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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  i just love it - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By patty - May 14 - 7:56 pm

  Its the best, the overall best vehicle out there.

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  Sweet Car - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By jim johnson - May 14 - 2:20 pm

  This is my third Hyundai, a Tiburon and a Santa Fe preceded it. I feel its the best one yet. The fit and finish is excellent, the ride is super and were pleasantly pleased with the milage and performance.

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  Sonata - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Heather Lloyd - May 14 - 1:46 pm

  My Sonata is sporty, and fun to drive. Its a roomy as a Camry or Accord. My family has always owned Camrys, and I had owned 2 new Accords. I have no regrets about my Sonata. It was was my best purchase yet. I have the quality of an Accord or Camry, and got it at a lower price and with a better warrenty. You cant go wrong!

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  Upgrade to the great "Tech package!" - 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe Sport
  By CsC#21 - May 14 - 10:25 am

  Bought this vehicle to replace my wifes 2010 Santa Fe. Have driven it for two weeks now. We upgraded to the AWD and Sport 2.0T Ultimate turbo engine with the tech package. I am truly surprised at what a pleasure it is to drive this handsome car. When traveling the highway, all I need to do is basically make sure I have the radio on the correct XM station and that the temperature in the car is set for my likes. Other than that, let the tech package take over. What I mean is that with the Smart Cruise Control package, the car keeps me about five car lengths behind the car in front of me. If Im traveling a four lane highway, and the car in front of me is going slower than the speed Ive set, all I need to do is pull out to pass. And, when I do pull out to pass, the blind spot warning will let me know if there is another car present and whether its safe to do so or not. Also the lane departure warning lets me know if Im straying from my own lane. Oh, and if that slower person in front of me slows down while Im in Smart Cruise Control, my car automatically slows down. I tested it once and upon coming to a red light, I let the the Smart Cruise Control take my car to a FULL STOP based on what the car in front of me did. I frequently travel a dark, hilly, and winding road. No problem with the tech package as this car has Dynamic Bending Light, Auto Leveling Headlights and High Beam Assist. All of which means as I take those turns, the headlights shine the corners. If Im going uphill, the lights shine up the hill and I no longer need to worry about the high beam as the car automatically turns it on or off as needed. The car also comes equipped with Automatic Emergency Braking with pedestrian warning. I havent used either of those features and hope to never use them! Our car is Mineral Gray with black interior. I find accelerating a breeze as the car shifts smoothly through the gears to settle where it needs to be. The back seats come with heated seats. A large moon roof is impressive. I am totally in love with this car. One knock is that I find it difficult to find a place to rest my left elbow while driving. The normal place where I would rest it is where the window and door meet. This location seems a little too high for my comfort. Oh, the car comes with a three year subscription to My Hyundai which allows remote lock/unlock and starting. I can also tell the car how long to run and set it to whatever temp I want. A great plus for cold New England winters and (somewhat) hot summer days. Oh, those are all done FROM MY CELL PHONE!!! I am not very impressed with Android Auto, but that could be because I havent played too much with it to this point. The noise inside this car is a great reduction from our 2010 Santa Fe. I would definitely recommend this car if youre in the market.

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  Great SUV - would buy two - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Jon - May 13 - 5:16 am

  Having been a Pontiac person before buying this SUV I would have never though I would like it as much as I do. I absolutely love my Hyundai Tucson and am seriously thinking about purchasing a second one to replace my sports car.

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  I cant believe I bought a 2nd Hyundai - 2005 Hyundai XG350
  By HSCRC - May 12 - 1:00 pm

  I purchased my first 350 in 2002, with some trepidation. The car now has 71000 miles on it and has been great. I bought a 2005 350 for my wife yesterday. Prices are excellent as this is the end of the line for the 350. Its an amazing bang for the buck for a classy, well appointed and extremely dependable car. Although my driveway now looks like a Hyundai dealership, I dont believe that there is a better deal on an almost luxury car out there.

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  2013 Veloster - 2013 Hyundai Veloster
  By JENNIFER MATHEWS - May 12 - 11:41 am

  I am loving this car! So much fun to drive! My only complaint is so minor and that is when I leave the lights on - it doesnt ding when I leave my lights on like my last car, LOL! See minor and not even relevant to how much fun it is to drive. Shifts super smooth!

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  06 Sonata, just a great overall vehicle - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By blnewt - May 11 - 5:23 am

  After comparing similar sedans (Honda, Toyota, Mazda, Nissan, VW & Ford) I was very surprized I would even consider a Hyundai. After reading the steller reviews on Edmunds and other sites & publications, I had to try one out for myself. I could not believe what a refined vehicle this was. Ive driven plenty of quality vehicles from BMW, Audi and the above makes, and this Sonata is as solid as most anything Ive driven. The doors were very heavy and the ride extremely quiet (similar to my fathers Audi A6). With the best warranty, largest interior and great looks, it was a very easy decision making the Sonata GLS-V6 our next car. Id look into one while theyre still a bargain~better hurry!!!

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  My Other Car is a Lexus - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By Marty - May 10 - 1:20 am

  Ive had a Lexus RX SUV for about 4 years now. Even though a new RX is priced almost $20k higher than the 2011 Sonata Limited that I now own as well, I find myself making apples-to-apples comparisons between the two on a daily basis. Strange as it may seem, the comparisons come out even more often than not. The fit and finish of the Sonata is comparable to the Lexus in nearly every way, with the possible exception being that the leather seating on the Lexus is a little more supple. Im sort of a tech junkie, and the Sonatas nav system with its upgraded speakers and backup camera really hooked me. The systems integration really makes driving a lot more safe in todays times.

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  Nice SUV. Loads of features for the price - 2017 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Tucson shopper - May 9 - 9:34 pm

  The 2017 Tucson in ECO drive mode shows some hesitation when driving off at lower speeds. The other available mode is SPORT which you have to select for it to be enabled. There should be an option of selecting how you want to drive the car. That is why I didnt give all the points in shifting. Tucsons are not necessarily the quietest ride in town but the level of road noise is perfectly bearable. The entertainment center is so loaded with features that it takes a while to get familiar with all the options and menus. Perhaps in a couple of months I will be able to score higher in this particular topic. Other than these minor inconveniences I am extremely happy with my purchase. This is a very well appointed trim with features found only in much more expensive models from other manufacturers