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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  Try It, Youll Like It - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Happy so far - December 23 - 2:00 am

  I admit that I am a car snob. I never thought I would drive a Hyundai but after test driving several other HUVs in its class, I drove off with this one. It has been almost 5 months and 6,000 miles and I still enjoy getting into it every day. I have not had to take it in for even minor adjustments. (This review is for a 2002.)

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  a great suv to have !!! - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By thope - December 23 - 2:00 am

  i love this truck !!! its great. easy to drive, great system, smooth ride. ita an all around great & affordable vehicle.

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  I love the Elantra - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By bigbear - December 23 - 2:00 am

  I had a Honda. Drove like a bucket of bolts although it was reliable. The Hyundai Elantra exceeded my expectations. I put on 27,000 the first year, and had absolutely no problems. I drove it from Florida to Pennsylvania, and was very comfortable. The car is very quiet and handles beautifully. Everyone who has ridden in the car is impressed. The warranty is excellent! Cant beat it anywhere. Great pickup!

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  yielded to peer pressure - 2010 Hyundai Elantra Touring
  By ani - December 22 - 4:10 pm

  When I realized it was time to retire my 2001 pontiac grand prix, I decided to listen to my family and try out a hyundai (my husband owns a tuscon, my son a sonata, my d-i-l a santa fe). When I walked into the showroom, I saw a chili pepper red hyundai elantra touring, sat in it,(its as wide as my old pontiac) and decided to check it out on edmunds. Ended up at another dealership where a test drive sold me. My first new car in 30 years is comfortable, peppy, really good looking, fun to drive-and I think it gets pretty good mileage but I need a little more time to make sure. Love this car-and theres plenty of room for my keeshond to sprawl out on the back seat.

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  Our first Hyundai - 2010 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Ken - December 22 - 3:43 pm

  Nice SUV, when I first test drove it, it felt like a mini Lexus. I was impressed, and the same night we leased the car. I wish I can drive it every day but is my wifes car so I have to drive our 2001 Honda CRV. We also test drove the 2011 Sonata, it looks like a BMW and it drives great, wish I have the money to purchase the Sonata too. I am very impressed with Hyundai.

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  Review - 2008 Hyundai Elantra
  By weeweewooo - December 22 - 3:10 am

  Reliable and stylish car

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  Its a keeper - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By psandifer - December 20 - 2:00 am

  My Dodge Dakota Lease expired so I looked for another truck-like vehicle with a 6 cyl. vs. an 8. After all the research my wife and I bought the fully loaded Limited. So far we have c.4000 mi. and have really enjoyed this. We have traveled to OKC and San Antonio since Dec. 20 and commute about 70 mi.RT. The rear seat entertainment with the Infinity sound system is worth it. If I have to drive this is the way to go. The power is more than adequate (too many tickets anyway) and I can haul lots of stuff and/or passengers. I drive about 5 to 10 over the limit but sometimes look down and Im doing 90. My point is Im getting about 21mpg and thats not bad for a rating of 20-24mpg.

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  power to burn - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By Mel from chicago - December 18 - 6:56 pm

  I only have 2500 miles on my sonata SE V6 so far but all is good. I traded a 2003 Corolla Le in for it. I loved the Corolla but wanted something a little bigger with more horsepower with good MPG. So far the Sonata has given me everything I asked for. driving around Chicago in stop and go I get 23 MPG on the freeways at 75 MPH i get 34 Mpg. Cant complain about that. When you stomp it, it zooms past everybody. I like that feeling of being able to pass quickly. The ride is excellent and road noise is a minimum. Ergonomically everything fits and performs well, and the fit and finish is good. No complaints and wouldnt hesitate to buy another one.

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  First 2011 Sonata sold - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By First buyer - December 18 - 5:00 pm

  I just purchased the car 2 days ago so my review of the car is with only a couple of days of ownership. I bought the Limited model. I love the new design and have had many compliments on the beautiful looks. The inside is as nice as the outside and looks great. The leather seats are of superior quality and the keyless ignition is wonderful. The standard bluetooth connection for my cell works great as well and the gas mileage is wonderful and I am averaging 25 miles per gallon on my first tank. The 200 HP engine has plenty of power and the car handles like a dream. I cant believe I got it for 26K. No down side at this point.

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  Great Car for the money - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By blair - December 18 - 5:53 am

  With a little over 1000 miles in the first 4 days of owning, I have no real complaints. Bought a Limited 4cyl with navi and I am driving it 80 miles a day each way to work and back. Car is quiet, comfortable, and generally a pleasure to drive. I am seeing 32 mpg with a mix of driving. Navigation is a little hard to work depending on what you are trying to get it to do but I am sure that is just a "learning curve" thing.