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:

• 

  My Third Sonata too! - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By jlwibanks - July 2 - 2:41 am

  I just bought a 2011 Sonata slightly used with 9k miles on it and got a great deal from a Dallas, TX dealership. I traded in my Chrysler 300c Hemi - I was sick of driving it from gas station to gas station. What a revalation the Sonata is! It is so much easier to drive and cornering is way better than the 300c which just felt like a tank. Yes the Hemi had more power, but the Sonata is lighter and really does need it. I was very curious about real-world gas mileage so the first day I bought it, I took it round trip from Dallas to Plano and back on mixed city/highway driving. I averaged 35.7 mpg on the freeway cruising at 75 mph - I am sure if I went slower, it would probably be closer to 40.

• 

  new design - 2007 Hyundai Elantra
  By jc67 - July 1 - 5:23 pm

  I traded in my 06 sonata for the new 07 elantra. This is going to be my daughters in a couple fo years. We got the seattle blue. It is a lot of fun to drive. We love the blue interior lights. Also I didnt want to pay extra for saftey features like side air curtains.In other main stream cars you have to decide if you can afford saftey in your monthly car payment. This is also a great car for new learners. So easy to operate. Very tight turning radious. The headlights also do a great job of lighting up the road. I owned an 03 corolla without fog lights and always had a problem on dark roads.There is plenty of leg room,and the seats are very comfortable.

• 

  LOVE THIS CAR! - 2012 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By sknouff - June 30 - 10:11 pm

  I have owned my 2012 Santa Fe for about 5 weeks now and am absolutely delighted with it. The comfortable ride and easy to use features are great.

• 

  one year later on the 2011 - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By topcontender - June 30 - 11:10 am

  I bought my 2011 Sonata Limited one year ago,heres the update on this car. While no car at any price is going to be perfect, the 2011 Sonata Limited is a very fine car. Ive had no problems with this car, its exterior prompts many people to comment to me on its styling, the enterior is modern and spacious with all kinds of added features. The seats are firm, supportive and comfortable. The car provides a quiet and smooth ride with a slightly European-car feel (similar to the honda and bmw type ride) and the sounds system is first rate. The 4 cylinder is very peppy and very efficient on fuel. Changing the oil is easy with good access to the filter and oil pan. This car is a contender!

• 

  Tiburon - 2006 Hyundai Tiburon
  By ZachZ - June 29 - 12:33 pm

  The 2006 Hyundai Tiburon is an ausome car to drive around in espically with the copletely loaded version in a manual.

• 

  My first new car!! And what a great buy - 2004 Hyundai Tiburon
  By panther24ca - June 29 - 2:00 am

  This is a great car, i am so glad i bought it.

• 

  great value - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By DUMP_TRUCK - June 28 - 10:06 pm

  Just turned over 2k in mileage. car has been great. averaging 25-26MPG at about 70% hwy driving in hilly western PA. accelerates smoothly. quiet and comfy ride. downshifts a bit quick for my taste when you take your foot off the gas pedal, but some people like it. that is really my only complaint , if you want to call it that, besides the paint. I dont have much of a point of reference, but it seems awful delicate. Within a week a had two sizeable scratches down to the primer from I dont know what.

• 

  Great value - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By theofile - June 26 - 9:53 pm

  Just finished a 6K mile trip out west. The car performed great. Got between 28 and 37 MPG. The 28 was doing a steady 81 with AC. The 37 was doing around 55. Couldnt have asked for more of 175 horses. I enjoyed the trip. The car was quiet, and we enjoyed the radio and music using a memory stick.

• 

  Hyundai Rocks - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By CHIFLYGUY - June 26 - 9:56 am

  Excellent car so far. Extremely smooth ride, transmission, and very responsive 4.25 mpg city so far. Soaks up bumps very well here in Chicago (city of potholes). Seats very comfortable and gives the driver good driving position. Has everything I want except bluetooth. Love the new interior that feels like a Lexus. If you are looking for Accord/ Camry you must look at this car as well. I believe it is just a better car plus its thousands less with hell of a warranty.

• 

  so far so good - 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By mazz1 - June 26 - 3:03 am

  I purchased this Santa Fe new in March of 2009. I have had it for 3 months. The ride is smooth, the interior is well laid out, seats are comfortable. The only complaint I have is the acceleration from a stop is slow, seems like it drags, between first and second gear. Also, I have a rattle in the passenger rear and the dealer cant locate it, makes me a little crazy. I am getting on average 20.5 mpg. If you want a Nice suv for a good price check this one out.