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 Car - 2012 Hyundai Sonata
  By gorpot - February 6 - 12:40 am

  I have had this car two weeks today. Great car to drive. The exterior is great looking, and they also did a good job with the interior and its layout. I had a 2009 Sonata I traded in. I think this car handles and drives better then the 09 Sonata. Milage on the Highway with the cruise set at 71 MPH was 37.5 MPG. My mileage around where I live(country and city combined) has been 29.7 MPG. The mileage has been about 3 MPG better then I was getting with the 09. Bluelink is fun to play with, but I will probably not keep it after the free trial is over. I do like the Bluetooth setup for my phone, which is only a tracfone pay as you go model, but it linked up OK with the bluetooth.

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  FABULOUS CAR - 2009 Hyundai Veracruz
  By D.rose - February 4 - 8:30 pm

  Handles great, run great, a fun car to drive with an elegant look

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  Great SUV - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By sholeseng - February 4 - 10:00 am

  Have had for almost a month. Excellent power and fun to drive. Love the artic blue color. Seems very well built.

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  Amazing Car - 2016 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid
  By forrest53@hotmail.com - February 3 - 4:35 pm

  I have been a diehard Nissan and toyota fan for 15+ years. I wasnt looking for a hybrid just and economical daily driver, I test drove chevy, GMC and buick and ford cars and suvs, but then When I drove this and everyday since purchasing it I have been amazed.

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  Excellent Value - Great Features - 2008 Hyundai Elantra
  By Jay - February 3 - 6:00 am

  I have the PZEV SE w/ Premium Package (Sunroof and Heated Seats) in Blue. The car was pretty difficult to find - there were only about 12 in the entire state of California. I personally think the exterior is quite stylish, much better than the civic or pre-2009 corolla models. Main gripes are that acceleration in PZEV is a bit poor (132hp instead of 138), and that gas mileage is not as good as corolla or civic (I get about 30 mpg highway, 22 or so city). Still, amazing value for money. I purchased for $16.8K all in, including California Taxes, Title & Registration (which are about $1600). I think (and hope) that this is pretty competitive deal considering the sunroof and heated seats.

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  Couldnt be happier! Perfect sedan - 2015 Hyundai Sonata
  By ksmith18 - February 1 - 4:23 pm

  Coming from a 2012 Hyundai Elantra Limited, I couldnt be more thrilled with the Sonata! Purchased in July 2014 and I nearly have ten thousand miles on it. This car is absolutely gorgeous. Very comfortable, especially for long drives or sitting in traffic. The audio system is awesome with the Pandora connect and the XM radio. The heating system is great, and the heated and cooled seats are the best! Heated steering wheel has been a plus in this cold New England winters! Plenty of room throughout the whole car, including the trunk. I get countless compliments on this car, and people always tells me it looks like Im driving a BMW. Very stylish and dependable. LOVE this car!

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  Awesome Awesome Car - 2009 Hyundai Genesis
  By chuck - January 30 - 11:53 pm

  I traded in my CLK for this car. I was looking at the BMW 550, Lexus LS640, and the Mercedes. After the test drive in this car, I was sold and bought it on the spot. Performance is in between the Lexus (soft) and BMW, just right for me. Lexicon audio system is also pretty awesome. Like the person earlier, I enjoy telling my friends and coworkers that I traded in my MB for a Hyundai.

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  Great car at a great price - 2005 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Judi - January 29 - 8:33 am

  The comfort, handling, styling and reliability are excellent. It also gives you enough room so that you dont feel like a sardine unlike its closest competitor. It will haul an amazing amount or cargo. Service dept. has far surpassed my expectation at responsiveness, courtesey and efficiency during routine visits. Its a quality vehicle and a quality company.

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  happy camper - 2010 Hyundai Sonata
  By american mike - January 28 - 11:23 am

  great car for the price,paid 18k cash but was able to barter in many upgrades in power options and protection package etc... have 500 miles on it and very pleased so far. I was very skeptical about hyundai,dont be!even with gm employee discounts and rebates they beat malibus price and I like the sonata better. built in u.s.a. hurray!

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  my new car - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By abby - January 28 - 4:46 am

  i love the way it drives its so smooth