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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  SONATA02 - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By TSUEGUY1 - November 18 - 10:00 am

  i ACUTUALLY BOUGHT A 2002 SONATA & I LOVE IT. IT HAS STYLE AND CLASS. IT RIDES SMOOTH AND HAS A LOT OF TOYS (OPTIONS). iT IS FUN TO DRIVE WITH THE SHIFTRONIC, LIKE HAVING THE BEST OF BOTH THE AUTOMATIC AND THE MANUAL STICK WORLD. I WOULD RECOMMEND ANYBODY TO BY ONE. THE COMMERCIAL SAYS IT ALL....DRIVING IS BELEIVING.

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  Excellent so far - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By Woodburn Tom - November 18 - 10:00 am

  Needed good basic economical transportation. Looked at Civics, Toyotas, Jettas, Saturns, Focus and Cavaliers. Have a Civic I passed along to my son. Have a Toyota I passed along to my daughter. Wife drives and Accord. Price, test drive and the warrenty convinced me to take a chance. Have about 7000 miles on it and it is EXCELLENT. Not one issue to date. Getting about 32 mpg with the air on most of the time. Good torque pulls better than the Civic but does not corner as well. If this thing continues to hold up it is a steal deal.

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  Good things come in small packages - 2007 Hyundai TUCSON
  By bigbuckslarry - November 17 - 5:10 pm

  We have a two car garage but there is not enough room for everything else such as bikes, snowblower, lawnmower, other tools, and just moving around. I am 63" tall weighing in at 250+ lbs and have back trouble. Any sugestions for my next car ? Escalade: too big for the garage. Element: too clunky of a drive. Rav4: too long with the tire on back. CR/V: also too long (but at least they put the tire away). Tuscon: Eureka !! It is a SUV for my back and yet it is small enough for the garage. I got the LTD which is luxurious enough. This car has a tremendous amount of elbow room. Bravo Hyundai.

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  Great Car - 1997 Hyundai Accent
  By Cyrus - November 17 - 2:00 am

  no problems with 100000 miles on it

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  Great Car - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Tipton4 - November 16 - 12:13 am

  Very happy with my new Sonata, looked at Accord chose Sonata for its price, warranty and great salespeople. Saved about $5,000 even with purchasing 10 yr bumper to bumper warranty. Car rides and drives smooth, good gas mileage. No complaints.

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  love it - 2013 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid
  By tgainey - November 16 - 12:07 am

  I love my sonata hybrid. This is the first time I have owned a hybrid. I love it. The dealership made the buying experience painless. Because of my awesome experience with the first Hyundai is why I decided to return to Ron Carter for this replacement.

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  Looking for a Chrysler bought a Hyundai - 2002 Hyundai Sonata
  By BigTexToo - November 14 - 2:00 am

  Bought this car over a Chrysler. Went to the "wrong" section of the dealership and figured what the heck, well look while were here. Had a test drive, great! Didnt make it to the Chrysler section! wasnt necessary. Looks of this car are superb. Nice feel behind the wheel, drives well. Price and options are incomprable. Anyone with a budget in mind should consider one of these cars.

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  OUTSTANDING VALUE!!! - 2002 Hyundai Sonata
  By GP MANDIS - November 12 - 2:00 am

  ROCK SOLID AFTER 30K IN ONE YEAR! THE BASE 4 CYL IS AMPLE POWER. I TRAVEL 710 INTERSTATE MILES EVERY WEEKEND, AND ONLY DRIVE 30 MILES M-F IN TOWN. I LIKED IT SO MUCH, THAT WE ARE NOW 2 HYUNDAI FAMILY (SANTA FE FOR THE WIFE)! WHAT A VALUE - 13150 OUT THE DOOR!

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  Try It Youll Like It - 2007 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Steve - November 11 - 10:30 pm

  My last 3 trucks Ive owned were GM 4x4. I looked at the new Envoys and Yukons and finally the Tucson.Well, as far as price...Tucson won.As far as Warranty...Tucson won.As far as gas mileage...Tucson won...As far as looks...Tucson won...

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  What a car for the money - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By wkarbiwnyk - November 11 - 11:16 am

  Handles nicely, power when you need it. I am a big person and found the interior very roomy both getting in with easy, and although it is a center console, I found seating roomy. Havent taken a long trip yet to see how fuel efficient it is on the highway, perhaps this weekend. My wife was glad to get away from premium fuel. Bought the extended bumper to bumper warranty, so now I have a 10 year plus the dealer is a short drive from us. I got tired trying to deal with american car sales people, seemed to greedy. So far happy with the car.