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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  Little Car For Little Trips - 2002 Hyundai Accent
  By amapmaker - December 17 - 2:00 am

  This car has been a good investment for our family. Needing a small car for commuting to work, yet saving pennies is a high priority. The car was priced right for our budget and we could not have gotten a better car without paying a lot more. I would not use this car for long distance driving because the seats are hard as a rock. Very basic interior even with a GL model but you pay for what you get.

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  Awesome Purchase - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By KM - December 15 - 12:13 pm

  When I bough my SUV i had been researching and looking for a new car for approximately 5 months. I decided I really wanted an SUV, and the newly designed Santa Fe was the first to catch my eye. My family was skeptical because everyone thought Hyundai was a not so great brand of car. They were wrong!!! With the warranty, I decided to give it a go. I have had my car for 15 months and it was an awesome purchase!! No problems whatsoever and it drives like a car, which is something I was looking for. I wasnt so sure about my beige interior either, but in my black car, it looks very classy... like myself! The only thing I would change would be to offer a sunroof package with all the models!!

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  Cheap, but well equipped transportation - 2001 Hyundai Sonata
  By ElTomaso - December 15 - 2:00 am

  I just bought this Hyundai used. I bought it after reading the Consumer Reports evaluation of the new Hyundai Sonatas. The new Hyundais are rated as above average in reliability. This 2001 is a four cylinder, but has good acceleration and handles well. It cruises at highway speeds easily. It is quiet, comfortable and fun to drive. I like the power moonroof and the cd player.

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  awesome! - 2001 Hyundai Elantra
  By seriousdriver - December 15 - 2:00 am

  Ill readily admit that I am extremely frugal (cheap?) and rather see my money grow in investments. I drive a lot and wanted a car that wouldnt break down but with all the amenities like air, power everything and auto. Ive driven about 42,000 miles in a bit over a year and the cars been PERFECT. Not a single problem and it has the added bonus of excellent passing power. Radio sounds great for all of my audio books, air is freezing cold (best Ive ever experienced) and Ive put in nothing but regular oil changes every 3,000 miles. This is my first Hyundai but now Im a Hyundai fan for sure.

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  the old paths view - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By theoldpath - December 15 - 12:03 am

  Have been driving the Sonata for a few months now, including two 600 mile plus trips. Comfortable ride, great gas mileage (26 around town, 34 on highway), and easy to drive. Especially like the addition of the USB port for IPODS or IPHONES, it works very well. Only downside is the noise the engine makes at idle. It has a ticking sound, which goes away once you get the car past idle. This sound is not heard inside car unless door or windows are open. The 5 speed automatic transmission makes up for any lack of power that the 4 cyl engine has. Overall, I have been very impressed, would buy the same car again, and recommend it for others.

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  Hyundai Service and Warranty - 2012 Hyundai Sonata
  By netsab - December 14 - 11:31 pm

  Please be advised that Hyundai has come a long way from the junk they originally sold. I have had problems with the window washer clogging which the dealer told me was my fault and I would have to pay $100.00 to fix it? Secondly, my radiator blew up on my way home from work with 20000 miles on the car. I was advised by Kendall Hyundai that a rock (they think-because they were not sure where it was leaking from) flew up and damaged the radiator; therefore it was the drivers fault? I took it to an independent certified mechanic who advised me there was NO physical damage and that the radiator was DEFECTIVE. Instead of the dealer cost of $800 I ended up paying $475, a true travesty.

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  Hyundai Heaven - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By karceneaux - December 14 - 4:43 pm

  I love my new car! I commute from the country to the city every day. This car handles the hills and winding backroads of the country, to the faster stretches of highway, to the stop-and-go traffic of the city with grace and beauty. I cant wait for a holiday, so I can take a long trip with my family in this spacious car. (The trunk is huge, too!!!) My husband loves the way it drives too, and is always trying to borrow it. (His truck is only a year old!) And you know its a hit when a teenage daughter gives her seal of approval.

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  My new tuscon - 2017 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Kathy Lindsley - December 14 - 2:08 pm

  Just so happy with my new car. The ride is so comfortable and the car handles so well. Just couldnt have found a car that had everything I want for an affordable price

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  Unbelievable - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By upset1 - December 14 - 1:56 pm

  I purchased this car on march 14, 2006 in about 2 weeks i started noticing although gas is quite high everywhere that this car was burning up an aweful lot of gas, assumed its just because its a new car, well no, on april 9, noticed that the car didnt seem to kick off as quickly as it had initially, then on april 10, pulling out of work the car slipped trans was slipping,thought no, well yes next day almost didnt make it 2 work 4 the miss that the car was havin called serv & got needs 2 bring car in,takes it in & gets call next day, its the tran & needs replace, no apology nothing, got sorry 4 your luck all we are goin 2 do is fix it&call cr,cr sd we gv warr u get fix thats it-how nasty

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  Great vehicle - 2011 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By captk321 - December 14 - 8:15 am

  Nearing 3,000 miles and am still impressed with the Santa Fe. The V6 performs well. Mileage has been averaging 22 around town. Nice leather with the Limited pkg. Infinity sound system sounds good but nothing special. No road trip yet but am looking forward to one soon.