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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  Is this title catchy enough - 2017 Hyundai Elantra
  By Isaiah H - January 15 - 11:56 pm

  You get alot of bang for your buck. At around 18,500$ after rebate, the Elantra value edition is baller. To me ,I think it feels more like a 23,000$ or 24,000$ car with everything they put in it. It is a very quiet ride, even at high speeds (its even pretty quiet at 100 mph I tried). And I get excellent gas mileage without driving an ugly car ,or being" that one prius guy" everybody knows. The only 2 things about the car I think could be improved are. #1 unless it is in sport mode ,the acceleration is somewhat disappointing on lower gears. And #2 some of the plastic in the interior gets scratched pretty easily with metal high density objects. It looks very nice on the inside, but if you play with knives or something in the car, it may not be great for long . One of my scratches was actually cause by me dropping my cell phone onto the cup holder . Like yeah that easy to scratch. But its a dope car . Buy it if you arent afraid of plastic scratches.

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  Bought used last year, 2013 - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By lg22150 - January 15 - 7:37 pm

  I bought this car used last year as a trade with my mini van. When they first pulled it up I was like, um nope. My husband made me test drive and I fell in love. Mine is brown and black, and this thing is awesome. It is by far the best car I have ever owned. Even the first Hyundai I had, swore never to get another. The gas mileage is great. Put $20 in a beginning of work week and no more until Friday or Saturday. Gets me where I need to go.

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  terrible experience - 2012 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid
  By gesiggie - January 15 - 1:21 pm

  I bought my 2012 Sonata Hybrid last year and was originally very pleased with it, with the exception of the seat design. The headrest comes too far out and pushes your head forward. I could get over that, though. What I can not get over is the shuddering that began just over a month ago. Ive had it into the dealership 4 times, and after upgrading the software which didnt solve the issue, they tell me the shuddering I experience every time I stop is normal. The drive is no longer fun, but stressful, as I brace myself each time I see a stop sign. Its a rough ride for driver and passengers alike. I would not recommend this car to anyone. Sadly, Im stuck with mine.

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  A really nice vehicle - 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By jamaicajoe - January 15 - 11:07 am

  Had this vehicle for a year now, and I really like it. Mileage could be a little better, and one annoyance is that it does not have an outside-temperature gauge. Very nice ride, particularly on the highway, lots of usable interior room, and it handles well. Brake feel is a little soft. Did have a problem with the splines on the intermediate shaft to the transmission shearing at 20,000 km, but was fixed under warranty. Our dealer treated us well, and we have since leased a 2011 Elantra from them.

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  All around fun! - 2010 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Jennifer - January 15 - 10:56 am

  I waited until I drove 2000 miles before writing a review. I absolutely love my black Tuscon and look forward to driving it everyday. It runs great and looks even better. In my opinion, its the sharpest compact SUV on the road now. Im averaging 24 MPG so Im not complaining. This awesome vehicle is well worth the 26K I paid for it when I compare the Tucsons features to the competitors. I dont use the Bluetooth so I cant comment on that. I do, however, love the XM radio and i- pod player. The sound system is really good. I really like the way the dash controls and steering wheel controls light up in blue. This is the happiest I have ever been with a new car purchase!!

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  Very Strong Design - 2010 Hyundai Elantra Touring
  By Chris - January 13 - 9:23 pm

  Traded in a V6 Sonata and MPG already has improved from 18 to 26 in mostly urban driving. I drove both the automatic and the 5 speed and there really is no comparison -- if you can drive stick go for it, its a much better experience. The utility of the car is amazing with tons of space, seating for 4 reasonable sized adults, and respectable mileage (though could always be better!). Truly a good compromise if you need an SUV but believe that gas prices will just continue to increase faster than your pay. BTW, it is a European design so the ride is intended to be tight vs. cushion-y. It is more like a Jetta than a Buick so be aware. Altogether a well designed and reasonably priced car!

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  Money well spent - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By Kimcheez - January 13 - 8:46 pm

  I purchased my Sonata 2007 SE v6 about 2~3 months ago. Its deep blue. So far, Im HAPPY with my money =). It looks great, performance is great. I love everything about this car except gas mileage. Im getting around 20 mpg over all. Besides that, no problem.

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  would buy again... - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Jerryu2 - January 13 - 8:06 am

  we have purchased the tucson this vehicle replaced a truck.. we had a dodge ram 1999 1500 quad cab... the ride, comfort and over appearence of this sporty suv is what led us to buy it.. my wife feels comortable and saffe in the tucson. all the features on it and with all the air bags she feels safe. i thought i would never like a suv after riding in friends fords chevy and toyotas but after riding and driving the tucson i fell in love with it.

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  Hyundai surprises - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By atoice - January 13 - 2:46 am

  Years ago, you may have thought this is a junk car. Back then, it was. My how time has changed everything. From the motor to the design, everything has been revamped. Reliability and build quality have far exceeded my expectations. Go get yourself a Sonata: popularity has gone up with its quality.

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  Lil Black Hyundai - 2010 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Luap - January 12 - 8:00 pm

  Very pleased, looked at Venza but reviews on 19" tires killed it. Tucson good get up and go, comfortable and nice tight handling. NAV system a real pleasure and easy to use. Most important is my wife likes it, her car! Back up camera nice feature,very useful in parking lots. Really liked the design and this was deciding factor vs. others in this size. Rides well, its firm which my wife and I prefer, and for this type of vehicle is pretty quiet on all roads. No sqweaks, rattles etc, well built. Transmission extremely smooth best Ive ever experienced. I have an Elantra and if the Tucson is comparable I have two great cars. Gas averaging around 24-26 all around, will take on a trip soon.