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:

• 

  Santa Fe - excellent - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By David Sullivan - May 2 - 10:00 am

  I have had the Santa Fe for 7 months now with about 13K on it. Just an excellent SUV. Ride is great - room for 4 big guys and golf bags. I folded the seats and put 30 bags of bark mulch in it. The ride did not suffer at all. The radio/cd/tape player is very good - I changed the speakers and that is all you needto do for great sound. It is quiet and draws a lot of complements at the mall parking lots. Finish is very good - heater is excellent, auto temp control works very good - many 90+ degree days this summer. heated seats, and mirrors. Just an overall great SUV - oh! the AWD through 18 inchs of snow - no problem at all.

• 

  SantaFe Review - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By CharlieB - May 2 - 10:00 am

  Very pleased with both the LX AWD and the dealer to date. I have 10,000 miles logged in 4 months. Fuel comsumption as advertised, about 20-21 MPG mixed driving. Had minor problem with dealer installed trailer wiring that was corrected. Its tough to pass on the warranty that is now been extended to 120,000 miles on the power train on some vehicles. So far, nor complaints.

• 

  Great Drive - 2005 Hyundai Sonata
  By Great Car - May 2 - 3:31 am

  When I first saw this car on the road I said, hmmmm that looks like a Jaguar, but as I got close I soon learned it was a Hyundai. Well I found myself needing a car a few days ago and shopped around.I stopped by Darcy Hyundai in Joliet and there it was in the showroom and I immediately fell in love with this car. It had every thing I wanted in a car and it was standard. I also learned that this car came with features that not too long ago were not standard. This was a pleasant surprise. It has the sleek front end look of a Jaguar this is why I purchased it.

• 

  Happy Tucson owner! - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Kathy - May 2 - 12:40 am

  This is the first time in 33 years we did not buy a Buick. This SUV is great. It rides like a car... it doesnt feel huge or bulky. It handles beautifully; visibility is excellent compared to other SUVs we drove.

• 

  The Best Car Ive Ever Owned - 2002 Hyundai Sonata
  By manofsteel - April 30 - 8:41 pm

  We bought our Sonata shortly after it came out in fall 01. The car has been great. We now have 62,000 miles on it with almost no problems. Would buy a Hyundai again, and will.

• 

  American companies cant touch this! - 2003 Hyundai Sonata
  By tjlee22 - April 30 - 2:47 am

  My first Hyundai...I am really impressed with it. The autostick is very nice to work the rpms. I recently read that Toyota and Honda "big wigs" are taking notice and they should. My Sonota DOES remind me of a Toyota. This car has great quality!

• 

  Great car - 2017 Hyundai Sonata
  By Dominick Edwards - April 29 - 7:12 pm

  I have always owned/leased high end cars. Traded my loaded 2015 Genesis 3.8 for the Sonata Limited 2.0T. In general, I am very pleased with the car. However, if youre downsizing from a Lexus or Genesis like I did, you might be a little dissappointed with the ride which is a little rough and with some road noise. The Sonata compares well to its competitors in all aspects including price. So, given the price differential between high end cars and the Sonata, one could live with the minor shorcomings. Overall handling is great. Electronics are as good if not better than most any high end cars. Safety features are great. The power seats are widely adjustable and very comfortable. Overall, I am very happy with the car. Yes, I miss my Genesis but Im getting used to a smaller car payment lower insurance premiums and much better gas mileage. In addition to all that, the car looks great.

• 

  JUNK - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By cafelady - April 29 - 7:52 am

  Look at something else before you buy this lemon bought new and from the get go,brakes were awful.Countless times to the dealer for brakes and 2 summers in a row for the air. I finally got tired of the vibrating steering wheel on the hwy,after many times at my mechanics shop for new brakes and balancing. Bought a Toyota,trade in was awful.I stood firm and got the mimimum on what Edmunds says here. I will NEVER buy another one.

• 

  azera buy it - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By Steven - April 28 - 11:06 pm

  you will not believe what you can get for the money from this car

• 

  Don`t listen to the Editor!! - 2004 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Badbri - April 28 - 10:00 am

  This vehicle exceeds my expectations in almost every catagory. I challenge you to find a vehicle so well built, with so many options for the price. You won`t! I love the "nice car." quotes I hear on a constant basis!