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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  Im Lovin It! - 2003 Hyundai Sonata
  By Matt_Ohio - September 11 - 6:22 am

  Purchased new, the 03 Sonata has been a smart buy. I would buy another Hyundai, problem being, it would be another Sonata. I enjoy my car and use it for distance traveling. Its reliable and fun to drive. Winter driving is on ice and snow also is a breeze with front wheel drive and comfortable size on the highway. New or used, try a Sonata. Drive Smart!

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  This car is awesome - 2000 Hyundai Accent
  By Mike B - September 10 - 11:57 am

  My 2000 Accent has 176,000 miles on it and has no problems. Runs excellent to this day. Great gas mileage, fun to drive, roomy for a sub-compact car. I cant complain. I love it.

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  Exceeds Expectations at Every Level - 2009 Hyundai Genesis
  By Jim P. - September 9 - 8:56 pm

  This is a perfect value proposition for a person who in the 80s and 90s drove Lincoln Town Cars and since 1998 a flawless Infiniti Q-45. I like quiet comfort and no mechanical problems, and so far so good. The Genesis has the exterior styling of much more expensive BMW and Lexus sedans and the interior is roomier than the Town Cars and the Q. The back seat leg room is amazing and without skimping on trunk space. The trunk is half again larger than the Q. The V6 has plenty of power and the transmission is as smooth as can be. My mileage depends on the brand of gas, and I get 29 mpg on brand name regular, and 25.5 on off-brand, a 10% trade off. The Q was 20 mpg on premium.

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  Fun to Drive - 2010 Hyundai Sonata
  By Dave - September 9 - 12:40 pm

  This is by far the best car Hyundai has put out in its class. It is very quite inside, has a very smooth ride, and is very roomy. You get a lot for your buck!

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  Fourth Brand New Hyundai in Three Years - 2015 Hyundai Sonata
  By Sam Newman - September 9 - 8:31 am

  In 2012 I bought my first Sonata after driving a friends. I always owned used luxury cars and as I got older wanted my first brand new car but I wanted value since new cars depreciate quickly. I hated my first Sonata. It was basic,boring, and not me. I then bought a 2013 Santa Fe six months later and LOVED it. After a year though I missed having a sunroof and in 2014 bought the Sonata 2.0T and absolutely adored this car. Then15 months later I found myself sitting in the 2015 Sonata and asking myself, "is this really a Hyundai"?. The interior design is beautiful and gives the illusion of a much more expensive car. The seats are extremely supportive and comfortable. The cabin is 100% quieter than previous Sonatas and the build quality is solid. I know Hyundai made improvements to the suspension and the ride quality feels as though you are floating, this good because its very luxurious, bad because you do not know how fast youre going. Blind spot detection system is really great and the visibility is vastly improved over the previous model. I bought the sport model with premium package because I did not want to spend allot especially if Im going to trade it in as I have done with the past three cars. Im kicking myself for not getting the tech package or buying the limited for the panoramic roof. I actually see owning this car for quite a few years. I absolutely love it and I havent felt this way about a car since my Saab 9-5. My only complaint, the speakers for the audio system suck. Ill buy new ones in a few.

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  Worth the money!!! - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By Debbie - September 9 - 12:09 am

  My family owned this car and a 2005 Elantra. We have owned 2 previous Elantras. I went from driving a 2001 Infiniti I30. We traded it in a an Elantra GT. I loved the GT but needed a larger car, so we got this Sonata. What a dream. This car reminds me of my Infiniti, WITHOUT the extra cost of premium unleaded gas. This car has it all. Great pickup, great radio and great overall value. I love this car. I recommend the 6 cyl. though. The 4 cyl. doesnt have the pick up. It is sluggish. After driving it as a loaner car, we bought it. I really recommend this car. I love it!!!

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  Tremendous Value, combination of Power and MPG - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By oldsroyale - September 8 - 6:33 pm

  Ive put 35k miles on mine. Simply put, you are not going to find a car that does 0-60 in 6.7sec that also gets MPG like this. The power delivery is nearly lag-free. Handling is good on the SEs. The stock tires are rubbish. I run a true summer tire on the stock 18s and that improves the handling, but makes the ride a bit choppier. I run 17s in winter and that makes a big difference in winter weather handling. It also helps the ride. I added heated seats- why that was not standard, dont know... The seats are not very comfortable compared to competitors. Ergonomics are a cut below Honda but still good. The dimension stereo is disappointing.

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  Well built automobile - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By Frank Hayes - September 8 - 10:00 am

  I really enjoy this fun car.The design and quality of this car would make you think that it cost thousands more than it actually did. Service has been excellent. Best kept secret in the automobile industry. Recieve alot of comments.

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  Santa Fe - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By shelleyshimes - September 8 - 10:00 am

  This is our first brand new SUV and we love it. It is everything I want in a vehicle. The safety rating is a plus. Its warranty is a plus. We have installed a DVD player in it for our children and they love it. My 2 year old calls it mommys Santa Fe. It is very comfortable to drive. I love the roomy trunk and the space it has.

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  Worth the Money - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By villrep - September 8 - 10:00 am

  I have had my 4 cylinder, front wheel drive, standard Santa Fe for 1 year and driven 25k miles already. I like the roominess, the ease of driving, the comfort of the seats, driver visibility, the fuel efficiency compared to other SUVs and even passenger cars (my old vw golf got 33, while this gets 27 on the highway...a reasonable variation)Yes, I even like the break the mold exterior design. I disagree that it rolls in turns. I find it turns very competently and without much tilt. My only dislike is the weak engine power/acceleration. Of course, its because it is only a 4 cylinder lugging that body around, but I still wish it would have more oomph.