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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  Love my Santa Fe - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By cherylhillw - August 28 - 12:13 am

  I love my Santa Fe. I have a bad back so I traded in my Tiburon for the Santa Fe and what a joy. All the horse power needed when needed. Awsome gas milage around town and on trips to Maine on highway. The back seat fits two good sized adults comfortably, with lots of leg room . I am 58" tall and have no problem ridingf in the back seat and it is really comfortable. The only negative is my fiance` is 63" and he has a bit of trouble with head room that is the only problem we have had . In my eyes this is a best buy all the way cant go wrong!!!

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  I love our hyundai - 2008 Hyundai Sonata
  By john - August 27 - 11:56 pm

  We love our Hyundai. It is not quite as frugal on gas as my Chevy cavalier was but much more comfortable to drive and a lot more power and luxery inside. Rented one to drive from Dallas, tx to ca on vacation and was so impressed with it we went out and bought one the same month we got back. For the money it is a great buy. We love the built in XM radio and 6 disc cd player. So far no complaints with it. But have several with dealer.

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  great truck - 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By girlfrn - August 27 - 5:06 pm

  i recently got rid of a 2003 ford focus zx3 for this truck. i loved my car but i love this truck even better. the warranty is great and i love the truck. the look, the feel and the way it drives.

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  First week of owning new Genesis - 2009 Hyundai Genesis
  By jw - August 26 - 5:16 pm

  Having owned virtually every German and Japanese make on the market, I decided in todays economy, practicality should win out over creature comforts and German engineering. After owning a Genesis 3.8 for just one week, I am convinced that while my decision was certainly practical, I will not lose out on creature comforts, performance or quality. This car is an absolute winner and every time I get into it, I smile knowing that it will cost me less than half the cost of my E320 over the life of the car and I can honestly say that it has better features, comfort, style and performance. This car is a winner and if Hyundai can get the suspension right, they will really be on to something big.

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  BEST value !! - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
  By Romer - August 25 - 5:16 pm

  My nephew was first looking at a used Honda Civic. After I told him he could get a fully loaded Elantra GLS with traction control and ABS for $13,352 (w/ a $1250 mfr. rebate), we took one out for a test drive with 4 adults and AC running. It had a great take off with 4 adults in and the AC running. The 10 year power terrain warranty is better than what Honda, Toyota or Nissan offers. Gas mileage is in the upper 2os for city and mid 30s for highway. The fit and finish is really good and the ride is comfortable. There is --NO WAY-- you can find a better package for this kind of money. Out the door ( with tax and everything included ), it was $14.8K.

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  Bought First Hyundai in US. Hyundais Ever Since - 2013 Hyundai Azera
  By Jim Stevens - August 25 - 8:51 am

  I and my family have owned Hyundais for over 29 years. Thats right "FOR OVER 29 YEARS. Hyundai entered the U.S. market in 1986 with the introduction of its subcompact Excel. Our family has bought and enjoyed every Hyundai we have purchased since that time. We have owned over 8 Hyundais since their conception in the United States. Long story short, ALL have performed exceptionally well with minimal and or no repair required. They have improved exceptionally over the years and in my opinion, Hyundai is one of the best keep secrets in the automotive industry and one of the best vehicles on the road today. All of us are committed to Hyundai and will but nothing else. As far as my current vehicle, the 2013 Azera, FANTASTIC . Friends of ours have had their Chevy s and Fords in the shop multiple times for repairs. Not our Hyundais.

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  I love this little car - 2013 Hyundai Veloster
  By builderjoy - August 24 - 1:46 pm

  I have looked at these for a while and driven several different types of cars, but this little guy is super, my grandbaby has his own back door, the airbags are superior. The value was great and I love it!!!!!

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  Car pulls to the left and Rough change from gas to hybrid - 2012 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid
  By alejandromg85 - August 24 - 5:22 am

  I bought a 2012 Sonata hybrid 3 months ago. I loved the car as soon as I saw it. When I started driving it there were no problems at all. After 1 month the car started being pulled to the left. Dealer said nothing wrong with it. Now when driving in hybrid mode the car has a vibration and shakes hard when change to gas. Dealer said nothing wrong with it. I dont really like the car with that problems. The price was 30.000 dollars and they were supposed to fix the problem. Im gonna keep it cause is my first new car and I dont have any other option since Hyundai was the only dealer that gave me a 0.9% rate to own it. Interior and comfort is 10/10. Design is 10/10.

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  Great car for the value - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By Melissa - August 23 - 7:00 am

  We test drove Hondas, Toyotas and Nissans before choosing this car. You cant beat the safety features that are included, nor the outstanding warranty. The car is fun to drive and gets great gas mileage, I went 440 miles on my first tank of gas!! I highly recommend this car to anyone!

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  The feel and size of luxury but the gas milage of - 2016 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid
  By helene Ralston - August 23 - 3:35 am

  Comparing a lot of different cars I really wanted a hybrid with the comfort and space of luxury car without losing the technology now available, I narrowed it down to the Camry Hybrid in the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid Limited. Are there I can appreciate the Camry interior design I had a compact space that felt crowded compared to my Hyundai Sonata limited hybrid. Ive now on the car for a month and so I can give an honest review on everything except for repairs. I negotiated and got everything I wanted in my car 29 K including the sunroof and all weather mats. Delighted to find that can get 44 miles per gallon on the highway and about 37 day to day driving. That was exactly what I was looking for without compromising the comfort in space I wanted in a car that felt comfortable and stylish. The car is beautiful to look at and classy inside and out. This is the BMW look that I wanted without the BMW price! I love the technology package and the comfort of the backseat (heated) as well as the front. The trunk is huge! The negative side is the guidance package that they give instead of the GPS. It is sorely lacking. I found myself getting frustrated waiting to get the directions to the end up going to my phone for the GPS. However this can be remedied for about $600. Other reviewers mention noise and there is a bit because the car is so quiet however I can deal with it for the price, gas mileage and the comfort. I love my new car and all that it offers for such a great price. My son has a Volvo s60 sedan and my Sonata Limited has all the same bells and whistles that his has. The Sonata is every bit as comfortable and more spacious. The one item he has thats missing from the Sonata Limited is it automatic braking. I give my new car four stars all the way around and no opinions on repairs. If they added automatic braking, GPS and found a way to insulate the outside noise a bit they would get a 5 stars in all areas but repairs. I cannot rate the repairs until I need them. By this car and you will not be disappointed. 44 mpg on Highway! I love it.