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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  Great car - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By Jacbrilyn - January 10 - 10:00 am

  I just got this car last month, i commute so much and the gas is just great, even with these prices. Im just so happy with this and theres even enough leg space to comfortable.

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  Great Car - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By Surrey - January 10 - 10:00 am

  Was looking for a full featured car that we good afford. So far, the Hyundai seems to be well built, quiet and gets good gas mileage. Only very minor criticism is the drivers side overhead grab handle, which I continue to hit my head on when exiting the car. Other than that, great car for the money.

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  Sonata is a great car - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By Dave - January 10 - 10:00 am

  I would recommend Sonata to anyone considering an Accord or Camry. Having owned a couple of Accords & having friends with Camrys. The Sonata is just as reliable & so much more affordable. Everyone thought it was uncool to by a Honda in the early 80s.

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  Love my Tuscon - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By D. Downs - January 9 - 10:20 am

  Love it after 2 weeks. Best vehicle of all Ive had so far.

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  11 Sonata Limited - Nice Ride - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By Ken - January 8 - 1:06 pm

  I bought the limited in Harbor Gray with the wind colored leather interior which is gorgeous.Gas mileage so far is great after 3 months and 3200 miles. The leather interior had some weak spots (burrs) in both front and rear seat which dealership replaced. Biggest issue has been annoying (rattle) popping sound in the dash. Has been in the shop twice to have this corrected. It is quiet for several days and then the rattle returns. The dealership has been awesome and I got a good deal by shopping different local dealerships. This car is a real head turner. I have people ask me all the time what kind of car it is.

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  Ok so far... - 2011 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By midwestrn - January 7 - 7:53 pm

  Just traded an 08 Nissan Rogue with a myriad of problems for the 11 Santa Fe. So far, its been ok. We went for the V6 SE FWD because that is all that was on the lot at the time. Would have preferred the AWD as we live in midwest with unpredictable winter weather, but hoping for the best. Gas mileage has been the best thing so far. I drive 90m round trip daily in combined city/hwy. We are getting 23mpg combined average. Better than the Rogue. It drives ok. Nothing to rave about, but not terrible either. The drivers seat is a little uncomfortable. It is power adjustable, but neither my husband or I can get comfortable in it yet. Hoping its just from being new and will soften a bit.

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  Great little SUV - 2006 Hyundai TUCSON
  By squisheez - January 7 - 7:20 pm

  Bought used, previous rental car. Havent ever had a problem with it. It has always been super reliable. We over paid at the dealer, but it was our first "new car". We had no idea of what we were doing. It fits our family of four perfectly. But our kids are getting bigger,so we will be looking for something bigger now. Mini Van.

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  Great car for those on a budget - 2008 Hyundai Elantra
  By Anthony - January 7 - 2:18 pm

  I was looking for a car to drive back and forth to school going to college and all. I was really satisfied with the interior design of the Elantra, except for some of the cheap plastics. The car is a nice smooth ride, and is reliable, but it gets boring driving it after a while and it could use a little more power.

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  Good Value - 2001 Hyundai Elantra
  By laura - January 7 - 12:17 pm

  I purchased my 01 Elantra in early 2002. To date, Ive had no significant repairs, and have sunk very little money into the car. Its not the fastest, greenest, most luxurious, or best performing car on the block. But it is very reliable, and has just enough comfort, safety, mpg, and performance to make it passable. If youre looking for a great value, and reliability in a commuter car, this is it. Nothing fancy, but it does the job, without time in the shop. ( Which can be a huge deal if your husband needs to borrow your car all the time because his Saab is in the shop every week!)

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  Honda who? - 2016 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Titan415@hotmail.com - January 5 - 7:16 pm

  My wife had her 2007 Honda CR-V for almost 10 years and 140,000 miles and loved it. It never gave us a day of trouble--not one--and she didnt even mind that it was loud and rough and crude. Based on this, I assumed that when it was time to upgrade, shed go with the car she felt comfortable with. Nope. She drove a new 2016 CR-V and was pretty surprised that it hadnt evolved at all. In a field of competitors, Honda had done nearly nothing to improve on a car that has fallen further and further behind. Im shocked that it remains a top pick for small SUVs. I chose a few cars for her to sample. She really liked the Subaru Outback and the Hyundai Santa Fe, but then she drove this and fell in love. Its got a taut but smooth ride, a comfortable and quiet ride, great safety features, easy-to-use technology, and its kind of gorgeous. Theres a LOT here to love. My only complaint (it doesnt bother her at all) is that transmission everyone is talking about. By all accounts the problem is much worse on the base model, but even here on the top-line Limited its odd. The transmission doesnt know what to do in certain circumstances, and feels unsettled until it gets it legs under it. It does concern me, but the 100k warranty soothes my brow a bit. All in all, its a pretty great if imperfect car, and I was unable to find a better value anywhere.