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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  Perfect Combination of Style, Value and Quality - 2013 Hyundai Veloster
  By diablito30349 - September 2 - 6:54 am

  I have owned this car for a little over a month and put about 2800 miles on it, and I love it. After reading (and watching) literally every car review done for this car, I was comfortable with what this car is, and isnt. I really was surprised by how quiet the ride is. The suspension is a little firm so you feel the bumps a little more, but its not too bad. I also think the engine is perfectly adequate for what this car is intended to be (a sporty looking economy car). Its not as "underpowered" as a lot of reviews would have you believe. I also love the bold design of the car. This shows that you can get something economical without feeling like youre driving a toaster on wheels.

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  Love my new car. - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By tracker1 - September 1 - 1:43 pm

  I havent had this car but one day so far, but went on a half a dozen test drives, and sat in more than a handful of cars. This is by far the most fun Ive had driving a car in some time. My last car was a Buick Park Avenue, and this car while slightly smaller on the inside is a far better performer, and has nearly all the features of the Buick.

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  My Second Hyundai - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By Hyaguar05 - September 1 - 9:13 am

  I love this car, this is my second Sonata I also have a 2005. I think everything about this car is great, except the way they designed the air conditioning vents. I think because of angle of the vents on the dashboard, you have to almost close the vents all the way downward before you feel the air.

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  Fun to drive vehicle - 2006 Hyundai TUCSON
  By jpiecuch - September 1 - 5:10 am

  After driving a Ford truck, I can tell you this vehicle is much more fun to drive. It handles great and will do everything we will need it to do. Parking in tight spots is no longer a pain. Engine power is sufficient and ride is what you would expect from an SUV, although is better than most others I have been in. I highly recommend this vehicle.

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  Great Design - 2006 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Great Design - August 31 - 1:40 pm

  A very fun suv to drive. Short lenght took some getting use to. 6 inches longer would be perfect, but would it still be a compact or midsize. Really havent took a road trip to check mpg but city has been very disapointing at only 16/17 mpg?? Shifting sometimes feels lazy and you get the feeling its guzzing gas? Right arm rest could be designed 4/6 inches longer even in the upper position. Overall this is an excellent value for the money. Jury is still out if I should have paid the extra cash and bought the Honda or the Rava. My auto mechanic for past 25 yrs. suggested the Santa Fe or Tucson since he never gets them in his shop.

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  Love it so far - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By Eric - August 30 - 7:23 am

  Its great looks combined with its outstanding performance is unmatched at this price level. Getting numerous head turns and is extremely fun to drive. One note: At just 200 miles the airbag light has come on. Have an appointment to have it looked at tomorrow, will update my review if needed.

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  Rental Santa Fe Made Me a Believer - 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By UtahRed - August 28 - 6:29 pm

  I have rented this suv for a week since my car is in the shop. I currently have a KIA Sorento. I test drove a 2015 Santa Fe before purchasing my Sorento. The issues I had with the 2015 have all been addressed in the 2018 Santa Fe Im renting now. And I would have to highly recommend it. It has good acceleration, the visibility is much better than my KIA. Its more sporty looking. It sits up higher thanks to a "pumping" lever. The headrest is much more comfortable. I can see out the back window. The interior isnt as nice as my Sorento but its got all the bells and whistles.

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  A Great Deal - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By J.Davie - August 28 - 2:00 am

  This is a great vehicle, and I dare to say the best buy currently on the market. It handles in a very agile manner, and has adequate power.

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  Love it - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Algernon - August 28 - 2:00 am

  Very happy w/ my Santa Fe. Bought it to drive in the mountains of Colorado. Little under powered climbing the hills, but the gas mileage makes up for it. Back seat is huge...fits three grown adults easily. We camp a lot & love it with all the room inside. Bought the roof rack for the top, but would now rahter have a Yakima or thule because they hold greater amounts of weight. Current rack only holds up to 75 lbs.

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  An In Demand Vehicle - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By Ron - August 28 - 1:26 am

  Thus far 24 hours in this car drives great. Handling is great, an adjustment for me as it is very responsive compared to my Dodge Neon I traded in. Interior is beautiful especially when night driving as it just lights up. The on board MPG indicator is a nice feature, I find myself challenging myself to increase my Avg. MPG to get the bar up to 50MPG. Brakes are very responsive almost too much. Definitely takes an adjustment. GLS had everything I needed, IPOD cable, bluetooth, speaker system for phone and multiple cup holders. Also IF you are tall you will fit into this car, I am 62" and fit in the front easily with headroom.