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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  Fun car to drive - 2013 Hyundai Sonata
  By cyndi83 - January 20 - 6:02 pm

  I have only had this car a month but absolutely love it. The gas milage is great. You cant get a better car for the money. No complaints.

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  Quiet, Fun, Cost Efficient - 2010 Hyundai Sonata
  By Steve - January 20 - 2:26 pm

  Ive had my Sonata for only a week..I just now filled up the gas tank for the 1st time since I left the dealership. The car drives like it were on butter. Very smooth feel, exceptionally quiet ride. The A/C is powerful and love the dual temp controls. If you like blue, youll love the dash at night. Sound system is excellent and the gas mileage seems to be about 31 mpg so far. Way above what I anticipated. This car has brought back my love of driving.

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  kabam - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By xmaster15 - January 20 - 12:36 pm

  this car is awsome and the best

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  Best Sporty Car on the Market - 2006 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Keisha Ellis - January 20 - 6:16 am

  I love my 2006 Hyundai Tiburon. It drives and handles great. I love the look of it, I have had the most compliments on how sporty and sexy my Tiburon looks. I wouldnt trade having one for anything. Cant wait to see what the next one will look like.

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  happy driver - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By banks - January 20 - 4:50 am

  this car is so amazing and the price is so low. I got my limited sonota for 19500 brand new, with a powerful v6, power everything, heated mirrors and seats. If anyone can even get a four banger with all theses options for that price it would be worth it...oh did i mention all leather seats. 4 cylinder camery and accord come with nothing in it at this price. Im glad I purchased this car.

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  Great first car - 1999 Hyundai Accent
  By Brandon G. from CA - January 20 - 2:00 am

  Ya, Im 16 and I got my accent about 6 months ago and it has been great. Its not the fastest car in the world but its still fun to drive.Also its small size helps a lot with parking. It seems like a very reliable car and Id recommend it.

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  Beautiful inside & out, but a bit noisy - 2010 Hyundai TUCSON
  By M.S.B. - January 19 - 11:53 pm

  I fell in love with the look of this car, both inside and out. It looks sharp. Gas mileage is good; averaging 24-26 mpg with a combination of town and highway driving. On a recent highway trip, I was getting the promised 31 mpg! My biggest disappointment has been the tires and road noise coming into the cabin. The Kumoho tires seem overly grippy -- even on smooth asphalt it sounds and feels like Im driving on a grooved road surface; there is a near constant roar coming from the tires at highway speeds. (Checked the tire pressure and they are at the recommended psi.) But everything else about the new Tucson is top notch! Its a head turner, for sure.

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  2005 GLS Hatchback 5 speed - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
  By dtipton - January 19 - 10:56 pm

  After 3 months and 7000 miles the car has been in the shop 4 times. Three times for problems with the cruise control and once because they did not replace the drain plug properly after an oil change which caused a leak and because the paint was coming off where a bird made a deposit. I was told the warranty did not cover the paint as it was a "foreign substance". They would have covered it had I purchased their after market paint sealer. I called Hyundai Customer Care and was told, "Paint is not covered under warranty if the car is exposed to outside elements". I asked how I was expected to drive the car without exposing it to outside elements? No answer just a "its our policy sir".

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  price and quality cant be beat - 2001 Hyundai Elantra
  By josephus - January 19 - 2:00 am

  At 50k brakes still perfect. Ride still tight. Car is all around amazing bargain

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  Biggest Lemon - 2012 Hyundai Sonata
  By Steve - January 18 - 9:26 pm

  My 2012 Hyundai Sonata Limited 2.0t on the outside/inside appear to look nice and comparable to a high end luxury vehicle. Mechanically it is garbage! Owning this car for 3years 90,000 I had to the replace turbo sensor, fuel pump, 2 batteries, and run into multiple situations where the car would not start. Hyundai corporate and dealerships have been useless and do not stand by their products. This is my second and last Hyundai buying, next time Ill put the money towards a Toyota, a company who stands by their products and who has proven reliability.