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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  EXCELLENT SMALL SUV - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By ERIC C. - June 26 - 3:03 am

  This truck has an unbelieveable ride,not bouncy like most SUVs.Very roomy for this class.Power is adequate for a small SUV. Decent gas mileage.I have had it for over a year and still no problems.Drive one before you buy anything else...then compare the prices and if you are smart you will probably pick the Hyundai.

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  Awesome Car !! - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By Joe D. - June 25 - 9:53 pm

  I looked at the Accord and test drove it and then looked at the Sonata and the choice was easy to me, Hyundai was a no brainer buy for me hands down, got the Platinum edition and you just cant beat the price.

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  Great Car - 2009 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Owner - June 25 - 6:13 pm

  Car feels solid. Turns on a dime. No noise. When you step on the gas it goes. Radio and disc player good. When it rains keep windows up or you will get wet. Friends are impressed with the smooth ride. Not a huge SUV but just enough. Back hatch door a bit heavy to close but I guess they all are. Bought it with no frills and am happy with it. I would buy another one.

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  Great value, solid car - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By Paul - June 25 - 11:03 am

  I have had my 2009 Sonata Limited for about 10 months now and could not be happier. There was an irritating rattle in the drivers side window that the dealership took a couple of tries to fix but other than that I have no complaints. The V6 gives good acceleration when needed and the handling, while not sportscar-esque, is smooth and pleasant. Excellent brakes. I commute every day about 30 miles each way through some mountain passes in Northwest Washington, which can get dicey in the winter. Or for the rest of the year it is raining. The Sonata is a good inclement weather car, at least for these parts. I have averaged a solid 30 mpg highway miles and 25-27 in town. Very solid, reliable car.

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  Great car for the money and tough - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By william - June 25 - 10:36 am

  Only problem we have ever had was the visor breaking, other than that nothing. We do change oil and do all the pm to the car. The dealer has been great to deal with as well. Just like with anything take care of it and it will take care of you.

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  Hundai elantra gls - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By Tdfd - June 25 - 10:00 am

  This car has decent acceleration when not loaded down. decent handling and while it is pretty basic it is an awesome buy for the price you are not going to find many cheap cars to compare with it.

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  My Sante FE - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Karl - June 25 - 10:00 am

  I have driven my sante Fe through four thousand miles of Mexican roads without one problem. I have also put on over 30000 miles in one year.

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  Good Workhorse - 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By helmr2 - June 25 - 9:03 am

  Comfortable ride, high reliability, spaceous interior, noisy engine above 3000 rpm, no troubles at all so far.front wheel drive requires attention at the steering in narrow curves and U-turns

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  Lacks Pep - 2007 Hyundai TUCSON
  By JohnQ - June 25 - 8:40 am

  I ve had my Tuscon for several months now. I love the design and layout - both inside and out. Very impressed with the quiet, smoothness of the ride. Handles corners very well. But lacks power on hills. You would expect better from a 6 cyl SUV that only gets 23 MPG. Just things to consider. However, for me the pros outweigh the cons. I am very happy with the purchase.

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  Look out! Toyota! Its comin to get ya~ - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By yount79 - June 25 - 5:50 am

  First of all,Im very proud of Hyundai. Korea is where I came from and even though I love my home country, I never thought Id buy a Hyundai. But, I truly believe this new Sonata can kick some serious rear! (especially camrys and accords). I bought it six months ago, so far I have no problems to report.