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 with small issues - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By pdlenter - June 29 - 5:30 pm

  Ive owned this car for about 1 1/2 years, so its a fair time to pass judgment. On the highway its a blast, and rides like a larger car. People constantly mistake it for a more expensive sports car. My complaints are with little things. One of the rear seat belts seldomly works, and the passenger side window generally works only after you bang the side of the door with your hand. The paint job is mediocre at best. I didnt notice how bad it was when I bought the car because it was raining at the time. I would probably buy another Hyundai, because the alternative is a much higher priced Toyota or Honda, with possibly better quality, but far more arrogant dealerships.

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  My favorite car ever - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By Webbtman - June 29 - 4:56 am

  I have yet to find something I dont like about this car. The only problem I have is the lack of aftermarket dress up items available.

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  Great car for the $ - 2002 Hyundai Sonata
  By curtinator - June 29 - 2:00 am

  I have had only minor problems with the vehicle. Power antenna sticks. Cd Player problems. Once I approached 30,000 miles, engine squeks.The transmission has a had time finding the right gear.

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  Great for the price! - 2004 Hyundai XG350
  By xg350l - June 28 - 6:16 pm

  I bought this car 1- year ago, still no problems , Big car for Little price!! Brought car back for minor brake problem, rotors were out of spec, straight from the factory & tires weren`t balanced correctly also. Other than that, great car! My 3rd Hyndaui.

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  A GOOD AUTO - 2000 Hyundai Sonata
  By PP - June 28 - 2:00 am

  GOOD RELIABLE TRANSPORTATION - EASY ON GAS - HVAC FLAWLESS - LEANS A BIT ON TIGHT CURVES - STYLING IS COMMENTED ON BY STRANGERS, THIS STYLE SEEMS TO BE PREFERRED BY FRIENDS RATHER THAN THE UPDATED STYLING THAT TENDS TO BE TOO SQUARE - -

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  cant beat it for the price - 2002 Hyundai Accent
  By gnx - June 28 - 2:00 am

  i bought my accent used with 8900 miles on it,its a 2002,really like the car alot.only prob, so far was window washer failed.dealer was great in fixing the problem.would reccomend this car to anyone.

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  The Best - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Danny - June 27 - 11:46 pm

  I was very skeptical about buying a Hyundai, but all my fears have gone away and I think that I will only buy Hyundai from now on. THis car is a dream come true..and affordable.

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  98 Sonata Reliability for less - 1998 Hyundai Sonata
  By vincent1234 - June 27 - 2:00 am

  Great experience - no mechanical or transmission problems ever- just oil changes. For the price like driving an accord for half the cost

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  Disappointed - 2010 Hyundai TUCSON
  By dongrntuc - June 27 - 12:03 am

  We really like the car but so far have been BITTERLY disappointed with the fuel mileage. For a mix of 60/40 freeway/urban driving, we are averaging about 24 mpg. Even on a highway trip with very favorable conditions, we only got a bit over 26 mpg. We know that we wont get the EPA-certified 31 mpg from the window sticker but it ought to do much better than it is doing. We had the Hyundai district rep look at it and test drive it. He got only 24 mpg too so he confirmed what we have claimed. He said the car is operating properly and there is basically nothing they can do. This seems very ironic when Hyundai is now advertising themselves as the most fuel-efficient cars in America.

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  One Owners View - 2006 Hyundai TUCSON
  By William H. Lorentz - June 26 - 2:10 pm

  Throughly satisfied with this car. Handling, braking, ride, comfort, power, 4WD, stability control, quiet ride, warranty service -- all as good or better than any other car I have owned. So-called "estimated mileage" (26-34 mpg highway) and actual mileage (16-22 mpg highway) are as bad as any using the outmoded EPA ratings.