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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  Excellent Value - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By jpantz - April 14 - 8:16 pm

  Hyundai continues to produce better and better cars with each model year. I owned a 2001 Santa Fe for a couple of years and was pretty satisfied with it, which is why I was willing to look at the Sonata when it came time to replace my aging Camry. From the moment I sat in the Sonata I knew I wanted it. Its fun to drive and the 5 speed automatic transmission is a good match for the 235 HP the motor kicks out. The car has ample power in the passing gears and launches you from 55 to 75 in the blink of a eye. And surprisingly, the car does pretty well in the snow with the stock tires. The traction control and anti-lock brakes keep the car under control on slippery roads up here in Minnesota.

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  Close to perfect - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By ksd - April 14 - 1:53 pm

  I shopped extensively for a midsize SUV. I needed three rows of seats and AWD, but wanted a compact package, decent mileage, and a modest price. I almost bought a RAV4 limited, and boy am I glad I decided to test drive a Santa Fe first! For the money, you get a LOT more space and features in the Santa Fe. I had a hard time finding a Limited with touring pkg (3 rows) and without the sunroof, but I finally did and paid $28,000 even (after rebate). So far, my only complaints are the lack of an AUX input on the stereo (for an ipod), and only adequate FM radio reception. It drives great and looks great. The map and dome lights on mine come on when the doors open, contrary to some comments below.

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  Happy with my first Hyundai - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By jprets - April 13 - 10:00 am

  Nice car inside and out. Researched this for awhile and nothing else touches it for the price.

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  Jet-Smooth Engine is Underrated - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By bobad - April 12 - 6:56 am

  When choosing this car, I did more research than usual. I started about a year ago, and thoroughly researched 4 or 5 other mid size cars in the $18- 22K price range. I compared everything having to do with size, performance, reliability, and safety, including intangible, subjective, and emotional factors. Things kept coming up Sonata, and not by a small margin. It was the clear winner. The only factor that gave me pause was the lack of reliability data in the new engine and transmission. I fell back to 2000- 2005 Hyundai quality, reliability, and customer satisfaction records, and I found them to be very acceptable and improving. I knew about all the negatives going in, and there have be

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  Genesis - Luxury at a reasonable Cost - 2016 Hyundai Genesis
  By Greg Ceshker - April 11 - 7:27 pm

  This car has everything you would want in a large, luxury car. Still learning all the great bells and whistles.

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  Genesis ROCKS! - 2009 Hyundai Genesis
  By impressedbo1 - April 11 - 11:40 am

  Drove the car for the first time yesterday and all I can say is WOW! Never thought driving a Hyundai could be so fun or engaging yet so relaxing and assuring. Feels more secure than any BMW Ive ever driven definitely more on par with an A8 as far as structural feel. In performance driving the car has such a neutral feeling and is very balanced weather on or off the accelerator. I dont think the ESP even tried to keep the car in line it just did it on its own. This car looks great with tight wheel well gaps (looks like its already lowered) and sharp tight body lines. The only thing I might change is the rear tail lamps so it looks less like an Infiniti.

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  Loving my Santa Fe. - 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Mrs Jackie - April 11 - 6:00 am

  This is the first SUV that I have ever had the pleasure to drive. And I found that it has spoiled me rotten. Love everything about it. I am also short but it is easy to get in an out of. And it has the smoothest ride. I highly recommend the Santa Fe to anyone who is in the market to purchase and SUV. It is roomy and also durable. It has class an style. I have no complaints at all about the Santa Fe. I just love it love it love it.

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  Great SUV - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By tmcgee - April 10 - 2:00 am

  I have been shopping for about 3 months as my lease was comming due on my old car. My initial experience with this SUV is excellent, great detailing inside and out. I really think this SUV is built better than my wifes Mercedes ML 320 and they are about the same size.

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  Awesome car at a great price - 2015 Hyundai Sonata
  By Jon - April 9 - 6:58 am

  Performance: I have the sport model which lets you change the way the car shifts into the next gear. On Eco mode it is a bit more slow to peak going UP a ramp to merge onto the highway. But I can just turn that off for 3 seconds and I am good to go. I can have 4 grown men (minimum of 175 lbs to a max of 225 lbs each) in the car and it still responds decently for the horsepower it has. Fuel Economy: So I have been able to eek out 53 MPG by going 50 MPH in this car. otherwise by going 75 mph daily and still hitting city for 8 miles of my total 22 mile drive per day I still retain an impressive 35 MPG. I do not romp on the car nor do I aggressively brake or accelerate. This model was made to be comfortable and provide some tech and have a decent amount of power with the price tag that it had. I have no idea why anyone would think it is supposed to blast off the line like a 300 hp car. It looks good, drives great, has LOTS of room. the head room is phenomenal. I tried out a 2017 lincoln mkz recently and it had no head room for a 5 9" guy. I was against the ceiling! The 15 sonata has at least 3.5 inches yet above my head in the front alone. also I have two 6 friends that have plenty of leg room in the back when I have the seat pushed all the way back. This car is friendly in button layout and design as well. Everything is sorta of one color for buttons with only a couple that are different ( like defroster LED and windshield LED). I can find everything I need to and there arent multiple colors shooting at me with buttons that are too squeezed together. I feel that as long as you can get the car for $21,000 and under you will have a awesome car that comes with lots of tech, great layout, great design, lots of room for family and groceries, and provide decent performance for what it is. If you want more horsepower then get the turbo. ALL cars that have turbos are more maintenance so dont think any brand is less work than the other. If you want even more performance then pay for it and take care of it. If you cannot do that, then dont buy more car than you need.

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  It is All That - 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By 2x10 - April 6 - 8:29 pm

  Was drawn by the new design, & stopped by dealership for test drive! Wow, my wife and I love this vehicle! Great power from the turbo, the features and extras make us not want to get out! I had the chance to drive on a very windy day on a major highway @ 70mph. 18 wheelers swaying, leaves blowing, but the Santa Fe was smooth and stable. Handles nice, braking is smooth, not spongy, and cockpit is stylish, and not cheap looking. Leather heated seats w/ 3 temps, Bluetooth & bluelink awesome, cup holder in nice position, an eyeglass compartment that actually holds my sunglasses - big plus! Gas mileage on Eco, I was able to hit 26. Nothing but love for this ride