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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  wow! - 2002 Hyundai XG350
  By joseph - July 22 - 2:00 am

  so far so good! im so glad that i didnt have to spent thousands more for lexus or acura. and im glad that i didnt have go with camry or accord. i like the quality and love the warrenty package! it looks like lincoln or infiniti. and quality arent that much different either!

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  Great Day - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Ody - July 22 - 2:00 am

  I have driven a 2000 Tiburon for 2 years. This car BLOWS it away. The speed, comfort and sound are incredible. I test drove a Celica and matrix and this car hands down for the money is the best car I have ever driven. Love the new tilt wheel.

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  pimpn is easy - 2002 Hyundai Sonata
  By nathandi - July 22 - 2:00 am

  I did a lot of research before buying this car. You simply can not get all these features for the price anywhere else. I purchased this lx loaded from a dealer in NC. I dont know how reliable the car is as I have only put 2500 miles on it so far, but the warranty surely makes me feel good. The fact that the bumper to bumper warranty runs out at the same time most people pay the car off is a big plus. Ive never had a car warranty last as long as the payments. Overall the car rides and looks great. If you are simply looking for a big name then this is the luxury car for you.

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  One Solid Car! - 2017 Hyundai Sonata
  By Bo S. - July 21 - 3:07 pm

  This is a second Sonata (old one is 2012) I own besides an 2003 Elantra (commuter) and a 2017 Santa Fe Sport. Yes, Hyundai cars are so reliable and we keep going back buying them. When I looked at a 2017 Sonata Sport in blue, instantly I fell in love with because it has the luxurious feels both inside and out. With the deep discount offered, I couldnt pass it. The OTD price was slightly over $19k. Currently I have over 2k miles on it and I get average 34.5 MPG of mixed highway and back road driving. On highway, I have seen highest 41.1 MPG without using Eco. This is Sonata Sport with 2.4L engine with Value Edition Package ($950) which has sunroof, 17" aluminum tires, side blinkers, butt warmer, automatic trunk open, and push button start. There are so many bells and whistles that came with and I am still learning. Due to the sport suspension, the ride is a little stiff but is very quiet. Turning on a tight corner is so easy and I get the feeling that it glues to road. Hyundai, youve done it again!

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  Sonata- 9 days 500 miles so far - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By ALAN L - July 21 - 2:00 am

  After 25 years of Camrys the Sonata comes awfully close to the quiet ride. Tested well on the infamous Long Island Expressway-windows up can hardly hear the trucks. The engine is soft,smooth and the ride quiet Its peppier than the Camry but slightly less smooth gear shifting. The seats are comfortable. Its beautifully designed handles great and the mileage on first tank is over 26. Music system is better than Camry almost as good as the upgraded JBLs Best of all coming loaded with PEP2 and Homelink except for no 6 cd changer and rear AC vents it cost 18,100 which is 3000 less than I paid for the XLE 8 years ago. GREAT CAR

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  Great Value... but -- - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By RGG - July 20 - 7:03 am

  Im not sure about long trips due to the seats. Theyre nice with the heated leather, but you can feel the short bottoms/lack of thigh support. It doesnt seem like much until you make a long drive and you go numb! Cool how the rear seats have adjustable recline, though. Nice storage section under rear cargo area. Excellent ride quietness. You can have a regular conversation in this thing w/o raising your voice! Traded in an Elantra GT, so Im used to the blue dash lighting. The projector type headlights make for an "upscale" feel.

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  Solid through and through - 2007 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Olddude - July 19 - 5:16 pm

  I went into the dealership to buy a base model GS and after driving the SE (due to the fact the color I wanted in the GS was no where to be found) there was no turning back. The car drives solid as a rock. The 6 spd trans. is very precise and easy to drive. The duel exhaust sounds "throaty"! The car is very sound and well constructed...just close the door and see how solid it sounds..it sounds like the door closing on my girl friends Lexis 330.

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  Cheers for Elantra GT - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By Gary Atherton - July 18 - 2:00 am

  I have had my GT for a year now and I couldnt be happier with it. I have returned to the dealership only once and that was for a recall notice. Even the usual "little things" that accompany a new vehicle have not appeared.

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  Azera rating - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By R C Nickeson - July 17 - 10:30 am

  Best car I ever owned

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  Great buy! - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Great SUV - July 16 - 3:43 pm

  This was a great buy! My wife & I love it. Great around town. Plenty of room but not too big. Great on 5500 mile trip. Mileage was great. Averaged 29MPG which included mountain ranges in Colorado, Utah and Wyoming. Very dependable so far.