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 Vehicle, You cant go wrong!! - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Jeff - June 25 - 9:26 pm

  This is a great vehicle for the money. It is very solid and safe. It has a ton of features. The warranty cant be beat. Do yourself a favor and test drive a Sonata before you decide on a car.

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  Pretty Sweet Little Hatch - 2016 Hyundai Veloster
  By Rob - June 23 - 1:25 pm

  Overall, this car is a cool little Hatchback, it looks like nothing else on the road. The acceleration is a bit lacking and the close ratio 6 speed doesnt help that, this is a "momentum" car . Ride can be a bit rough over bumps and patched pavement, but, i expected that.The tech you get in the base model is pretty nice. It is a funky fun little car that gets great MPG and lots of looks. So far , i am loving my Veloster. Have put a little more than 10,000 miles on the car, still very pleased with my purchase , I have had no issues

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  Beautiful is what im hearing - 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe
  By connie - June 23 - 2:03 am

  i absolutely love the styling of the vehicle that is why i bought it. i have received quite a few raving compliments on it already. gas mileage is 29 on highway and about 20 in town which averages to about 24 when driving both. it definitely feels like a sports car. my only regret is that i did not buy the top of the line. money was tight and i didnt feel justified spending too much (i bought the 2.0 premium, but i really, really wish i had spent more to get the bigger engine, the fog lights, side mirror lights, etc. i was able to have a spoiler added to the premium package by the dealer and the spoiler really makes the car look great. nothing else out their compares!

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  beautiful car - 2004 Hyundai Tiburon
  By speed guy - June 23 - 2:00 am

  it is a real sports car

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  Exellent - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Doglover - June 23 - 2:00 am

  The Sante Fe is the best vechicle we have owned in a long time. It handles really well in the snow. And onlong trips it is very comfortable to ride in.The overall mechanical perforamce is exellent. We have had alot of people comment on the looks of it. And alot of people ask us all about it overall. My family loves this vechicle. Thank you for making suce a wonderful suv.Sincerly The Odland family.

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  Buy one! - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Lisa - June 22 - 10:03 am

  I did and you should, too. It is the most fun Ive had driving a vehicle. Not too big, not too small.

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  Great Car, Excellent Value - 2001 Hyundai Elantra
  By Warren - June 21 - 10:00 am

  Paid $10,745 out-the-door for a base model w/ A/T and mud guards. No problems in 15,400-miles. Get 32-MPG with my approx. 80% highway commute. Impressive number of standard features and nice interior (power w/l/m, adjustable drivers seat, plenty of storage compartments, padded armrests, hooks on the floor mats, map lights, overhead storage compartment for glasses, vanity mirrors on both sun visors, retractable cup holder for rear seat). Very good build quality. Nice styling. Powerful engine. Very good ride (easy to handle, easy to modulate brakes, soaks up bumps well, little engine and road noise intrudes cabin). Great car, excellent value.

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  Amazing, Great drivers car - 2005 Hyundai Tiburon
  By tiblover123 - June 21 - 1:39 am

  Fun to drive, even with a 2.0 4 cylinder it has quite a bit of power compared to some other 4 cylinders. gets going quick, and looks great. when im stopped at a red light i can see people driving by in mustangs and camaros looking at it. a little hard on pot holes, but on smooth road its like a dream.

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  Quality, Reliability and Comfort - 2008 Hyundai Sonata
  By Michael H. - June 19 - 5:57 pm

  I bought this car the day after it arrived in Sacramento. 8 yrs later, the only problem was a sun visor. 71,000 miles without a hitch. Driven short distances in town and long trips to Louisiana. Air conditioning has never been touched and works great today. Leather interior is still great. Never a problem with belts or handles and the exterior paint(Champagne) is still shining as the day I bought it. Acceleration has improved with age. The sun roof works perfect as does the cruise control, lights, radio, cd changer, and Sirius radio. I recently put new Bridgestone Potenzas and brake pads. The tires I had removed showed absolutely no suspension or alignment problems. The rotors did not need attention either. Nothing on the car has given any problem except the one sun visor I replaced for 36 bucks. The remote trunk release, the steering wheel controls an the remote fobs all continue to work flawlessly. This has been a value that I will not part with as I intend to buy another Hyundai soon to replace my Van.

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  well designed hybrid that is fun to drive - 2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid
  By r_l_r - June 19 - 3:56 pm

  I am pleased with my Hyundai Sonata hybrid. The car rides well. The suspension absorbs bumps and yet holds the road. The car has good accelerating and excellent dry and wet braking. I did not notice any tendency to pull to either side while driving or braking. Fuel efficiency has been over 40 mpg in city and over 45 on the highway. The controls are arranged logically and within easy reach. Most of the important controls are on or near the steering wheel. The standard version comes with most of the features one needs (I added heated front seats). I particularly like the bluetooth feature which enables full hands free phone use.