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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  A lemon like none other. - 2012 Hyundai Sonata
  By reddeerroper - June 13 - 4:14 am

  I have just over 22,000 miles on my 12 Sonata Turbo. This car has been in the shop for many Different problems since I bought it. Hyundai service is terrible, the company just does not care about the owners of their cars. My Sonata has a stalling problem that has plagued it for 6 months now, it just quits, could be on the interstate, at an intersection, a red light, no rhyme nor reason. Its very dangerous to have this happen so often, Hyundai has not been able to fix this issue. Ive also had issues with the A/C, nav/audio unit, headliner, antifreeze smell through the dash vents, abs brake sensor, and several rattles and other poor quality car noises.

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  Disapointed - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Chris - June 13 - 1:16 am

  Steers like a truck. Transmission shifts to many times, when not needed! Poor gas mileage. Large blind spot in rear side windows. Black fender molding chips easily and shows white.

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  Great drivers car, Style and Tech packages - 2012 Hyundai Veloster
  By ittazvic - June 12 - 8:40 pm

  I just turned 200 miles and the car is great. The shifter and clutch are light and accurate. The car is quiet and the ride is excellent. The car feels solid over bumps with no sqeaks or rattles. I thought the car would ride hard because of the 18" wheels and low aspect ratio tires but it is truly comfortable. Im coming out of a 2008 Mini Cooper Clubman S w/manual and this car is so much better. The Mini was disappointing because of torque steer, rough ride, numerous squeaks and rattles and noise. The more I drive this car, the more I like it. The power is not as much as in the Mini but the car is surprisingly fast for the power rating. Drive this car before buying anything else.

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  Id never thought i would. - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By bytedesygn - June 12 - 4:10 pm

  I went to a Hyundai dealership in my area to test drive the new Sonata. After all I was thrown into the market because my 1996 chevy cavalier Z24 that i loved truly(workhorse) was getting old. besides, having my wife constantly hassling me to get a bigger family car, without the 200+ thousand milage. Ive been to every dealership and brand name possible and finally, one morning something lead me out of the bed to Hyundai, after long research. i walked into the place with the mind set of leaving with the ol Z24 with me. A brand new inexperienced salesman, looking for his very first sale, helped me to help him on a test drive. My credit was bad. The car sold me within a matter of 15 minutes.

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  Great smallish SUV - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Dax - June 12 - 9:40 am

  Hyundai has really stepped up the offering since the current models predecessor. In the Limited 2wd model there are many creature comforts including leather, dual temp control, pwr seats, rear DVD, front CD changer, moonroof and more. Outstanding fuel economy from an amply-powered V6. Lighting is excellent, making night driving easy and the ride is smooth. Oil changes every 7500 miles with synthetic oil as recommended by my dealer.

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  You cannot go wrong - 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe
  By MSimonds - June 12 - 9:00 am

  I cannot say enough about this car, it is amazing. I saw it on the lot and had to have it. So much power for a little car and fun to drive. I would recommend this to anyone!

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  WHAT I THINK - 2004 Hyundai Accent
  By CHRISP - June 12 - 2:00 am

  THE CAR FITS PERFECT FOR SOMEONE LIKE ME WHO BUYING MY FIRST CAR INSTEAD OF PURCHASING A USED CAR I GOT A NEW ONE WITH A GREAT WARRANTY.

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  Hyundai Accent - 2004 Hyundai Accent
  By Snsdairyqueen - June 12 - 2:00 am

  I havent had my Accent long but I LOVE it! Its just the perfect little car. It came equiped with power windows, CD, rear window defoggers..It was a reasonable price and my payments are very low. I had read that many do not like the steering and that it doesnt take bends well because of the small tires. I have not noticed any difference from my previous car. I would advise anyone looking for a nice, inexpensive vehicle to buy the Hyundai Accent!!!

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  My new ride - 2017 Hyundai TUCSON
  By andy - June 11 - 5:25 pm

  Look for a car to replace my 2001 Mazda Tribute. The Hyundai Tucson Sport does the job. While I have only had it for 2 weeks I am enjoying it. The seating is comfortable even for my 6 2" frame. Visibility is good and the ride is great. Just filled it up and got 24 mpg driving in town. I love the kick it has with the Turbo engine. Rear seating is comfortable and the cargo space meets my needs. The instrument panel and displays are well layed out and very easy to use. The only down side is it hesitates at times when turning at an intersection after coming to a stop. I cant quite understand it but if it continues Ill take it to the dealership. If you want a small SUV I recommend this one.

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  Well satisfied - 2016 Hyundai Sonata
  By David Reese - June 11 - 2:05 pm

  We have been pleased with this vehicle. It is smooth riding, and the safety features are outstanding. The electronics are amazing, and the economy is great.