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:

• 

  Awesome - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By jedisebs - August 7 - 10:00 am

  Ive had this car for just over a week now and I can say that its more than I hoped it would be. Im very happy with this car. I get a lot of good looks from people and I can only be completely satisfied with the ride it gives me. I recommend this vehicle to anyone looking to have a good time for small bucks. The sound system is incredible. I set off a bunch of car alarms with my subwoofer :) I thought it was funny. The best is smoking all the souped up civics. They give it that dirty "its a hyundai" look until I get ahead, cut them off and flash my hazards. I love doing that.

• 

  silver beauty - 2002 Hyundai Sonata
  By benstep - August 7 - 10:00 am

  Bought a 2000 Sonota in Sept. 2000. The car is great. Sun roof, wood trim, etc. The performance is very good and the car gets 29.5 mpg on a trip with 4 adults, luggage, air on and driving 70. Big negative. The dealer was terrible. The sales manager was a thief. I knew the facts and stood my ground and got a good deal. The car was worth the hassle.

• 

  Best kept automotive secret! - 2002 Hyundai Sonata
  By bigshoe - August 7 - 10:00 am

  I have owned Nissans and Toyotas but the 2002 Sonata is by far the best car for the dollar I have ever owned. My initial enthusiasm has not worn off. I only wonder why Hyundai doesnt spend more bucks on national advertising..they sure have the car that more people need to know about. I rate it a 9.8!

• 

  First - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By ncb - August 7 - 8:02 am

  Bought car used in june. took 8000 mi trip to western states in July. Car performed excellently, especially in mountainous ares using manual shift. I believe the car is well worth the money for the performance & warranty, but concerned about trade-in value or resell value.

• 

  Fun to drive - 2005 Hyundai Accent
  By Dereck - August 7 - 12:03 am

  Fun car to drive, love the body style and interior, except the cup holders. Gets decent gas mileage and has plenty of power to get out in traffic and stay with it.

• 

  Great Value - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Gabriel - August 6 - 3:50 am

  I purchased this vehicle to replace my 2003 Mini Cooper (too small). A+ to the team at Hyundai. I am very pleased with my purchase. This is our second Hyundai and this company keeps improving every year. Interior quality and design are of a very high standard. Powerful, quiet, and fuel efficient v-6. It rides smoothly on the highway and it handles well in small curvy roads. The standard safety features, stability control and curtain air bags, were a big factor in our purchase of this vehicle over the established Camry and Accord. I also prefer the styling of the Sonata over the Japanese competition. In my opinion, this is simply the best value in the mid-size market segment.

• 

  Impressive - 2001 Hyundai Elantra
  By shoeie - August 5 - 5:06 pm

  I am fresh out of college, and didnt have a great deal of money to spend when I went new car shopping. Actually I figured I would end up with a slightly used Corolla or Civic. I am so glad I took a look at my Hyundai. This car is awesome, gets good gas mileage, and with the warranty, either quality is good or theyre going to fix it anyway. I am totally impressed!

• 

  Very satisfied - 2013 Hyundai Elantra GT
  By h2lemonwedge - August 5 - 11:19 am

  I just picked mine up from the dealer yesterday; I had the opportunity to take the car for the weekend while my wife and I "talked" about it a little more. As disappointed as I was to find that this class of car has gone up in price in recent years I feel I got alot for my money. I like the standard features that come with the car.

• 

  Very good, Excellent value - 2018 Hyundai Sonata
  By Joe the delivery man - August 5 - 4:39 am

  I got this car to replace my 2015 Sonata. Not sure the new style is better, I kind of liked the 2015 better, especially the rear with the plates on the trunk. But overall this is a terrific car for your money, save for a few drawbacks. The car drives well, nice quite ride and respectable handling, but ride is not as smooth as a Camry and handling not as good as an Accord, Mazda6, or as precise as a Fusion. Pros include: Slightly better ride/steering over my 2015. Better interior, smart controls (w/ non-auto climate), tuning knob, custom button. Overall is exemplary, very intuitive designed with nice big clearly labeled buttons and knobs. Touch screen is responsive, although some corners dont respond like its supposed to. The interface is also quite easy to use. LCD Shows date (wish it would also show exterior temperature). Car doors make a satisfying thud when they close. Still a fully printed owners manual! Cons include: Brakes still too touchy, it makes too abrupt stops. Steering is still too feather-light. Heated mirrors are no longer included in the base model - something Hyundai used to offer all these years. No CD player. I know many cars today omit them, but I really miss it. Home screen should be more customization. Would like to get rid of the AV Off message. Some settings are confusing. Ugly gauges (miss the 2015 Elantra). Only 1 USB for music & Android Auto. Bluetooth makes problems (I have a basic phone). No gap-less music player. Headlight delay is 5 min or none! Overall interior is not too pretty (2018 Accent is nicer). Cant turn off the LCD between the gauges.

• 

  Good Value-for-Money - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By chickaboom - August 4 - 10:56 pm

  Leased my Sonata GLS 07 (with extra trim) in Feb 2007. Debated between this and a Jetta but cost-wise I chose Sonata. It is good overall, except comparing to the Jetta, the quality of the sound system of the Sonata is inferior. Also, the seat of the Sonata does not feel as tailored to the passenger as the Jetta seat is. But it is definitely much BIGGER inside. I enjoy the space. I owned a Jetta and enjoyed it and really like the sporty style and feel of it. But now when I look at a Jetta, it seems to look too small! Its a nice change, but I think that being single, I would still go back to a Jetta next time. Get a Sonata though if you have a family. I dont think you could go wrong.