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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  this is nice - 2006 Hyundai Accent
  By james - January 4 - 8:32 pm

  i have driven this car for a month. everything is fine. i made this speed up 120 mile on high way. it was not bad about comfortable driving. design is fine and engine power is good.

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  Very pleased so far! - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By Arbiter - January 4 - 8:33 am

  Very pleased so far. Family and I just finished 1800 mile road trip and averaged 31.1 mpg on the way there (A/C on low and cruise set at 73). Averaged 28.0 mpg on way back (A/C on low and averaging 82mph...I wanted to get home!) Traded in 2002 Infiniti I35 so I was accustomed to all the amenities; glad to see that Hyundai didnt disappoint. Got full KBB excellent private party value for trade, $2500 rebate (standard and military), $1000 off after haggling and a free spoiler thrown in. Gas mileage in town is lower than Id like but thats to be expected with constant stop and go.

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  genesis 2.0 had for two years - 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe
  By cindyropp - January 3 - 7:44 pm

  I bought this car new 2010. I love it, it gets lots of lookes, excellent handling, excellent braking, fun to drive....only minimal repairs. good sound system. Tranmission (manual) no the greatest, seatbelt position is horrible for short people. Back seat folds down but you only get about 20-24 inches of go through space because of design. Gas mileage disappointment for 2.0 4 cyl...21 in city, 24 highway

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  Never thought that I would own a Hyundai - 2008 Hyundai Veracruz
  By Mike Bud - January 3 - 7:43 am

  Drove the Pilot, Highlander, RAV, Arcadia, Outlook, and Santa Fe. I am a Toyotal fan, but the Highlander was a bit wide like a minivan and the RAV was a bit small. Test drove the Santa Fe a second time - nice but small for my needs. Finally, test drove the Veracruz. It was excellent - smooth transmission, quiet ride, instant feeling of luxury. This SUV is big, but comfortable. My kids love the third row. Drives smoother than my Sienna (which is excellent). I was very pleasantly surprised at the quality of this vehicle.

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  Finally bought a Hyundai - 2009 Hyundai Elantra Touring
  By fearthevoices - January 2 - 10:56 pm

  A family member has had 6 Hyundais, never having a serious issue with any of them, even in some of their early models. With a track history like that, I knew someday wed buy one too. Im over 6 and am very comfortable in this car, and find the seats very supportive too. Handling is great, ride may be a bit firm for some though. Car is very quiet on the highway, a big change from our last Saturn. Fit an finish are great, even impressed my neighbor who owns 2 Mercedes. Ill be looking at Hyundai when its time to replace my ride; this one is for my wife.

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  Wow - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By eball - January 2 - 8:10 pm

  Who ever would have thought I would ever own a Hyundai! Even my neighbor thought I was a crazy, until he took me to pick up my new 2011 SE Sonata! This car is amazing! Do yourself a favor and do pass up a test drive if you are buying a car in this class. i saw the sonata first. Then went to Honda, Toyota, Mazda, Ford and test drove comparable cars TRYING NOT TO LET MYSELF BUY A HYUNDAI! ha ha ha, couldnt do it! I found myself comparing everything the other cars didnt have! LOVE my car. averaging 32 MPG!

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  Excellent Minivan - 2007 Hyundai Entourage
  By Chitose Funaba - January 2 - 5:06 am

  It is well built minivan performs good as a Japanese built Honda Odyssey. Actually it is roomier and bigger with great options at a competitive price. Smooth and quiet ride also add its value.

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  Give me more milage for my gas - 2002 Hyundai XG350
  By george123 - January 1 - 10:00 am

  This is one great car. ive had nissan maxima and bmw 530i.. this is yet the best car i have droven. sure it cant compare to bmw on the performance but for the price of one 530i i can buy 2 XG350L!!! so far i have not taken this car to service. everything is great so far, except it eats too much gas. in conclusion, hyundai has turned their bad reputation of 80s into better. hope to see them become next honda or toyota

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  A Lot of Value - 2001 Hyundai Elantra
  By PWesch - January 1 - 10:00 am

  After 18 months and 24000 I still think my Elantra provides the most value in the price class. It could benefit from more low end torque, especially when the AC is on. Otherwise, the car is fun to drive has a comfortable interior. My driver side heated mirror didnt work from day one, but was replaced under warranty and there have been no other problems.

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  yea - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By elantraman - January 1 - 10:00 am

  Can not beat it for the price. Compare to similar vehicles not 20K+ cars. Comfortable.