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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  Initial thoughts... - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By atlantabcs - May 31 - 12:23 pm

  Just purchased the Limited 2.0T model tonight... put 75 miles on it and must say I like it. The car is quiet, smooth, peppy and is averaging about 26 mpg so far in a mix of driving. Love the bluetooth interface and all the luxury items you get with the Limited trim. I think someone said headroom was tight in this car in some review...not true. Im 62" and have plenty of head and leg room. Do wish it had memory seats though. I still think its the best bang for the buck on the market...hands down. Ill update again after Ive driven it for 6 to 12 months and well see if anything changes.

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  its ok - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By mgperez - May 31 - 12:13 pm

  Feel bumps on rough pavement. Gas mileage is around 29 mix driving. Transmision is very good. 5sp. Auto. This was the second car they gave me. First 1 failed to start on the second day. Electrical problem and had to get it towed to the dealer

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  Great car but with rattles - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Jerry - May 31 - 4:10 am

  The 2006 car is my fourth Hyundai and undoubtedly the best. It is also the most expensive so I expected a better ride, beter everything and it lived up to all the hype produced by Hyundai, almost. It still rattles over rough roads and lets you know it does not care much about the somewhat harsh ride over such roads by producing the noise. It handles better, is smoother shifting, and has more than enough power to get you into trouble with the law if you can afford such adventures. This car even gets a wee bit more gas milage than the others with a much bigger and more refined engine. There will probably be a fifth Hyundai someday.

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  Excellent - 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By c.manea - May 30 - 8:00 pm

  I was impressed with the Santa Fe the first time I saw it, bought the Limited version, based on the good reviews on the internet. Now I work for a car rental company and I drive all kind of vehicles. I realize the Santa Fe is hard to compare to any of these. The Japanese competition is at least 1 step behind. You wont regret buying this car rather than a more established brand that costs much more. Read and compare the reviews and youll see that not even a 100.000 dollars Porsche is not perfect. And they had no recalls for the Santa Fe and if you watch the crash test videos, youll really want one. If you buy one in Edmonton Alberta get it at the West End Hyundai.

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  Ill never have ANYTHING ELSE! - 2002 Hyundai Sonata
  By Casey - May 30 - 7:02 pm

  I bought my 2002 Sonata Lx in Sept. of 2002, we have put almost 70K on the car in less then 2 and a half years, we just go everywhere in it! We drive 100 miles a day to work round trip, and love the ride home at the end of each day. And with the 2006 comming to the dealer, You can bet Ill be the first in line to "move up" to the sleek new body.

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  my cheap honda - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
  By ben digennaro - May 30 - 11:56 am

  car is very reliable,easy on gas,looks good. the price cannot be beat by civic, corolla,or mazda. i think they set a bench mark.

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  A wonderful car - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By twowheels - May 30 - 12:58 am

  Its been a wonderful car. Drives well, comfortable, good mileage, and a GREAT bargain! Id replace it with another if the need arose.

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  AMAZING. - 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By L.Murphy - May 30 - 12:03 am

  Fuel economy not the greatest. But compared to a truck, its great. The only thing Im not totally impressed by is the 2nd and 3rd row air ducts for heating. they dont blow as hard or as hot of air as the front do. Other than that it truly is the smartest and best buy Ive done in a long time. Great job to Hyundai, and building vehicles that extremely reliable.

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  little money and a good reliable car - 2001 Hyundai Accent
  By Zach - May 29 - 7:38 am

  This hyundai accent i got for $5400 cash with 30k miles. My dad got this for me as a gift, so I can get to and from northern illinois to indianapolis. 4 hour trips, the trip alone there and back is 550 miles. I can do the trip for just 40 bucks. (50 if you include chicagos ridiculous toll rates) great car, just dont hit the gas at 60 otherwise you will hear and feel the transmission.(not suggested. Keep the plugs and wires fresh, oil changes, and get fresh tires every 25k and the car rides smooothly. Ive kept up with high speed traffic on I-65 going just over 100mph. I am 59 200 lbs and the car is fairly comfortable with the armrest. Get a 25 dollar cd player for your tape deck. KEEPER!!!

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  Love it - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By Barbara Hardy - May 28 - 7:11 pm

  Fun to drive, plenty of pep