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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  Great Car with a little bit of speed - 2016 Hyundai Veloster
  By Jim - November 29 - 9:18 pm

  This car was the perfect split of economical and fun to rive.

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  Excellent Quality! - 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Sabrina - November 29 - 2:43 pm

  I went to the dealership to buy a 2003 traded in Santa Fe. I walked out with a 2009 Santa Fe. Best choice i ever made. I have had my car almost a week now and love this SUV. The most comfortable ride i have ever been in. Johnson Hyundai made my buying experience so comfortable that i would not hesitate to go back and buy from them again. They truly mean what they say and stick to it. I would rate the Santa Fe and Johnson Hyundai of Cary, NC above 10 any day of the week. Thanks for everything!

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  1st time Hyundai buyer - 2007 Hyundai Entourage
  By Warren Gappa - November 29 - 1:30 am

  Hyundai low cost, great styling, and high quality ratings are unbeatable.

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  After 10k miles--still a great car - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Experienced - November 28 - 10:00 am

  After 10,000 miles in 8 months--I still really like this car. Its done California mountains, Arizona deserts, and lots of LA freeways. Really fun to drive. Gets attention and compliments like a car priced MUCH higher. Shiftronic auto was a good choice with 16" rims. 17" rims (with manual trans) make the ride too hard for me. Performance is very good and you always feel confident with whats under the hood. Milage is great on freeways--up to 27, but around town, only 17-18. Paint has a few dings already--a disappointment. Forget the back seat for adults, but you dont buy this car to haul people. Front seats are outstanding.

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  Fun to look at & Drive - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Richard Bowser - November 27 - 4:20 pm

  This vehicle is fun to drive and great looking. Ive had people look at the car and thought I had bought a "Beamer". Hyundai has come a long way.

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  After 6 months, I still love it. - 2002 Hyundai Sonata
  By GStrom - November 26 - 10:53 am

  I am very happy with this car. I believe it is one of the best values on the market. Compared to what other car companies are offering for the same price. I stack this sedan toe to toe against comparable sized sedans at a 5 to 8 thousand dollar savings.

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  2011 sonata limited - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By Barry - November 26 - 10:00 am

  This is my 2nd Hyundai just traded in my Santa Fe to buy the Sonata.The Santa fe was great for what it is an SUV but it was reliable.The Sonata Ive only owned for 3 weeks & this car is so much fun to drive not only the performance of this 4 cylinder engine but the 6 speed tranny is fabulous.The sound system & all the wonderful extras it has makes it feel like Im driving my 450sl.Smooth ride & handles turns like you wouldnt believe front passenger seat could use the power controls wow.Hyundai you did a great job drives like a sports car.

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  Great Car - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By Ron - November 26 - 10:00 am

  Bought this car a few weeks ago with 8 miles on it. I got to say I was skeptical but after owning it I am glad we made this decision. It is a lot of car for the money. The quality is great and the car has a lot of options that are only available in cars costing thousands more. I would recommend this car to everyone. I dont hear any noises some of these people complain about. I think these people are complaining because they want to have the only one of these great cars on the road.

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  No longer a Ford person! - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By jv - November 26 - 5:46 am

  After 22 Fords in last 30 yrs - first non-American car. I love it - take it out for no reason. Just love the way it drives!

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  Satisfied Shopper 2004 elantra & 2007! - 2007 Hyundai Elantra
  By Kirsten - November 24 - 10:30 pm

  On Oct 10th my fiance and I were in a car accident that totaled our 2004 Hyundai Elantra. Everyone was fine thanks in part to how safe the vehicle itself was! Now on Oct 18th, after looking at many different cars and dealerships, we ended up going back to the guys who sold us the 04 and buying an 07. My first impression of the 07 was how well it handled. Im able to turn corners sharper than before and my acceleration is amazing compared to anything else Ive driven. The trunk space is amazing (though you wouldnt think so from the outside!) The small details are great a purse/trash holder in front is neat!