car I have Ever Owned - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By dchoat - February 3 - 4:37 am

  Up until today, I would have told you I was pretty pleased with my Sonata. However, with 85K miles my engine is dead. Driving to work today, the engine started knocking, the check engine light came on, and about 5 seconds later the car just died (while I was driving.) I was fortunate not to be on the interstate, and was able to coast to a safe side road. I am the second owner, so the 100K warranty doesnt transfer to me. I contacted Hyundai Customer Care, and they said sorry, but what do you want me to do about it. The cost to replace the engine is $5700. I will now have a loan for my car, and a loan for my engine. I have read on other sites that the 2011 won Beware of the Clunker Award.