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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  2009 Genesis v6 Prem Pkg Plus & Tech Pkg - 2009 Hyundai Genesis
  By Mike - June 30 - 10:56 pm

  Ive owned Bimmers, Acuras, and a VW, however, the Genesis is the piece de resistance... the ride is amazing.. completely comfortable. Phenomenal interior design and layout, with easy access to buttons, controls, etc. Gas mileage is a wonder- Jacksonville, Florida to Miami on 1 tank of gas (without reaching "Low Fuel Notification".. Very impressive for a car this size. The stereo is amazing, and sounds even better with real dvd movies, DVD audio, or a USB flash drive w/ high quality files :)

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  Fun car! - 2013 Hyundai Veloster
  By mh200 - June 30 - 6:12 pm

  Test drove several cars from Honda, Scion and Toyota. BORING! Reporters please Stop comparing to a CRX. May I remond you how much you all complained about the styling among other things? The Veloster does many things well and yes it is a quirky car to drive. So what do you get? You get a car that is sporty, different, great gas mileage, huge cargo area, great foot room, awesome features and a blast to drive! It feels much faster than the numbers suggest (though off line is not great) but this is why it turns over those great gas numbers. This car is no Acura, BMW or mini and should not be compared at this price point. I love mine and FYI my other car is a BMW!

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  AWESOME!!! - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By ValueWatch - June 30 - 3:43 pm

  I recently traded-in my Accord EX for 06 Hyundai Sonata LX. WOW!!! This car is amazing. Its sleek, fast, and comfortable. Good job Hyundai!

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  Very nice so far - 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By JG - June 29 - 10:15 pm

  I really like the Santa Fe so far, have not owned a Hyundai before, have had Toyotas and Hondas, so thought I would give it a try. This is a nice SUV for us, not too big, not too small, so easy to park, but still hauls all of us and our stuff. I added a Curt trailer hitch myself and this was very easy to do. The Santa Fe has a lot of options for the money. I really like the surround view camera, I do use this often when parking. Good visibility. Have a few rattles from back seat and will have dealer check that for me, seems to be coming from passenger back seat. I had similar small rattles from Toyota Venza I had before, and Chevy Silverado before that - usually its a cable rubbing, or a piece of trim that needs a little shim or a small piece of felt, so we will see...Also will see how things go with more miles, I do like the long warranty From Hyundai. Other than the small rattle, this seems to be well built, very logical controls and layout of the interior.

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  Makes me car sick - 2010 Hyundai Elantra Touring
  By Car sick - June 29 - 9:30 pm

  I drove a 2000 Elantra wagon for the last 10yrs. I loved it so I purchased a 2010 touring. This time I got 5sp Manual GSL to save $1200 on purchase price and to get better gas mileage and performace. Paid $15000 vs $11700 ten yrs earlier. I since added Rosta after market cruise $400 and trailer hitch $100. Heated seats cost $250 each aftermarket. Whats better with my new car. Faster, Handeling, brakes,radio,headroom,gas mileage, power door locks on key fob, storage areas. Whats worse, stiff ride,jerkiness of manual shifting vs automatic,tires, no lumbar support. Both cars dent too easily. I love the rear loading area. I call it my covered pickup truck. Getting use to firm ride. Fun to drive

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  Just bought me one! - 2009 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Melz son - June 28 - 6:00 am

  I recently purchased a 2009 Tucson and I like what Ive seen so far. The interior is clean and efficient. The exterior is stylish.

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  LOVE THIS CAR - 2000 Hyundai Elantra
  By Denardo - June 28 - 2:00 am

  I started out driving an 85 Accord, but after it was totaled in a wreck with a drunk driver, I got my Elantra. I love it! The cassette player broke, but the speakers are great. I love the compact size, you can squeeze through tight spaces and park almost anywhere. The gear selector safety lock is a pain sometimes. This car has a lot of power for a four cylinder. I was impressed. Handles very well, very easy to drive. The fuel economy isnt bad, but thought it might be a little better for a four cylinder. The trunk is also suprisingly spacious. This is a great car for a high school student.

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  Great little car - 2001 Hyundai Sonata
  By budboy - June 28 - 2:00 am

  For a high mileage driver you cant beat this deal. The car came with everything in it, no options (I think that has changed) it is comfortable, gets 30 miles to the gallon (on the road) and is one of the peppiest cars we have driven. We hope to keep it for five years and will amortize the price out at under 3500 per year including maintenance costs.

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  Not What I thought it would be - 2004 Hyundai Tiburon
  By lilbit - June 27 - 7:50 pm

  Purchased new in 2004 wasnt bad for the first three years, then the engine went, now the air bag light is on it gives itself gas and the engine cuts out while driving down the road,I think a car should run better then this, I take care of my care and feel that these are big problems. Also the bulbs for the headlights dont seem to last long.

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  Best car for the $$$ on the market now - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By Greg - June 27 - 1:00 pm

  I recently traded my sports car in which I miss because my commute now is 80 miles round trip 4 days a week. This car seemed perfect. I was considering the Jetta TDI until someone on the VW forums tipped me off on the new Sonata so I took one for a test drive. I am glad I did! It is more plush than my old BMW that was a lot more expensive. Cars just keep getting better and better and Hyuandi knocked one out of the park with this one. I also love the cruising range with the Sonata. On my first two tanks of gas I have averaged 33mpg in mixed driving. Not bad for an engine not yet broken in. I also love the fact that I got 500+ miles on my last tank of gas compared to 300 in my old car