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:

• 

  More then you expect and pay for. - 2013 Hyundai Sonata
  By victory11 - June 19 - 5:43 am

  Owned gls with pop package for six months now. Fantastic car in this segment. Perfect performance everytime. Remote start installed and have had 0 problems. No adjustments, no glitches. Tire noise on rough roads gets a bit noisy, but mainly due to low resistance tires enhancing road noise. Smooth road....like butta! Suspension smooth and controlled, but not floaty. No rattles, squeeks, noises..(except loose objects in top of console will rattle.). Placed liner in and rattling stopped. Many dress up options on ebay, including chrome wheel skins for only 69.00 set of four. Car looks expensive, but doesnt give buyers remorse. Tons of room, seats comfortable. MPG 23/35 avg with eco.

• 

  Safety & Value with good looks to boot!! - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Rich H. - June 18 - 1:30 pm

  The new Sonata represents a quantum leap forward for Hyundai. Contemporary, competitive design, good looks, safety features galore, considerate little touches, plenty of room (more than Accord or Camry), good fuel economy and great pricing. I like it! Looking forward to Hyundais next round of product releases.

• 

  Just one day in and I love it. - 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By ro11tyd - June 18 - 1:53 am

  Left from home convinced we were coming home in a Murano. We spent 2 hours at the Nissan dealership only to find that we would only be able to get a stripped down Murano in our price range. We went two miles down the road and stopped to drive a Santa Fe. I just couldnt believe how much SUV we got for the money. Bigger, more features, cheaper, and better safety rating than the Murano. Love putting my wife and 2 year old son in such a safe reliable vehicle. If safety is a priority, then you have to give this thing a look. Save the money, get the features. My step-mother turned us on to the Santa Fe when she traded in her Navigator for a 2009. She likes it better than her $50,000.

• 

  Love Hyundai - 2015 Hyundai Sonata
  By Brian - June 17 - 11:03 pm

  This is my second Sonata and third Hyundai. I liked my 06 Sonata but traded up for a a 10 Tucson. The ride quality of the 06 Sonata waso much better than the 10 Tucson. Im a 38 year old male and decided I needed a vehicle with better ride quality, but I never expected the 15 Sonata to ride as well as it does. I love this vehicle. My ex had a 12 bmw 328 xi and I can only feel the difference of steering in drive/ride quality from his Beemer to my 15 Sonata Limited. Hyundai has really leaped forward! Very impressed!

• 

  The others are overrated! - 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Jim - June 17 - 4:46 pm

  So far we have had all good experiences and it gets better gas mileage than in your ratings by a 2-3 miles per gallon.

• 

  a better car than Camry or Accord - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By John - June 16 - 2:00 pm

  I like the PRICE, WARRANTY, PAINT JOB, PERFORMANCE, safety features, interior, exterior, QUIETNESS, design, interior features, options, 17in rims and the STYLING. I have never been this excited about getting a new car. Its a good family car, as well as, a single mans car. Classy yet Sporty. Very Practical.

• 

  Nancys review - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By Nancy - June 16 - 11:56 am

  This car is great, Hyundai has really come a long way, no, its not a perfect vehicle, but its far from junky and ugly for sure, I think its blowing Lincoln, Honda and Lexus out of the water now, but you never know, all in all Im very happy with my 11 sonata. :)

• 

  unbelievable for the money - 2001 Hyundai Elantra
  By kath - June 16 - 10:00 am

  best driving car for this price point .....sturdy ride handles like a 25,000 up car...love it for the money

• 

  Simply Unbelievable - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By DeeDee - June 16 - 1:46 am

  WOW! I love this color! Was the first thing I said when I saw my Sonata onthe lot. Now I just say, "WOW, I love this car!" It rides like my grandmothers Cadillac, but handles like my Saburu did. When I first moved to Northern Virginia, I was always making U-turns. There was never a car that could make a U-turn like my Saburu, but now I have a Sonata. Hate to say it, but it is as good as the Saburu! The perfect combination of everything you want in a car! The feel of safety you get the first time you stop on a rain slick road. You know you have the right car, Plus, unbelievable trunk space.

• 

  Toyotazilla - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By Doug - June 14 - 12:20 pm

  My second Hyundai. Traded a 2006 Elantra for the 2009 Sonata. Feels like moving up from a VW bug to a Greyhound Bus, this car is large! Love the quietness, Michelin tires and great fuel economy.