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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  Amazing Car - 2016 Hyundai Genesis Coupe
  By Carlos Valdes - December 3 - 8:43 pm

  first off this website has a few things wrong with what the car exactly has. i have the base model but with duel tone seat and i had it checked out and i do have a limited rear slip differential, audio and cursie controls on the steering wheel and a few other things. I had the 2.0T before i got the 3.8 and as soon as i drove the 3.8 i could notice an extreme difference in the response and in the gear shifting. The actual gears ride to higher speeds while in the 2.0t the first and second is basically never to be driven in because it just doesnt reach high enough speeds to be practical while the 3.8 first and especially in second. and i know they fuel mpg is average around 18 but i drive in cruise control and i get around 22mpg. As well as it is a very safe car while i had the 2.0t someone going 65 in a 35 hit the front bumper and everyone in the car was completely un hurt and fine. Overall the 3.8 is a much better then the 2.0T and a very safe and practical car

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  WE love our new Sonata - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By JC - December 2 - 4:30 am

  I cant begin to tell you how much my wife and I love our new 2011 Hyundai Sonata GLS. We cannot stop looking at our car just parked....beautiful. Its hands down the best family sedan we have ever owned. We have owned Hondas Toyotas and BMWs in the past. In these hard times, getting the most for your hard earned money means a bit more to people than it used to and I think Hyundai has really stepped up to the plate with this new Sonata. They really have listened to their customers it seems.

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  Tall Guy in a Hyundai - 2018 Hyundai Sonata
  By Geoff Alderson - December 2 - 12:47 am

  I’m 6’ 3”, lots of headroom in this car. Easy to exit as the driver’s seat moves rearward when the engine in turned off and the shift lever is in Park. Driver’s seat also has adjustable lumbar support. Has adaptive headlights – front lights turn when steering wheel is turned. Trunk is large, plus the back seats fold down for additional room. The Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) uses radar signals and camera recognition. AEB has many limitations, be sure to read the Owner’s Manual for more info on this. Quite cabin on city streets. As Edmunds noted, some tire noise at freeway speeds. With the turbocharger, lots of power for entering the freeway and for passing. No heads up display, but speed is displayed in a large font in instrument cluster. Looks beautiful in quartz white pearl.

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  Great car with UNBELIEVABLE LOOKS - 2012 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid
  By donnie13 - December 2 - 12:37 am

  My second Sonata Hybrid. Bought a 2011 and loved the car. Took one with gray interior so I could have it sooner. Traded for 2012 with tan interior and absolutely love this car. Everywhere I go, people ask what kind of car is that? I got the optional dual sunroof with leather in Pearl white. It looks and feels like a BMW. I have had. and do have many cars including an Audi A8L and an E550 coupe and find myself jumping in this car most of the time! The gas mileage is great and dealership experience was the best Ive experienced. (Universal Hyundai Orlando)

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  my 2009 buggy - 2009 Hyundai Genesis
  By john tammaro - December 1 - 3:41 pm

  Buy a later model. We gave this one to my granddaughter and she (and her companions) love it

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  Best Mid-Size SUV-Beats Luxury models - 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By jrsactown - November 30 - 7:03 pm

  My wife and purchased a 2014 Santa Fe GLS, AWD with Ultimate Package, Frosted Mocha in Oct 2014. We paid $36,000+ T&L, about $15,000 less then our next 2 choices ( Acura mdx & lexus rx350 ). The santa fe top of the line has more features, and rides just as good. Value is unbeatable. Looks, MPG, Ride, and power are top notch. Are friends are always amazed at how good it is ( most people are not aware of how good the Hyundai brands have progressed) We now have 4,000 miles, and not one issue

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  Great car - 2004 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Leah Schweigman - November 30 - 10:00 am

  Tiburon was a great buy; filled with lots of standard features, is stylish, gets lots of attention, drives like a dream and was a great buy for me.

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  Great little car - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By spillman - November 30 - 10:00 am

  Very satisfied with this car. Highly recommend it. Very functional and versatile

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  Best Choice - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By Labaneli - November 30 - 10:00 am

  Good price, good performance and good looking. I think this car is the best choice of around 20000$. Dont buy another car like Mithubishi Garant or Suzuki Verona. Sonata is much much better! I recomend GLS or LX model. The perfomance is same but, the interior is different. LX is more luxury but over 20000$ so, GLS is also good choice (19000$)

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  My second Sonata but not my last. - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By kmht - November 28 - 8:40 pm

  As soon as I noticed the 2011 Sonata on the lot I knew I had to drive it. I was driving a 2009 Sonata that I also loved from the very beginning. The sleek new lines are very attractive and they make the car look much more expensive than it really is. The six speed transmission is much more refined and it seems to hug the road better than my 09. I am a six footer and the drivers compartment is very comfortable. All of the controls are well laid out and easy to reach.