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...if you keep it forever!! - 2001 Hyundai Sonata
  By Tee - October 8 - 2:00 am

  The car looks good and drives good. I had to replace the battery after almost 3 yrs., and the warranty lived up to itself. My main complaint is the resale value. If you are going to buy one, buy it used. We are getting ready to trade it in, and we are extremely disappointed in the trade in value.

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  Sonata 2015 Eco! Nice car. - 2015 Hyundai Sonata
  By JP - October 8 - 12:32 am

  I just bought mine maybe 2 weeks ago! This is my 3rd Hyundai. Very happy with the brand. Its a midsize car, roomy interior, with the gas mileage of a compact car. Awesome! They give you alot for a base model. The only thing I did not like is the stereo. Its VERY LOW wattage and low sound. I didnt realize that other models had an upgraded sound system. Disappointing, since I like loud sound and bass! Other than that, Im happy!

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  Chili Pepper Red Elantra - 2009 Hyundai Elantra Touring
  By Tom - October 7 - 5:36 am

  When the Cash for clunkers was announced I headed for the Hyundai dealership and there it was. A Chili Pepper red Elantra Touring just begging to be bought. Took a quick test drive and told the salesman to put a sold sign on it. Easiest decision I ever made. I absolutely love this car. Quick, precise steering, peppy enough and, to my eyes, a beauty to behold (love the color). Throw in great brakes, XM radio, handling that makes Ozark mountain curves a blast to drive and lots of room to haul stuff in and you have one happy owner. Im getting 29.7 MPG combined. The stiff suspension (which I like)is the price you pay for good handling.

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  Excellent quality, so so mpg - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By smithcha100 - October 6 - 4:03 am

  If you want a nice car, luxury like but not at luxury prices, then this is the car you want. Good pickup but mpg lower than advertised.

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  I might think twice - 2003 Hyundai Sonata
  By not proud - October 5 - 2:00 am

  I had this car about 8mos and about 7,000 mile before check engine light came on it took the deal 3 weeks to fix.

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  Traded my 2005 BMW 325i! =) - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By shane - October 4 - 11:10 am

  Coming from a BMW, I was very pleased with the bells and whistles in the car, but moreover I was impressed with the sporty feel of the car. The size puts it in the range of the 5-series, but I was sold on the 198hp engine with the gas mileage of a 4-cylinder engine. Why would I need a 6-cylinder??? The only thing Ill miss is the auto-sensing wipers, but thats a small sacrifice for this bold and beautiful car. You wont be disappointed, and hopefully this will AT LEAST get you to take a test drive. Got the limited for $24,100, so negotiate hard. I feel safer in this car than with the side curtain airbags, which the BMW lacked (in 05 model). With a 9 month old, safety is everything!

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  1000 miles in and I absolutely love the 2017 Sport - 2017 Hyundai Elantra
  By brundagefamily@comcast.net - October 3 - 10:04 pm

  I have completed just under 1000 miles in my new 2017 Elantra Sport manual transmission and I can honestly say that I love it. My prior car was a 2013 Sonata 2.0T and I was a bit concerned moving into the Elantra Sport for several reasons. First, it is a smaller car. Second, the Sonata 2.0T was a wolf in sheeps clothing as far as acceleration. My concerns were unfounded. The Elantra Sport has plenty of room, especially in the front seats. The leather bucket seats have excellent support and are quite comfortable (I am six foot and 215lbs). The acceleration in the Elantra Sport is well above average. I certainly havent been in any situation where the car was under powered. Finally I am getting about 31 mpg in a mostly suburban driving environment - much better than I was expecting and a significant improvement over the Sonata. I highly recommend this car!

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  Warranty Stinks!!! - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Vickies Tibby - October 3 - 4:56 pm

  I really love my Tiburon, its so fun to drive but Ive only had it a year and now the clutch went out and it broke the flywheel. $1700.00 at the dealership!! What I dont understand is why am I being penalized because I own a maual transmission if it was an automatic I would actually reap the benefits of the bumper to bumper warranty! I actually own 2 mine has 57,000 mi. my husbands only has 33,000 his did exactly the same thing. The dealership claims this is a rare problem - bull!!!! Beware if the clutch goes out your in for a big repair bill!!

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  Thumbs up! - 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By viennadarling - October 3 - 3:36 am

  I bought this SUV after driving a Jeep for years. I thought nothing would compare to my old Jeep, but the Santa Fe definitely holds its own. Im rather short, but the Santa Fe has great visibility all around. The only thing I would change is the tan interior; I have dogs and the seats need shampooed quite frequently. Its easy and fun to drive and hasnt given me a problem yet.

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  Could be more comfort - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By Alan - October 3 - 2:10 am

  We had the car for two months. My only complaint is the rough ride and better comfort front seats. The car needs different tires. 17 inch rims and low profile tires do not give a smooth ride. Hyundai needs to work on this. Other wise a great car