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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  pretty good car - 2007 Hyundai Tiburon
  By JoeDon - September 12 - 1:10 pm

  I bought this car because it was the first "Nice car" I could get. I had driven beaters until this car. It handles pretty well, I live in the country and Ive only lost traction once on a turn. Power is pretty good, but for the size of the engine it should have much more power. I love the looks of the car inside and out, styling is great. One aggravating thing is the 4 gear auto transmission, whenever driven on the highway it could much better if it had a 5th gear, and probably much better mpg. Bad choice of only 4 gears. Recently hit a deer at 55 mph and car held up well, only had to replace a headlight and the hood. All in all, a decent buy for a cheaper sporty car. Mpg on highway is great

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  Quality is suspect - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By Jeremy - September 12 - 2:00 am

  I bought this car after two other Hyundais with VERY high hopes. Unfortunately, I was very disappointed. From the moment I took delivery, the infamous glove box squeak. Rattles, out of place trim pieces, and other ungodly noises from everywhere. With upgraded audio, doors rattle at volume. Ride is EXTREMELY rough in this vehicle at all trim levels. The positive? It does extremely well in an an accident. I rear-ended a girl going nearly 40 miles per hour; the airbag deployed and the front-end crumpled exactly as designed. I walked away with ZERO injuries; not even a scratch. Those that have come to appreciate Hyundais value-oriented quality will be disappointed by this car.

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  Hyundai rocks - 1996 Hyundai Accent
  By herb - September 11 - 8:25 pm

  This vehicle has been low maintenance...aside from typical wear and tear...brakes, tires, etc. Gets about 35 miles per gallon. Very reliable. Owned for 12 years

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  The feel of Luxury - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By R.D - September 9 - 7:20 pm

  Since buying this vehicle I cant seem to want to park it. The feel on the road,acceleration and overall experience is fantastic. I love this vehicle. Its the nicest car I test drove and believe me I tested them all before the purchase

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  Comfort is so so - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Comfort - so so - September 9 - 12:51 pm

  I have owned my car for 17 months, bought is at 13k miles, now at 38,500k. So far its been very reliable except for one issue. It has a tendency to cut out or have minor hesitation when going up hills. Dealership says nothing is wrong, not hard coding. I use the 100% gas (non ethanol)and it seems to help. The front seats lack comfort. My back quickly starts hurting on trips, I must use a small pillow for the lumbar area. Have already had the following replaced: Driver side door lock, sun visor and window assembly.

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  The best car for the money... - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By AY - September 9 - 7:56 am

  This car is hands down the best car you can get for the price. It is very quiet and very roomy. I dont get as high a gas mileage as others reported (25 mpg highway). The only problem Ive had with the car is that shifting is not always smooth and you clearly feel the gear change.

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  exceeded expectations - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By verne - September 9 - 2:00 am

  I previously owned a ford Taurus 1996 and lost two auto transmissions, and ford would not give any help even though the transmission had only 50,000 miles, i had a factory new transmission installed and it lasted one year and 18,000 miles, but waranty said one year. So i decided to try the Hundai Sonata, and have found no troubles and been extremely happy with this car.

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  Keeping this car forever - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By LM - September 8 - 11:05 pm

  I got this car when this was all I could afford. I have 94000 on it. Ive had some things go wrong with it. I had the transmission replaced, under warranty. The car is strange when I started it, it stutters for about 5-10 seconds when I press on the gas. Fixing the transmission has not fixed this. Other than that no problems whatsoever. Very reliable.

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  Outstanding value - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By John - September 8 - 11:56 am

  Bought this when our other car died. The interior and acceleration sold me and my wife. We have the 4 cylinder. No problem getting to highway speed off of ramp, and that speed is 70 mph. I make frequent 600 mile trips and check mileage. My last trip highway mileage was 31.5 , which is better than the sticker said. This was the last year for south Korean made sonatas. They are now made in Montgomery Alabama.

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  Fantastic Economy Sedan - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By GregoryJoseph - September 7 - 9:07 pm

  I purchased my 2007 Sonata in August of 2006 and it has been to Canada twice (I live in New Jersey) Tennessee, and around New York City on numerous occasions. The gas mileage has been outstanding, usually averaging 34 MPG on the long trips and around 25 MPG locally and in the city. The trunk is ENORMOUS, and the rear seat has plenty of room for adults, including those over 6 feet tall. Its reasonably comfortable and probably the best "bang for your buck" mid-sized sedan on the market.