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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  great car at great price - 2001 Hyundai Accent
  By ozhan akman - September 18 - 2:00 am

  The car is excellent. Affordable, reliable and a great warranty.

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  Surprisingly, a great car! - 2000 Hyundai Sonata
  By weezmyster - September 18 - 2:00 am

  My wife and I bought this car to accomodate a new baby. Two door vehicles just werent cutting it as he got heavier and heavier. We needed a four door vehicle, but didnt want the huge payment to go with it. We searched and found this. Im a skeptic, but when I drove it, this car handled surprisingly well. It was tight, comfortable, and had all the room of a full size sedan. We love it.

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  One terrific car - 2013 Hyundai Sonata
  By peter95949 - September 15 - 12:52 pm

  This is one great car. Hyundai has gotten everything right. I have owned 28 cars in my life including Mercedes (awful), Audi, Lincoln, Avalon, etc., and this Sonata does not disappoint. This my second Sonata.....the first being a 2011. The most noticeable improvement is the increased level of quietness. The 2011 had an unacceptable level of tire noise intruding into the cabin on coarse roads. The 2014 is almost silent on most city streets and measurably quieter at speed. Wind noise is non existent.

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  LOVE IT, WOULD BUY ANOTHER TOMORROW - 1995 Hyundai Accent
  By geewiz26 - September 15 - 2:00 am

  Great mileage. Had to replace the alternator around 130,000. Replaced clutch and transmission around 96,000, but mine had only 75,000 warranty so I paid, but it wasnt a lot of money. MY window was sticky too, the more time went on the harder it was to crank it up, then finally it dropped inthe door, but I took it to the local windshield/glass store and they put it back on the track for $25. Outside of that no other problems with car. Paid 9475 for it, and have put about $1000 in it. Not including tires/brakes. Have only had to put one set of brakes onthe car and I have 147000 miles onthe car.

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  Best in class - 2002 Hyundai Sonata
  By AZdriver - September 15 - 2:00 am

  I drove the competitors and the Hyundai offered more for the money without compromises. Ive go 7600 miles without a single problem. Fun to drive.

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  After a year - 2002 Hyundai Sonata
  By rjklacik - September 14 - 2:00 am

  Ive had my 2002 Sonata LX for one year now and I have to say that this car is probably one of the best cars Ive ever owned. I have never had a single problem. Its a joy to drive.

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  Great car - 2002 Hyundai Sonata
  By JMG - September 14 - 2:00 am

  I have never owned a better vehicle

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  Youe Have to Drive IT! - 2004 Hyundai XG350
  By VetsSearch - September 13 - 10:00 am

  I just love it. With over 20 yrs driving a Cadillac. What was I thinking? The ride is soft , smooth and Quite. It has more features than the Cadilac at less than half the price. I was able to buy my XG350 and my wife a beautiful New Sonata LX, AND STILL HAD MONEY TO GO ON A GREAT VACATION! Thank You Hyundai, You made a believer out of me.

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  The best quality car I have owned. - 2004 Hyundai XG350
  By b daniels - September 13 - 10:00 am

  Ihave owned Lincolns most of my life. When I HAD A near fatal accident in March of 2004, I decided to get a different kind of car since it took so long to find another Lincoln made the same year of the other one that was wrecked.The car dealer asked me if I had seen or driven the350L,I told him no.That is when I was introduced to the 350L.I have been satisfied:more mileage,use regular gas, and most of all,15,000 cheaper. It has the same features and more.

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  Azera VS Avalon VS ES350 - 2007 Hyundai Azera
  By fannibal - September 12 - 1:23 am

  My family owns 2 other Toyota. I did not even consider a Hyundai when I first started looking into purchasing a new car for the family. But I did tons and tons of research reading online review sites as well as forums. We decided to test the Lexus ES350, Toyota Avalon, and the Hyundai Azera(we never considered an american car). The Azera turned out to be quite a suprise. It is a extremely good car even without considering the low price or long warranty that Hyundai is known for. If you factor in the fact that a similarly equipped Avalon is 5K above the price of an Azera, we picked the Azera without hesitation. I am now an extremely satisfied owner of a Hyundai Azera.