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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  FANTASTIC - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By Italstallion - September 25 - 9:20 pm

  This is the best car I have owned.I also have a Caddie Deville. The Azera has more features.Owned it 3 months, & have to fight with my wife over who gets to drive it. Drove a Buick,Lexus,& Acura before deciding on the Azera.Handles well, & gets 29.5 mpg. on a trip.Get this car.

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  Great car!! - 2010 Hyundai TUCSON
  By peri - September 25 - 5:20 pm

  I just got my new Tuscon and I love it!! The exterior design is appealing and modern and they have done a beautiful job with the interior. It runs and handles very well, it is fun to drive and their is plenty of room in the back. The panoramic sunroof is hot. I am very, very happy with the price I got. Well worth it!!!

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  This is quite a car!! - 2005 Hyundai XG350
  By David Krongelb - September 25 - 4:40 am

  This is an amazing car. Especially for the price. Outside appearance is classy and elegant, like a much more expensive sedan, while inside has a very Lexus feel to it. Very luxurious, rich leather, lots of wood trim, rear seat air conditioning, huge trunk, tilt-down mirrors when backing up, a rearview mirror that adjusts itself for glare and a state of the art stereo system. Combine that with the best warranty in the business. All in all, this is the nicest car I have ever driven. I highly recommend it.

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  Good Deal !! - 2007 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Robert M. - September 23 - 2:10 am

  I just traded in my Ford Ranger and boy what a difference. This is one roomy little ride. My fuel economy is decent, the included six speaker stereo rocks and, to top it off, it looks pretty good in my driveway.I truly enjoy the plethora of included features. All in all, i feel very good about my purchase and would recommend this vehicle to others.

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  Best of the best - 2006 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Ralph - September 22 - 11:13 pm

  We switched from Ford in 2002 and bought our first Santa Fe. Since then we have owned three and have loved every one. Only expenses have been regular maintenance and tires. Warranty has never been a problem with our dealer and all work has been done in a timely manner. I have also owned an Accent and now have an Elantra and would recommend any of them. Fuel economy on the Santa fe is 24 to 27 on the road at freeway speeds. We have 67000 miles on it and never had any problems.

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  Balancing - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By EDWARD - September 22 - 9:40 pm

  My car drifts to the right when I let go the steering wheel

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  This is Hyundai not Honda or Toyota! - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By e1700 - September 22 - 10:20 am

  It offers a lot more than what I expected. It drives really smooth and quite and spacious room front and back gives less tried for a long trip and everyday track with my kids or friends. I usually paying 28.5mpg an average but Ive got once for 30.8mpg its a awesome mpg for the size of the car. Wonderful design of interior and exterior it look as much as sharp enough and storng. It has a great acceleration on highway one of my friends says "it drives better than Lexus ES330!". I like the stereo sound system its dynamic sound. Sonata got #1 crash test from NHSTA too. I totally satisfied with this Sonata and truly truly recommand to everyone.

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  Love It - 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By coritoto - September 22 - 2:00 am

  I love this car,Its roomy enough for our family of four and I like its sporty look.

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  So far so good, no problems - 2001 Hyundai Elantra
  By dercat - September 22 - 2:00 am

  Bought this from Colorado for a cheap second car. Excellent gas milage. Drove from Amarillo TX to Dallas TX and all around Dallas on 14 gallons of gas. Hard to drive the speed limit, feels like you are crawling. Will be easy to get tickets in. Comfortable, reliable so far. Car was a dealer demo for a Hyundai executive. Bought it with 11,000 miles and now has 24,000 miles. Went ahead and got the 100,000 mile warranty and have not been to the shop yet. Resale seems a little low, trying to sell at this point as I no longer need the car.

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  Sometimes I just want to go on a joy ride! - 2017 Hyundai Sonata
  By Mike - September 22 - 12:03 am

  I was coming off a 2015 Sentra and I never really liked it all that much. I mean it was a great car and had good gas mileage but never loved it. I was just driving by a dealership and decided to stop in to take a look at a Sonata because someone in my neighborhood has a 2015/2016 one and it always caught my eye. As soon as I got on the lot I saw a Blue Sonata Sport, took it on a test drive, instantly sold. First, pricing makes this a very affordable car giving you the most bang for your buck in this class. The model I got has the package with the sunroof, leather seats, etc etc etc. Second, I am 64" 280lb former football player so its hard finding something I feel comfortable in... I fit perfect in this. Easy to get in and out, plenty of leg room, my head isnt right up against the roof, even with the seat back (not even all the way) rear passengers still have leg room. Infotainment system is pretty good. No complaints here. Compatible with Android Auto and Apple Car Play, which my neighbors brand new $50k Acura MDX doesnt have and they are a bit jealous of that ha! Now to driving, in regular driving mode its a little sluggish off the line but I have zero problems getting up up to speed quickly or passing someone. Now if you want to have some fun, throw it into Sport and pop it over to sportmatic shifting and go down some winding back roads. Now its nothing like the Lancer EVO I had in my younger years, but steering and suspension is nice and tight and very responsive. Allows you to accelerate out of tight curves without any body roll and nice solid grab on the road. Bottom line, this is a great car all around. You wont see it featured in the Fast & Furious franchise but it is fun to drive and you shouldnt have any buyers remorse either.