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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  Value, Value, Value - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By zudnic - March 1 - 4:20 am

  I have had this car for about ten weeks and am pleased. This car is an excellent value. The GLS model comes with all the bells and whistles standard, including USB, Bluetooth (both phone and MP3/Pandora capability), steering wheel radio controls, manual-override 6-speed transmission, etc. And Hyundai Assurance and the 100k mile warranty. It is comfortable and smooth to drive. Well-built. My quibbles are in visibility - the B-pillar is chunky and the rear visibility is horrendous. I also quibble that you cant disable XM, forcing you to flip through all three stations on the wheel. If you want leather or a sunroof, go for a higher package but you cant beat the GLS for the money

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  Better than the Accord - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Heussen - February 28 - 10:00 am

  Better in everywhere. Not just by more options for the money but Quality! Better interior exterior design! Smooth ride with sports car performance! 0-60 under 6.7 seconds!

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  Beautiful car - 2016 Hyundai Azera
  By Ruth Schulfer - February 27 - 4:05 am

  A great looking car and has a very smooth ride.

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  So far, so good - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Rick - February 26 - 9:43 pm

  I just hit the 3 year mark on my Santa Fe. It has been great. I normally replace my cars every 2 yrs or so, but in this case, I like this vehicle so much, I am keeping it. My only problem thus far has been the alternator needing to be replaced. Otherwise, this vehicle has been trouble free.

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  "Takes a lickin and keeps on tickin" - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By Susan - February 26 - 4:53 pm

  Dont be scared to put miles on this car. I bought my car used in December 2010 with 14,000 miles on it. During a heavy rain 5 years ago my car died in a flooded low point of an intersection in the city. I would wait a couple minutes, start it, itd jump a few feet & die. I did this until I got out of the water. I had water to my knee caps! I bailed water with an insulated shopping bag to lower the water and managed to drive home an hour. Vacuumed water, even drove it the next day 2 hours away, but on way home had some problems - more electrical than anything else. Took it to Hyundai - after a few days got an estimate of $14,000 to replace the computer. Took it to local auto shop who did all the repairs needed for $9,000. I now have 142,210 miles on this baby and still get 38 mpg on long trips. Its still comfortable and a pleasure to drive. Ive never had problems other than from the flooding. Im shopping for another used car and am most certain I will buy another Hyundai Sonata!

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  A lot of car for the money! - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Pete Bromelski - February 26 - 2:00 am

  After checking out the Hyundai line of cars at the dealership, I saw the Santa fe. It looked well built and asked for a test drive. It was so car like in its ride and comfortable that I bought one within a week. I now have a silver 2003 LX with the optional sunroof (everything else is standard it seems). I have read others comment about this car and I agree with all the positive comments. I sit high and the view is terrific. There is no other SUV in this class that in my opinion rides so nicely! Almost everything is well thought out and the quality is very high. It may not be perfect for all, but what SUV is?

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  Best $14,000 Ive ever spent - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By BadReligion702 - February 24 - 10:00 am

  A great car for the money. It feels like a much more expensive car then it is.

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  Love at First Sight - 2006 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Nathan - February 23 - 9:33 am

  I purchased my 2006 Tiburon SE almost 2 months ago. It is a dream car. I recommend to buy the higher model, the SE. It is well worth the meager $22,000. I first test drove a silver one. And then went to another dealership and found an orange one that I fell in love with. Even though the numbers dont sound like much 2.7 L with 172 hp and $22,000. Its lightning fast.

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  Happy Happy Happy - 2017 Hyundai Elantra
  By ABNEN69 - February 23 - 8:52 am

  I wanted an economical car with good gas mileage and would have gladly sacrificed for my daily commute of 100 miles round trip. I have exactly what I wanted but with all the extras and technology I never expected for the price. I love driving my car. It averages 32-33 MPG at the pump- the readout on the dash says 35-37 MPG average.

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  Pleasantly surprised - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By Stevenbek - February 23 - 12:56 am

  After only driving Honda/Acura the last 20 years I was hesitant on the purchase of a Hyundai. I started out in the market for a used car around $18k. I was looking at 07 Accords with 30K miles but was tired of the same old thing. After countless hours of research I said why not at least test drive the Hyundai? I can get a brand new basic model for about the same money as a used accord. I was instantly sold on the 2011 model. It offered all of the features I wanted with better gas mileage at a great price!