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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  gas guzzler where is the promised m.p.g? - 2007 Hyundai Accent
  By accent hatch back - June 16 - 2:07 pm

  Your advertised m. P. G on sales sticker and email of 33 mpg is wrong. My wife averages 20.5 mpg around town at average speed of 45 mph shopping locally round trip 10 miles 3 or 4 times per week. Have car tested.

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  great used car! - 2005 Hyundai Sonata
  By BIG DADDY - June 16 - 2:06 pm

  This car has never broke down and been to the dealer for unnecessary service. This has been the most dependable car I have ever owned. Great mileage! 34 mpg highway. I have put on more than 75,000 mile. When I trade in someone will have a great car.

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  she makes me feel so young - 2004 Hyundai Tiburon
  By hotrodmama - June 11 - 10:00 am

  after 25 yrs of driving muscle cars i never believed i would find another car that would keep me happy....i did.....tootsie tiberon is sweet....she is sleek and sexy.....quick pick up and glides along......i feel safe in her....she will get me there and bring me home again ......she responds quickly to the touch....wonderful pick up.....her 6 cylinders match the 8s i used to drive.....thank you

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  Great deal for the money. - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By Wirro - June 11 - 10:00 am

  Compared Nissan Sentra, Ford Focus and Honda Civic and just couldnt get anywhere near as much car for the money. Zero defects so far but then Im not a heavy user, only about 6K a year. But hey! The bumper-to-bumper warranty will still be in effect when its paid for!

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  Very Underrated Automobile - 2004 Hyundai XG350
  By Freeagent35 - June 11 - 9:13 am

  I was looking for a reasonable pre-owned car after losing my company car. After reading Consumer Reports, this one seemed a decent bet. Picked it up dirt cheap ($10,750) with 30k miles. Overall, it has been very solid. Not quite to level of Honda and Toyota quality, but not too far off. Handling is decent. Looks (interior and exterior) like a much more expensive car. Issues: (1) Speakers suck. I replaced fronts with Pioneer 2 way($50 Walmart) and sound greatly improved. (2) Drive by wire throttle is touchy. Drive easy for awhile and it will calm down plus you will get used to the hair trigger. (3) Gas mileage is fair for a car of this size (about 22 to 24). Overall, quite pleased.

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  Rattle Trap - 2008 Hyundai Accent
  By mrmll37 - June 10 - 5:32 am

  I have owned my Hyundai Accent SE for less than two months, it is under 3000 miles and has already been at the dealer twice for rattles from either the rear suspension of the hatch. The dealer cant seems to fix it, took it to a body shop with no avail. Driving 80 miles a day, the noise is VERY annoying. I was told if they cant correct this time, I would have to "Deal With It". Not acceptable.

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  my tibby - 2001 Hyundai Tiburon
  By scandal - June 10 - 2:00 am

  fun car, no power, looks good, overall a good value

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  gotta love a lemon - 2004 Hyundai Accent
  By debm - June 8 - 10:32 am

  All Ive ever heard was how great these cars are. Once you buy one youll never buy anything else. Ive had nothing but little issues with her since I bought her. But theyve been constant. The horn stopped working. The left blinker doesnt go off by itself. It has an intermittent ignition issue (hesitates badly only a few days out of the moth and then shes fine). The list goes on. And just recently I realized I was filling my gas tank up way to often. So I clocked it. Im only getting 20 miles per gallon! How is that possible?

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  Fun to drive - 1996 Hyundai Accent
  By valpak - June 7 - 5:01 pm

  Bought new. No problems for first 8 years then things started to go wrong. both door handles have broken off. I have loved the car for the most part. I am considering buying a 2008 accent. It is a great buy for the money, roomy, fun to drive, great gas mileage. What more does someone want! We must have liked our 96 if we are looking to buy a 2008, plus a warranty that is great. If you are thinking of buying a Hyundai it is a great buy and you wont be sorry!

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  Just Needs More Comfortable Front Seats - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By rgravesjr - June 7 - 6:33 am

  Other than the front seat bottoms,which need to be about two inches longer, my wife and I are happy with the car. Very quiet interior-easy to have a normal conversation at highway speeds (windows up, of course). Dont care for the "proprietary" XM radio. The logo will be there rather you activate or not. And true, the 18" wheels seem to contribute to a little harsher ride on rough roads.