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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  Excellent Car - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Jack Morgan - October 4 - 12:33 pm

  Pleased in almost every way with new 06 V6 LX Sonata. It drives great and looks great. No problems after 5,000 miles. Gas mileage is a bit disappointing getting only about 26 mpg highway. Steering wheel radio controls should be improved to allow changing between preset channels and the trip computer controls should be added to the steering wheel radio controls like those found on other cars. Many impressive safety features like stability control and dual side airbags arent even available on most other cars in class. Overall all I love the car. I have no regrets in trading in my 2003 Nissan Altima which was a good car but didnt hold a candle to Sonatas builty quality or performance.

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  The more I drive it, the more I love it! - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By allmet33 - October 4 - 5:56 am

  I was already impressed with the Hyundai reliablity having traded in my 2002 Sonata GLS w/105k miles on it. Since day one...Ive truly enjoyed driving this new Azera. The ride quality, features, layout, fit and finish truly make this the best Hyundai to date! I love the fact that when you look at the Azera from different angles, it makes you think of other cars and yet...theres nothing on the road that looks like it. Pro - Bang for your buck. Simply put, what you get for your money is not going to be equalled by any other name plate in the industry. Con - That Hyundai is still taking knocks for their past failures, no matter the strides theyve made in product improvement.

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  Tibby love - 2004 Hyundai Tiburon
  By lazyj77 - October 4 - 2:00 am

  I actually bought a 2003 GTv6 model just as they were bringing in the 2004s, so i got a very good deal. I absolutely love my car; its fully loaded(leather, sunroof, anti-lock brakes,etc.)and i got it for just under 18k, before tax, tag, and title. Unfortunately, you might have to spend a couple thousand more to get comparable 2004, but its worth it. You absolutely will not find a better car in that class under 20k.

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  Kudos to Sonata - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By geminilaf - October 4 - 2:00 am

  More value for the money than Honda and Toyota for thousands less.

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  2006 Sonata - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By bae146 - October 3 - 10:03 pm

  This is my first new car in 10 years. It is a complete joy to drive. I am so glad I picked it over the honda and toyota. Not because they are not also great cars but with the hyindai you get the same type of car for thousands less.

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  Simply fun! Cheap thrill! - 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe
  By 3abqari - October 3 - 9:16 am

  I knew I wanted a fast car that is affordable, so I looked at the entry level of high-end cars, and fully loaded cheap thrills. From Chevy Cobalt SS to the Camaro, from Nissan Sentra SE-R to the Altima, from Honda Civic Si to Mazda 3... and a few more. I found out that the base model of the Genesis Coupe 2.0T has plenty of toys to keep me busy... An advise: keep both hands on the wheel in high speeds... I got the Genesis Coupe because the Hyundai brand proved to me their engineering and quality of the Sonata, mainly the ESC and ABS technologies. Plus, I always wanted a rear-wheel-drive car. You cant beat the fact that you only need to use regular unleaded, although you got the turbo there.

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  Great Job Hyundai - 2008 Hyundai Veracruz
  By Frank - October 3 - 7:36 am

  Great car very comfy and stylish. Love the seat memory option, only had it for couple of weeks so far so good.

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  Price is worth it - 2009 Hyundai Elantra
  By swimmurgirl - October 2 - 10:37 pm

  I bought this car for my daughter and she fell in love with it. She loves the blue light interior and the way it handles. The price was awesome. Paid 14K for it. Very impressed. I was worried about engine noise, but after driving it, it wasnt that bad. So no complaints. Had to decide between the Corolla S and Hyundai. Went with Hyundai based on price and features. We get 3 months of XM. Toyota doesnt offer that. A lot more amenities that a kid could like at that age.

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  I started with 14 Choices - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By tweiler - October 2 - 10:00 am

  I started with 14 small SUV choices several months ago and I never would have thought that my final choice would be a Santa Fe. I let the data drive the decision and the overall winner was a Hyundai. I couldnt be more satisfied with the vehicle. Hyundai has redeemed itself.

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  Very satisfied Santa Fe owner - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Kesayne Green - October 2 - 10:00 am

  Very nice vehicle. I think its one of the best Ive own so far. I get a lot of compliments on my car. I chose white because it is hard to detect dirt.