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 Value - 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By scojay - June 11 - 11:26 am

  After 1000 miles I am still impressed with this SUV. It has a car-like feel with a hint of luxury. Quick when it needs to be, corners well and has sleek curves. I paid $22,900 which represents an excellent value for the features and ride.

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  TIBB - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By john4man - June 11 - 10:00 am

  I love my new car, its sporty yet sleek lookin. Its a severe head turner. I would like to see some cowl hoods and ground effects.

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  No reason to buy anything else - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By Bobbi B. - June 11 - 10:00 am

  I LOVE my Elantra. Although I did a ton of research when buying this car (it was my first new car), I was still slightly nervous about buying a Hyundai. After all, people often looked at me like I was crazy when I said that I was considering a Hyundai. A little over a year later, I have absolutely NO complaints. I havent had a single problem -- not even a rattle. The car has great pickup, even with the air conditioning on (something that Ive had problems with in the past). The interior includes all kinds of nice little conveniences that you wouldnt expect for such an inexpensive car. This car is a fantastic bargain.

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  The Best - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By whiteman - June 11 - 10:00 am

  I owned 3 escorts before this one one was a diesel and this car has more power and seems to have much better quality of craftmansip and truly the peoplr at the dealership are more friendly and actually seem to care. I will never buy another FORD since they dont have the warranty and I live two blks from dlrshp

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  Great Family Hauler - 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Anthony Edu - June 11 - 3:37 am

  Owned the car brand new for about 7 years now and so far it has been good to us. A few recalls were taken care of warranty but one major repair expense outside of warranty was the rack and pinion ($1k/incld labor) since it was leaking heavily from the passenger side. Also, there are traces of oil leaking from the head valve gaskets after 90k. Regular oil maintenance for both engine and transmission have been done religiously according to recommended intervals. Im expecting to pay another $1k @100k for spark plug and valve cover gasket replacement work. It seems that these cars were designed to crap out after warranty and when youre done paying off the loan...SMH

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  Good car - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Mike - June 10 - 12:43 pm

  I just wanted to say that I have had Chevy products before I bought this Sonata and all I can say so far that this is a great car. I enjoy driving it and I would recomend this car to any one.

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  Fun but needs more - 2012 Hyundai TUCSON
  By mlien - June 10 - 5:45 am

  I bought the Tuscon straight out of college, and it was the closest thing I could find to what I wanted in my budget. I would say it has a low-budget feel to the inside. If you do a lot of highway travel, it is loud. It could have used another layer of insulation on the bottom. After 70 mph there is a high squeal coming from somewhere in the window. The dealer hasnt been able to figure it out. There is also a smell of mildew in the car from the AC. Both things are apparently common, but the dealer hasnt been able to figure out. For the price point, its a great vehicle. I have moved large pieces of furniture. Its very spacious. It has some get up and go for a 4 cylinder.

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  excellent first time buyer car - 2002 Hyundai Accent
  By cc5galvan - June 10 - 2:00 am

  I have had a lot of fun driving my accent. It is a peppy little thing and gets great gas mileage. I would buy another Hyandi

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  Great Buy. - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By rajiff - June 9 - 7:46 pm

  Overall I think its an excellent mid entry suv. Its defintely not the largest, but it does manage to be rather spacious and comfortable considering its smaller size. Not cramped like most small suvs. With all the standard features and optional upgrades, I think I made a great purchase.

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  Satisfied Owner - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Jill Espelin - June 9 - 8:00 am

  I liked the Tucson as soon as I saw it. It really caught my eye. I test drove it and was convinced that this was the vehicle I wanted to purchase. I really enjoy the ride and the way it looks both outside and inside.