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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  Happy so far - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By Mike - May 2 - 9:46 am

  Ive only had my Sonata for a few weeks but so far I love it. It definitely handles really well, and is less bumpy than I thought it would be. Im 62" so I need a fairly large car and the Sonata has more than enough rom for me. The back seat has plenty of room even with my seat almost all the way back. I upgraded to the premium package. I like the power seat, and its pretty comfortable. Volume control on steering wheel is nice. The only thing I dont like so far is that its a 4 speed automatic. Its kind of slow getting going, like after a stop light. It lacks that immediate kiddy up. It has plenty of power on the highway, but going from idle to about 25 MPH is a little slow.

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  A nice ride for short money - 2010 Hyundai TUCSON
  By HamMi - May 1 - 11:43 pm

  I just got my Tuscon. I traded in a 2009 Mazda6 that was just awful. The Tuscon has all the bells and whistles for $5,000.00 less than the Mazda and its a lot of fun, fuel economy is better and the quality is far better. I am a big guy 6 4" 290 lbs and I have loads of room in the Tuscon. Its got Nav, backup camera, XM radio and lots more. All the controls are simple and easy to set and understand. I would put this up against much more expensive Crossovers any day. You owe it to yourself to check it out. You wont be sorry.

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  Nice mid-sized SUV - 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By mikec - April 30 - 6:20 pm

  We replaced my wifes 2002 Mazda Tribute with this after a great deal of research. Love the quality and build. Very comfortable; rides like a car not a truck. The Premium sound system in the Limited is among the best Ive ever heard (and I drive Lexus) Satellite Radio is nice extra thats standard. What sold us, too, was the outstanding warranty. V6 engine is quite sufficient for this vehicle and auto trans is smooth. Overall, very pleased with this purchase and the $2000 incentive from Hyundai made the purchase of this cost about as much as the Tribute did 7 years ago!

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  What is missing - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By zorst - April 30 - 3:43 pm

  Okay, I love the looks, the power, the economy. The car rides smooth and quiet. I love the bluetooth radio I make my calls through the bluetooth it works fantastic "call friend, mobile, yes" thats all there is to it. I sound better through my car than my phone. My 32gb thumbdrive works, holds and plays music on the radio, who needs CDs anymore. I have learned to like the footbrake. And I like what is missing, no transmission dipstick, and no timing belt. This should add up to less maintenance. Oh did I mention 87 octane? My friends love the look of the car I opted for the plain wheels, I think at first glance the hubcaps look better than many wheels from other manufactures.

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  Sonata - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By Diane Dreher - April 29 - 7:56 pm

  I love the get up and go performance of this car. It drives smooth and safe around curves etc.. I truly enjoyed all the Denver Blizzards this year, because me and my car got everywhere we needed to go!

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  Still love these Hyundais!!! - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By dr d - April 28 - 10:46 pm

  This is my 5th Hyundai, and they havent let me down yet! I think this one has been the most fun to drive though! I love the v6 power, the soft leather seats, the excellent sound system, the dual chrome exaust, the rear lip spoiler, sporty wheels, and the sporty ride! I got the Platinum Edition, and I absolutly love it!

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  Pretty awesome! - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By James - April 28 - 11:26 am

  Dont believe the poor mpg rating from those other reviewers. Theyre crazy. Im getting 30 mpg with a 50/50 mix of city and freeway! And easily over 35 on freeway. I love all the features: the bluetooth, heated seats, autodimming mirror, excellent cruise control system, smooth AND rather quiet ride, beautifully blue-lighted interior, lots of digital gauge info, nice sound system, sunroof, super gas mileage, push-button ignition (way cool), leather seats (could be a little softer), XM radio, and the occasional gawks and nice comments about the good looks of the vehicle. Oh, and I paid under 25K!

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  Second Day - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By gary - April 28 - 11:06 am

  I just picked up my new Sonata GLS in slate blue yesterday, and will admit that I bought it to save money, having traded down from a G35 with 95k miles. I looked at compact cars and quickly discovered they were too small. Then looked at the Accord Camry and Sonata. Found the Accord in cloth uncomfortable and in leather too pricey. The Camry was an excellent ride and very comfortable and decided to shop Sonata against it. I found the Sonata with virtually the same ride, a bit less comfortable with a high level of content and great layout and space. The clincher was the price - a full 5 grand less than Camry. Thought I might have 2nd day remorse, but enjoyed cruising with AC and the XM today.

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  Great Rental - 2016 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid
  By jed - April 28 - 4:34 am

  Rented in Albuquerque and driven 600 miles in Santa Fe , Taos , mountains and city. Averaged 42 MPG. Performance met expectations. Made me want to buy one except I want a minivan ie Subaru Forester. Give me this in a Forester and I would buy it today.

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  So far so good - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By Tom - April 26 - 9:36 pm

  Very nice car, V6 is powerful and quiet. Reliability is a little to new too rate but appears to be very good. Best value out there.