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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  Great car! - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Xavier Ortega - November 24 - 3:03 pm

  I was not in the market for buying a new car, but just happened to stop by a Hyundai dealership while my old car was being worked on. I fell in love with the looks, the overall fit & finish, the list of std. features, & the performance of the car. Ive had this car for a month now and its fantastic. Still going thru break-in period, so gas mileage is not great. (But as others have commented, need a few more thousand miles). The engine is powerful, 5 speed auto is butter smooth, the car is very quiet on the road. If you dont want to be a "me too" with Camry & Accord, give this car a serious look. GM & Ford, youd better get your act together quickly or else!!

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  Great Car fot the $$$ - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By oceandoc - November 23 - 10:03 pm

  Drove the Camry and Altima, the Sonata gives you the most for the dollar by far. For 1-2 grand less the the other cars, you get leather interior, xm radio, moon roof, individual temp controls and excellent interior trim and alloy wheels. Entertainment controls on the steering wheel. Not quite as quick as the Altima off the line, but adequate power (my last car was a turbo) Huge trunk. The oil filter is on the right way so when change the oil, you wont get an oil bath (surprising how many cars have the oil filter upside down) Smooth ride. I didnt experience any suspension noise going over bumps and highway speeds were just great driving. Dash is well laid out with easy to find controls

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  Veracruz Limited is Unbeatable Value - 2007 Hyundai Veracruz
  By mab67 - November 23 - 9:40 pm

  Compared to Honda Pilot, Mazda CX9, GMC Acadia and a couple of others. Hands down this is the best overall value. Limited package makes this ride similar to the Lexus RX. My brother in law has one - very nice car... but pushing $50,000? Thats crazy. This one is so close to it in power, looks, toys, and build quality that its a no brainer. Just found out that Motor Trend confirmed what I think! (See July, 2007 - Comparo Shock! Hyundai BEATS Lexus) Only had it a week, but wow. This crossover is the perfect soccer mom car (and I get to drive it on the weekend family trips - its a cool rig).

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  bad gas mileage and bad shitf at 38 to 42 mph - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By eprice5829 - November 23 - 4:32 pm

  I bought my sonata new in 5 of 09 and from the very begining had very poor gas mileage and a shifting issue with the trans at about 38 to 40 mph and around 15 to 18 on the rpm gauge when I brought it back to the dealer for service I was told it was how the car was supposed to drive and that there was nothing they could do to fix the problem except to flash the computer and then reset it . I was also told that it was the way that I was driving the car. now that I had the computer reset and the trans flashed I now get 15.9 miles per gallon to a full take of gas and was told that it was because of the winter gas that is now out on the market well to that I say B S

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  I like it! - 1999 Hyundai Elantra
  By debi - November 23 - 2:00 am

  I bought my hyundai as a used vehicle. It had 43,ooo miles ..I think it was a salesmens care... it now has almost 100,000 miles... I have driven this car several times from pa to s.c .. gas milage ranged 36miles/gal.. In the next year i probably will be buying a new vehicle..I feel strongly that I will be considering another Hyundai...

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  Love my Santa Fe! - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By RodanM - November 23 - 2:00 am

  On the first tuneup to my mechanic. He said usually he can look at a new vehicle and pick out items that he predicts will fail or break. He said he cant find anything like that on my Santa Fe. I drive a lot and am very happy with my purchase.

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  Cute and affordable - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Fleur - November 23 - 2:00 am

  I love my Tiburon! It handles wonderfully, and I have never driven a car quite like it. The interior is awsome, it is so comfortable (then again i am a small person 54). I wouldnt recomend this car to someone who is really tall, but for me it is the best car in its price range. I just cant say enough wonderful things about this car. The biggest plus though to me was the side air bag, the fact that they were standard, assured me that this was probably a really safe car.

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  what I needed in all my trips - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Diane Noll - November 22 - 6:00 am

  I am very impressed with the ride, the comfort. It is big enough to fullfil all my needs, yet small enough to drive in busy traffic.busy streets. parking is easy. This is my first "suv". The more I drive it , The more I fall in love with it.

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  Awesome Machine - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Art Lindquist - November 22 - 3:23 am

  Had less than 1,000 miles on our Santa Fe when we took her on vacation to Gatlinburg, Tn. We rented a cabin in the woods and when we found where it was located we were concerned about how our new vehicle would handle all the very steep hills. Our Santa Fe handled the mountainous roads flawlessly and with the shiftronic feature it was a piece of cake. We even took her on The Dragons Tail, one of the most famous roads for hairpin turns and steep curves. We love everything about this vehicle, the design, the way it handles, I think it is the best built vehicles Ive ever owned. Its been a while since I felt this way about an automobile!

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  you cant get more for your money - 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By russell champlin - November 22 - 3:00 am

  This is the second Hyundai I have purchased. The quality and reliability of this vehicle makes you wonder what the other car companies are doing with all the extra money they charge you fora similiarly equipped vehicle. The week after I bought this car my parents were so impressed they had me buy them a Sonata over the internet, "sight unseen." They cant believe the car they got for the money.