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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  Best car Ive ever owned - 2013 Hyundai Genesis
  By Tammy Sartor - December 14 - 5:13 am

  By far, this is the most comfortable, easy driving, quiet car Ive ever owned. Hyundai was not even on my radar when I acquired this vehicle, but it is by far better to me than Lexus. I have only ever owned Toyota, so I was hesitant to purchase this vehicle. I purchased the extended warranty as a result. The seats fit me perfectly, and the heating part of the seats is divine. I will often just drive with it on instead of the heater (and sometimes in the summer with the AC on since it feels so good on my back). I am also blown away by the stereo quality. That, combined with the very little road noise, makes for such a pleasant driving experience that Im not fatigued after a several hour road trip. What I dont like about this vehicle is it does not show the outside temperature continuously, it drips water into the trunk when the lid is raised in a rain, and the resale value is less than I would expect, say from a Lexus. However, the initial price is less also. I plan to drive the wheels off this car. The paint quality is excellent with some beautiful, not boring colors,( mine is Parisian Grey with a Saddle interior) the leather soft and high quality, the cruise control doesnt upshift on a grade like the Toyotas do, the transmission is excellent, LOTS of power for passing. It is effortless to drive.

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  Fabulous automobile! - 2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid
  By tsims10s - December 13 - 11:44 pm

  I have now owned my Sonata Hybrid for just over six months. Like most of the early adopters of this automobile I had the check engine light issues until Hyundai figured out what was happening. Kudos to Hyundai for working diligently to solve the issue and provide us a $50 gift card as compensation for our trouble. Meanwhile, Ive enjoyed a mid-sized luxury car ride with penny pinching average fuel economy of 38 mpg over 16,238 miles! Within the first few miles of driving I sense a little hesitation in the transmission but after a few minutes its fine. I get lots of questions about my Sonata Hybrid and many compliments on the styling. I would not hesitate to purchase another Hyundai!

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  What a car!!! - 2013 Hyundai Sonata
  By chaase1 - December 13 - 9:31 pm

  I have been in the auto industry for 30 years... from Toyota to Porsche.... This car is TOPS for the money. Fun to drive... Great fuel economy! (better than posted) From Dallas to Tucson on a tank and a half. Comfortable on long road trips! Dont wait for re-fuel to take a break.... TOO LONG! Hyundais customer service has been exceptional. Buy gas and drive.... and after a year and a half Im still ecstatic. Im used to a new car every 4000 miles... so this one is GREAT! After reading some reviews, I think the ball was dropped on the Dealer end.

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  A Lot of Car - 2004 Hyundai XG350
  By Fmusik - December 13 - 10:00 am

  My XG350L coonstanly amazes me in performance, appearance and overall reliability. It is equipped with more standard features ( called added Options by other Manufacturers) than the Lincoln LS and is indeed a pleasure to show off to friends and neighbors. Everything is of the highest quality to include the interior leather, the floor mats, automatic seat controls,wipers and tires. This is a quality automobile

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  Car Is Great for the money - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By Emmanuel - December 13 - 10:00 am

  You get everything you want in a car like this. For example, you get a electric sunroof, leather interior, a very very loud cd stero system,. also the comfort and the speed in this car is awsome for what you need it for. beside the looks you have a car that should value over $30,000 dollars and you get in for under $15,000. Also, have I forgot to tell you the 5yrs, unlimeted milage assitants. alos theres a ten year drive training warrenty. My amzed worlds where why HYNDAI and not the othaers. well you sold me and on my way for the Santa Fe 3.5 ltr. Can not help my self . Emmanuel

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  And the winner is! - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By kinger - December 13 - 10:00 am

  After driving all the big names like Toyota, Nissan, Saturn,Honda and Chrysler and comparing creature comforts, exterior styling and price for a comparable model, the only logical choice was the Sonata LX. Safety features galore, more than the others and at $4 to 8000 less. Hyundai has worked hard to make their products build quality better each year from their disasterious start. Nothing like a strong commitment to excellence!

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  Most bang for your buck - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By Jay Balsam - December 13 - 10:00 am

  This is my second hyundai sonata, so I received the owner loyalty discount, making this this car about 5000 dollars cheaper than an accord or camry. It has a beautiful modern looking exterior and a very comfortable interior. The standard features were all I needed, and the automatic transmission has an optional manual shift which helps when getting onto the highway. If you want a solid, comfortable car for a much lower price than other midsize sedans, this is worth a look.

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  Best vehicle - I ever owned - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By carjoanda - December 13 - 10:00 am

  The Santa Fe does everything well. I have been in the woods on logging trails, gone through deep puddles of water and mud. climbed steep hills and it has resonalbe clearance. Day to day - excellent ride over hyway and backroads. great heater and A/C. 218 watts for the stereo. Also a lot of room with and without hte seats folded in back. Oh - went through 18 inches of fresh snow from a stand still -

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  BIG BOY - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By G.HARRISON - December 13 - 10:00 am

  I HAVE ONLY OWNED THE VEHICLE FOR A VERY SHORT TIME. HOWEVER, SO FAR I HAVE FOUND THE VEHICLE TO BE VERY EASY TO HANDLE, IT DRIVES VERY SMOOTHLY, I FEEL AS THOUGH I AM STILL DRIVING A CAR INSTEAD OF AN SUV. I DO FEEL THE VEHICLE BURNS ALOT OF GAS. I WOULD STILL RECOMMEND IT TO A FRIEND. NOT A BAD DEAL FOR THE PRICE, THE SOUND SYSTEM COULD BE IMPROVED.

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  Happy - 1997 Hyundai Elantra
  By TMiller - December 13 - 2:00 am

  I bought the car new. I had a problem with the overflow leaking. I think that it was the dealers b.s. though. Their has always been a problem when I fill the gas tank it puts out a strong gas odor. I have brought it in and of course they dont know what it is. I have had 4/5 new gas caps. I too have a problem with the door handle. The car has been from NY to FL a dozen times and to GA a few too. I have another car now (due to a growing family, it doesnt hold more than 2 car seats) but the elantra still bails me out in any snow storm. Or any other time I need it and is now driven on a more part time basis by my other half.