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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  Sexy and Safe - 2007 Hyundai Veracruz
  By lakopp - October 27 - 3:00 pm

  I had my Veracruz for a month when I was rear-ended by someone going 45 mph (I was at a complete stop). I was able to walk away from this. The Veracruz not only looks good and drives well...it crashes well! The cabin is very quiet and the ride is smooth. Great vehicle!

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  Reasonable compromise for a Boomer - 2012 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid
  By glh2576 - October 27 - 2:13 pm

  We acquired a 2012 Sonata Hybrid after looking at many options in this price/category. the Sonata is comfortable to drive and ride in, fairly quite and gets OK (but not nearly the EPA MPG) gas mileage. Ive put about 2500 miles on it and it is averaging about 30 MPG in mostly in-town driving which is where it should be using the battery the most so I was expecting better MPG. ANY in-town hill gives it a challenge as it tries to go from battery to motor. Build quality is good so far. Rear seats are comfortable. Highway cruising is good.

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  save so much money - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By i-suggest-this-car - October 27 - 10:00 am

  This is overall a good car, and better than others because costs so much less. Bought mine 11k with cd player for $8000, no defects at all. It is very reliable and better than many including the regular focus, sentra, aerio, cavalier, and neon. I would suggest it to anyone who wants an economy car that is decent in all respects and absolutelty no problems. Reliability and savings are the best 2 aspects of this car

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  my hyundai - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By meljamiefreckles - October 27 - 10:00 am

  this is a great car/suv, very fun to drive, easy to manuver into tight parking spots. Before this I had a dodge ram which I loved, but trying to park it in todays parking spots was horrible!! The santa fe works well with my sirius satellite radio plug and play, the sound is good, there is plenty of room for a plus size person in the drivers seat as well as in the rear seats. Seat belts have plenty room, cargo space is good as well. There is NO TOP HEAVINESS some might experience with other taller SUVs. Very stable vehicle, an excellent car to drive!!

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  2005 tuscon gls 4wd 2.7 V6 - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Rita T. - October 27 - 8:06 am

  This vehicle has been with us for 1 month and there is a problem with it surging. The engine has died several times. It has been with the dealership for almost a week now. No one has bothered to diagnose the problem as of yet. The dealership did not want to give up a loaner in the meantime. we had to contact Hyundai to get the dealership to give a loaner while this one is being serviced. The dealership has only 2 techs. So they are backed up on service. All dealerships in the area are backed up and the wait time is always at least 2 weeks. What do you think? 1 month of ownership, 1400 miles, still in shop after 1 week waiting for repair, dealership making a bad situation worse.

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  Best car I ever purchased - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
  By bernie - October 26 - 11:50 pm

  At the age of 50 I have owned my share of cars, THIS is the BEST car I have owned. It hugs and holds to the road in down pouring rain with no problems, I anticapte NO problems this winter with the snow. The warrente was the orignal reason I first started looking into a Hyundai, one I test drove it I was hooked. I HIGHLY recomend this car, it is GREAT!!!!

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  Pulls Left !!!!! Hyundai Cant Find a Fix - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By l84work - October 26 - 3:19 pm

  I was very excited to purchase my Limited in October, but became extremely frustrated that the car continually pulls to the left. I have had it to the Dealer three times to have it fixed. Not only did they not fix it, Hyundai wont even acknowledge that this is a probem with the new 2011 Models. Google "2011 Hyundai Sonata Pulls Left" BEFORE you buy one.

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  Turbo Hyundai - 2012 Hyundai Sonata
  By lzabelsky - October 26 - 2:08 pm

  Great car for the money. Dont buy this as a substitute for a BMW, it is a great everday driver and a deal for the money. Great warranty, performance, comfort etc... No regret on the purchase and have had less gas station visits. The extra $1,500 for the SE 2.0T was my best decision, very fast for an inexpensive family sedan and fun drive. The SE ride is a bit rougher with the low profile tires. No complaint other than it appears the paint gets chipped easy on the front of the vehicle from road debris. Very nice family sedan, nice on long trips.

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  Much prettier than a Camry - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By Doug G - October 25 - 8:20 pm

  This car is so much better than the entry level price being charged. Fit and finish are impeccable, controls fall naturally to hand, the ride is almost flawless. Economy is okay but my car isnt broke in yet. Should get better. It would be nice if the manufacturer would put upgrade options on the GLS series in greater numbers. In my opinion the V6 is not necessary.

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  14,000 miles of smooth, quiet trouble free driving - 2015 Hyundai Sonata
  By Yomps - October 25 - 5:10 pm

  Love this car. Smooth, quiet, tons of room, great gas mileage, not one problem with anything. Package with back up camera, XM, power drivers seat, automatic headlights and the homelink auto dimming mirror made the base model a great commuter and road trip car. With very little effort I can get 40+ mpg on the highway and for a car this size thats amazing. The only thing I dont like is the buzz of GDI engine when its cold and no spare tire included (I bought one with the jack for $200). $21,500 out the door with 0% financing made it the perfect new car.