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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  Outstanding Vehicle - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By geezer2017 - December 10 - 7:30 am

  We purchased a GLS 2.7 liter V6 model 2 weeks ago and Ive never so enjoyed a new vehicle as much as this. It is the most comfortable, quiet, well-built, and generously appointed car in the way of standard features that Ive ever owned(ESC, 4-wheel disc antilock, outstanding sound system, beautiful interior, very roomy, and very nice interior features and storage). It handles very well. Steering is very responsive with no slop and no body sway. Also getting 21 MPG city. Havent done a trip yet to verify highway but its rated at 27 highway which is pretty darn good for a 6. Its also built in Alabama so Hyundai is providing US jobs as well. This is a well-built car built in America.

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  Kudos All Around - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By ExCubsFan - December 10 - 5:33 am

  Overall, like most, I find this car a great value with comfort and convenience equal to the equivalent Accord and the Camry. In addition to all the positive things said about the Sonata, Id only add that I find the mileage I get to be perfectly suitable. In easy city driving, Im averaging about 23.5 mpg, and after a 2000-mile interstate trip I just completed, I averaged 28.5 mpg going 75-80 mph, even with one tank of 10% ethanol gas. This seems to me most reasonable and very much in line with the 30 mpg the car lists for a lower speed. Given those figures and all the other positives about the car, its hard to beat for the price: nice look, good power, overall decent comfort.

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  Love My New Limited Santa Fe - 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By rknd - December 10 - 3:33 am

  Having owned for 2 months now I know we made the right choice. I did tons of research, test drove and compared the Vue, CRV, Rav4 among others. The Santa Fe was always my favorite. My husband is a Ponitac/GMC man and was very skeptical on buying a foreign car. The Santa Fe won him over! Everyone who rides in it cant believe how quiet it is. And no more complaining from the kids in the back seat. They love the reclining seats. Gas mileage 19-20 city/24.5 hwy

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  My 04 Elantra - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By E. Corser - December 9 - 10:00 am

  I buy lots of cars and usually keep them only a year. The Elantra however, I plan on keeping for about 5 years due to the long warranty and my overall love for this car!

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  excellent in-expensive car - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By boogly - December 9 - 10:00 am

  the car handles great and is surprisingly quik to excellerate when you hit the gas. Has a smooth ride, better than that of the mazda protege and dodge neon. For thousands less than those two cars it also has more head and leg room than most cars in its class. I couldnt have asked for a better car.

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  A Fantastic Perky Little Car - 2005 Hyundai Accent
  By Janine - December 8 - 11:50 pm

  My first brand new car, it has everything I requested. Awesome Retro Red color, very easy to drive and very comfortable ride to work and has excellent gas mileage. The passenger door is wide making it easy for my disabled husband to get into. For a small car this surprised me and was a plus.

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  Good but Engine Lacks - 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By dktech - December 8 - 9:01 pm

  Nice looking exterior and interior but given recent reduction in EPA mpg and so so performance of the 2.0L turbo it makes me wonder if buying a competitors product with a V6 engine would have been a better choice. The 2.0L is smooth and responsive but in the final analysis it falls short in the performance department, I have the AWD version.

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  Midsize comfort - compact price - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By ems1 - December 8 - 5:00 pm

  Traded a 02 Elantra for a 09 Sonata. Nice step up. Got a great deal on the Sonata. It has every thing I wanted in a car. 4 cylinder performance is adequate. Of course more power would be nice but why sacrifice the fuel economy? I rented or test drove nearly all the competition and found the Sonata, all things considered, to be as good as any of them. When I factored in the price and warantee, the Sonata comes out ahead of the competition.

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  Glad I Bought It - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By Driven It A Year Now - December 8 - 4:46 pm

  Had this car just under a year and approaching 10,000 on the odometer. Couldnt be happier with the car: I average slightly over 30 mpg on the highway, its quiet as a cemetery and I havent experienced any of the minor gripes that Ive seen other owners contend with. Recent road trips of 500+ round trip miles didnt fatigue me at all. And call it luck or diligence, but I dont have a single ding on any part of the body. This is the first vehicle that Ive owned that I take to a hand car wash, and it looks as good as the day I drove it off the dealers lot. Wouldnt hesitate to get another Sonata, but Im going to wait til any kinks are worked out of the Genesis and get a 2012+ model.

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  I LOVE MY 2000 SONATA! - 2000 Hyundai Sonata
  By SuzQue - December 8 - 4:33 pm

  Original owner of 4cyl 5-spd model and get 32/45 mpg after 5 years/68,000! Interior is roomy & comfortable for long road trips handling is agile a/c is ice-cold. Timing belt tensioner failed when I was thousands of miles from home, but dealership in Buffalo, NY quickly took care of it under warranty and put us back on the road to finish our vacation trip same day. Local Houston dealer has handled recalls and other warranty matters very well. Price & warranty got me to try it (always a Toyota buyer before). Id buy another Sonata & have recommended to others!