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, inaccurate fuel rating - 2016 Hyundai Sonata
  By Doug - March 13 - 10:47 pm

  We spent several weeks researching and test driving different cars before deciding on the Sonata, and then at the last minute saw the value in bumping up to the Sport model with sunroof and other goodies at a bargain. Overall were very impressed with the car. It feels luxurious and solid, and a quiet ride was an important thing to note as we test drove cars. This is quieter than most, and I think it will lose more road noise when I change the tires. I also notice a slight dancing of the front wheels when at cruising speed, that may be solved with new tires. (There are many complaints about the cheap tires the car comes with). Android Auto has a lot of cool features--like GPS, but that the phone must be plugged-in to work is really clunky at this stage of bluetooth technology. This is primarily my wifes car, and she simply doesnt bother with it, so those features are lost. After a month, our only complaint is that the high end of the mileage rating seems out of reach. Our average is now at 28, which is a long way from the high "rating" of 38. Her commute is about 15 miles, 4/5 freeway, and shes on the slower end of drivers out there, rarely leaving the first two right lanes. There is the "Eco" mode, which we were told is supposed to improve mileage by 7%, but engine performance is severely hampered when engaged. Ive suggested switching to Eco when at speed on the freeway, but this is again something else she doesnt want to have to think about to simply drive her car. Again though, of everything we looked at, the Sonata really stood out. It looks good, is small enough for a daily commuter, but comfortable and roomy for a long drive, and can very comfortably seat passengers--which was in fact the first thing I looked at, by sitting in the back seat first. At the rate my wife drives, this car will last well beyond the average.

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  Awesome car for price - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By nick - March 13 - 10:33 pm

  I paid only $6700 for the car and was well worth it. The 6spd is awesome! Although they should have forgone the metering valve (I took it out) used with the transmission to make it "slip" so that it can be a "friendly" vehicle for everyone to drive along with less slop in the shifter linkage. Should have beefed up the suspension a little bit also to get the tires to stick to the road better and make for a more aggressive feel. Lighter wheels would help too (17" stock are 18 lbs!). With a little bit of money and time it can be built a little to change these "problems". I do love the car though. Very fun to drive and turns heads all the time. Decently powerful v6 and not bad gas mileage for v6

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  This is NOT a boring car! - 2009 Hyundai Elantra Touring
  By LuvMyTouring - March 13 - 9:03 pm

  After a couple of very happy years driving my 2007 Elantra GLS, I was fairly certain Id be just as pleased with the Elantra Touring. To tell the truth, Im more than happy ... I LOVE my red, chili pepper Touring! Its sporty-looking, vibrant and fun to drive. All that plus the roomy interior, ample cargo space, and zippy engine Id learned to love in my original Elantra.

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  This Car is a Keeper - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Ken Boyle - March 13 - 10:26 am

  Love the car, I could sell this car, I also purchased one for my 73 year old mother. This car is a long life keeper!

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  Inexpensive yet feels as good as Mercede - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By Heather - March 12 - 8:23 pm

  I purchased this car on a whim and I am so glad that I did! I bought the 4 cyl only because I was looking for better gas mileage. This car was an upgrade from my Suzuki Grand Vitara JLS (2000 model). So far, this car is awesome. It looks great, handles beautifully and seems as though it "floats" down the road. I love this car!

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  My 2004 Hyundai Accent sedan - 2004 Hyundai Accent
  By EC2004 - March 12 - 2:00 am

  I think the Accent is the best sub- compact car on the market. It competes with the Kia Rio, Toyota Echo and the new Chevy Aveo. I looked at all of those cars and bought the 2004 Accent because of its style, build quality, features, warranty and value.

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  Steaming in the South... - 2000 Hyundai Sonata
  By Steaming - March 11 - 2:00 am

  I liked this car at first, then at 66,00 miles , just out of warranty, it broke down. I paid for a new crankshaft ($975.00),then after two weeks, it broke down again, new timer belt, timer ($500.00), after three weeks it wasnt running again, this time it was a pulley (449.00, $300 just for the mechanic to tap the bolts back into the engine block!) The cassette player broke after warranty expired, and paint started chipping off the sides, and I live in the South. The sonata still drives funny, I think it might be the trans. I drive this car with kid gloves, I know longer feel confident in these cars. I am going to trade it in asap.

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  Great SUV - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Benjamin J Giles - March 11 - 1:23 am

  I researched many different SUVs and test drove most of them. After all was said and done I selected the Hyundai Santa Fe Limited with FWD. I wanted all the options that the Santa Fe offered. I added 20" mag wheels with wide tires. I must say this is the best overall vehicle I have ever owned. It answers all my driving needs completely and I would suggest that anyone looking at a Honda, Toyota, Mazada, Kia or any SUV to strongly take a look and test drive the Fanta Fe Limited. This is, by far, the best vehicle, quality wise and safety wise that you can buy for the money you pay. I have never owned a Hyundai and never thought I would until I checked out the reviews and the vehicle itself.

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  Review of a 2003 Sonata 4 Cylinder Sedan - 2003 Hyundai Sonata
  By JBS - March 10 - 2:00 am

  Overall I think Hyundai builds a very nice automobile. For the first year of ownership there were a few minor things that had to be fixed, but nothing major.The major complaint I have is comfort of the front seats. It is not comfortable. I have a 4 cylinder car and it has ample pep and drive even on the highway.I would recommend thia auto to anyone.This car came well equipped as standard equipment and a great warranty.

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  No Go - 2012 Hyundai Veloster
  By stoz - March 9 - 10:10 am

  Ive had my Veloster for a little over a year and have driven 37,000 miles with it. I purchased this car because I needed something with great fuel economy, which I believe I got with the Veloster. It looks cool and looks like it would be fun to drive. It is neither. When I test drove the car I figured I could get used to the power issue and just thought of all the money I would be saving in gas. The trade off was not worth it.