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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  Dont judge a book by its cover - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By steveb18 - December 2 - 12:26 pm

  This was not exactly a case of love at first sight. I needed a car for a weekend trip, and sitting in the rental lot, the Sonata was a blocky, nondescript presence. Like most cars in this area at this time of year, it looked as if it had been driven through a salt mine. Happily, my first impression was completely off base. If you want a classy set of wheels at a reasonable price, then this is the car for you. The gas mileage is improbably good. I was actually snivelling a little when I had to turn the keys back in.

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  Luxury for cheap! - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By livewiremd - November 30 - 8:36 pm

  I have had this car for 2 months. My last car was a Dodge Intrepid ES. This car attracted me by the long list of features and great warranty. I was surprised by the exceptional amount of power this car has! Coming from a Dodge 3.2 L, I was blown away by the power and the quietness of this car.This car literally sails. The downside to this is that it is very easy to be moving along so smoothly and quietly, then notice that you are doing 85! The interior and leather heated seats are comfortable and feel expensive. You need to test drive this car for yourself! There is a small list of negatives, and you really need to be picky for this list.

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  Buy1 - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By pleased - November 28 - 11:16 am

  Superb Quality and safety features. Great value.

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  Camry & Accord killer - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By Marce_us05 - November 27 - 7:10 am

  Im 20 years old and my stepdad bought me a 2009 Hyundai Sonata, my mom has a 2008 Toyota Camry and my 19 year old brother has a 2008 Honda Accord sedan, It cant get any better, we compare our cars on a daily basis both their vehicles were 20,600 for the Accord and 21+ for the v6 Camry. My sonata was 17,000 dollars and with the GLS i get many more features like the standard Ipod jack, Bluetooth connectivity, XM radio, MPG gauge,( Camry has none of that) and semi auto ( accord doesnt have it) I love the fact that i got a car just as good if not better for 3,000+ dollars less with the best warranty

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  Nothing But Good Things - 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe
  By maj17 - November 26 - 8:50 pm

  I purchased the 3.8 Genesis Coupe on 9/19/09 and have enjoyed every minute behind the wheel. The acceleration is excellent as is the ride - very smooth. I get 29 mpg on the highway and 25 in city driving. Once I adjusted the seat to my liking, everything is fine. My only complaint is the console between the seats - it continuously pops up! Its annoying but until I take the car in for servicing Ive learned to live with the problem. Taking curves at high speed is nothing but fun. Ive never had a vehicle with such power and this car is what Ive been looking for. Ive received thumbs up from the police as well as average drivers who cant believe its a Hyundai.

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  Great Vehicle - 2004 Hyundai XG350
  By Al - November 26 - 7:20 pm

  We are coming up on a year with our XG350L; we have been very pleased with the vehicle except for the gas mileage. The XG350L is a beautiful car inside and out with a price and warranty that made it a lot easier to finally walk away from Toyota. We were concerned about potential reliability issues but the warranty made us feel a little more comfortable about our decision. Once we weighed all the options it was an easy choice when the two prices where compared and Toyota would not kick in floor mats.

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  best car ever - 2008 Hyundai Sonata
  By brillo - November 26 - 1:46 pm

  had a 2002 camry le.this car is 10 times better to drive ,better ride ,better breaks.best car i ever had.most fun to drive

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  I cant take my eyes off her :-) - 2009 Hyundai Genesis
  By Steven C - November 24 - 11:03 am

  I did a lot of research, checked out the competition (Cadillac, Infiniti, etc.) and the Genesis out performs them by far. The fit and finish of this car is amazing. I find myself just stopping to admire her beautiful lines inside and out. Everyone is surprised when you tell them its a Hyundai. Hyundai hit the nail on the head when developing this great luxury automobile.

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  Noise - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By joystick1 - November 23 - 8:14 pm

  Shortly after receiving my Sonata, I noticed a burning smell in my garage. Then I looked under the car and it was undercoated. I sent a letter certified to the CEO noting the undercoating and I stated the only reason a car is undercoated in this day and age is to either reduce noise or eliminate vibration. Since I vever received a response, I sent a copy via regular mail. Shortly thereafter, I received a call from a women but she had no clue of what I was trying to convey. (The sonata supposed to have 14 anti coression emersions, more protection than a M-Benz) She said that she would have to contact engineering and would get back to me. She never did.

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  Black, Curvy, and Sporty! - 2016 Hyundai Elantra
  By Stephanie - November 23 - 8:06 am

  I know your initial thought: am I talking about Serena Williams? No, but you can bet it was not hard to name my new 2016 black and beautiful Hyundai Elantra after the worlds best womens tennis player of all time. I bought my car fully loaded from Rick Case Hyundai in Duluth and I could not be more happier! I came in pre-approved so I was pretty much shopping for what I wanted. I sealed the deal in the same day with minor tit-for-tat negotiating and walked away with my new baby! Salesman, Blessing Iyere blessed me with the vehicle of my liking and I could not be more satisfied. Truly grateful!