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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  Oops - 2010 Hyundai Elantra Touring
  By Tom - April 6 - 10:00 am

  Thought this would be an economical 2nd car since Hyundai touts 35 mpg. I use car on hwy and rural roads no city driving and I am averaging 24 to 25 mpg. My V6 AWD RAV 268 hp gets 22 to 23 mpg with same driving. The car definitely is lacking power and is very noisy when trying to get it going. I believe the 17" rims make this car ride hard. Wrong choice for me.

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  Good value, no fun - 2006 Hyundai TUCSON
  By meh! - April 6 - 10:00 am

  Purchased with 6000 mi on it as a dealership demo. Spongy brakes from day one, underpowered V6 and poor gas mileage. 3 recalls so far. Starter cable came loose on a Saturday night and the vehicle would not start after work, small issue but very inconvenient. This car is a cheap no frills cross over that is not fun to drive, but certainly serves its purpose. I can load tons of stuff in the cargo area with the back seats folded flat. If practicality is what you are looking for the Tucson is a good purchase.

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  My Favorite Car Ever! - 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe
  By Lisa Hays - April 6 - 10:00 am

  I am so pleased with my Hyundai! The performance is outstanding and I constantly get compliments about how great the car looks. And of course, you cant beat Hyundais warranty. Great car!

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  Sonata SE with XM/NAV voice - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By Kilibreaux - April 6 - 10:00 am

  This is the best Hyundai so far and I should know, this is my 6th Hyundai, the previous models owned being an Elantra wagon, two Santa Fes, Tiburon, and Entourage. Every model Hyundai I have owned has been reliable and well-built. The Sonata is all that plus superbly styled. Driving the Sonata is like sitting in an airplane cockpit with everything right at hand, plus, with the navigation system there is little need to look away from the road as everything--phone, XM stereo, iPod, DVD, and navigation is operable by voice command--amazing and fun! Acceleration is outstanding, handling taut, and fuel mileage incredible--average 42 mpg at 60 mph, 35 mpg at 70 mph.

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  Fun to drive and a great ride for the px - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Gonzo - April 5 - 4:26 pm

  Ive read the other reviews and I must have a different take on some folks. I bought mine after comparing it to the Miata, Eclipse and Elantra and I actually liked the ride better. In my opinion it shifts better than the Eclipses around the same year and has a lot better torque in the low range. I found road noise or hard riding does seem to be dependant a lot on your tires. At higher presser it was a rougher ride (but better stability) but when I went down a lb in each tire, wow. The clutch can be a little picky, but once you get used to its nuances you can work with it... it seems like it wants a lot of RPM in each range. Nicely smooth turning and hard to beat the looks you get!

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  replacing my toyota - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By replaced toyota - April 5 - 9:00 am

  I purchased my Sonata after looking at Nisson and Honda and the best buy for the money was the Sonata. I have a heavy foot on the gas and still get 32 mg on the highway. The best I ever got from my Toyota was 29. The warranty is limited you have to read the fine print.

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  Great Car!!! - 2006 Hyundai Tiburon
  By diamonddbrh - April 5 - 12:50 am

  I absolutely love my Tiburon. It gets lots of looks. It is fun to drive, It was love at first sight. When I set out to buy a car I had no idea I would be buying a Hyundai, but this car is so much fun! Everyone wants to drive with me.

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  Good little SUV for the money - 2006 Hyundai TUCSON
  By TY in IN - April 4 - 3:10 pm

  The Hyundai Tuscon GLS has been ideal for our family. It carries my family of four comfortably on short trips. It is an ideal size for maneuvering into parking spots at work. It has a roomy back end for groceries and such. We have had issues with the battery, headlights, air conditioning, and tires as mentioned in previous reviews. But with the warranty and the wonderful service at the Hyundai dealership, I had it all fixed quickly and without too much trouble and $$ for me. The gas mileage isnt the best @ 17-19 MPG. I love the 4WD, it isnt going to get me out of 3ft of snow, but it has helped me in snow <8 inches. It is a basic SUV, not a luxury vehicle, and it gets the job done.

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  10 - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By zlatko.novak - April 4 - 2:26 pm

  In one word Super!

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  2000 - 2000 Hyundai Elantra
  By Dennis - April 3 - 11:41 pm

  OK, You might not agree with me but this has been one of the most dependable cars I ever had. Yes Ive had plenty, starting with a 55 Ford and I might add Ive never purchased a Ford since. I changed the brakes at 45,000 and thats the most I have ever gone on brake pads. The only down side was I replace the battery at 30,000 and the tires. I dont like the current looks of the new models so that would keep me away from purchasing one at least until they make some external design changes.