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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  Better be original owner - 1999 Hyundai Sonata
  By mavasauris - March 12 - 2:00 am

  Warning Hyundai does not honor the 100k "Americas Best Warranty" If you are not the original owner even if they are problems that have been listed in TSB and are known defects.

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  1st new car - 2000 Hyundai Sonata
  By newmom - March 12 - 2:00 am

  When we bought this car we wanted something more roomy than a compact yet still somewhat economical. We were impressed with the ride, handling and especially the warranty. The only regret (besides buying new) was selecting the 4cyl, 5 spd combo. While the manual is fun to drive, it gets old in town. The car has pep for a 4 cyl, but not quite enough to gamble with. The combination of the two proved almost deadly on one occasion. My advice to anybody buying a new Sonata, Get exactly what you want first time around because youll lose tons of money trying to trade it in. Maybe someday Hyundai will have a better trade in value. Its a good car to KEEP.

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  Amazing!!! - 2012 Hyundai Sonata
  By elifant71 - March 11 - 1:16 pm

  I love my new car. The ride is excellent, the gas mileage so far has been outstanding, and its been a long time since I have gotten into a vehicle and actually been comfortable. This car is and has out surpassed my expectations and desires. I cant wait to take a road trip and really get to enjoy the open road again!

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  No Power???? - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By XtrmeDriver - March 10 - 11:13 pm

  Okay first off, I am an avid car guy. I enjoy reading multiple reviews 4 many different cars and trucks, and I have read several reviews on the new Tucson. Every professional review I read talked about the Tucsons poor performance in regards to its acceleration and transmission. So going into my first test drive with the vehicle I was expecting a sluggish experience. This was definitely not the case at all. No, it wont outrun my Mustang Cobra, but it has plenty of low end punch off the line. It feels eager to go as soon as you touch the pedal. I now proudly own a Tucson and have been very pleased w/it. Build quality is excellent and the value that comes with it cant be matched!

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  A great SUV - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By JWP in MN - March 10 - 2:40 am

  I own the 2002 LX AWD my daughter bought it and put the first 30K on it and we took over for the last 60K. It was the best SUV in its class in 02 and we havent been disappointed yet. It gets 26 to 28 mpg on long trips, I dont keep track in town. It handles great in snow and on icy roads, AWD is automatic with nothing to worry about. Our only repair was a cracked A/C line otherwise trouble free except for normal maint. Soon we will get an 07 or 08 RAV4 or Santa Fe, both the top performers in our test drives. The 07s are far nicer SUVs and that is what you would expect with 5 more years of expierence but the 02 is still a well built classy SUV.

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  The creaky Coupe - 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe
  By Stinky - March 9 - 7:06 pm

  This is a follow-up to my previous submission. This model is in its infancy. I cannot speak for others, but mine is seriously lacking in structural rigidity. The Sun roof creaks at low speeds and on uneven pavement. It has noticeable flexion about its long axis. At speed on very smooth pavement it is fine. The front suspension doesnt match the rear at speed when pitching it around...it doesnt have the feeling of being engaged regardless of input. It has a rather squirmy feel to it on uneven pavement. The engine is in serious need of mid range torque and the gear ratios need to be rethought entirely. Not a bad boulevard cruiser as long as the pavement doesnt challenge its structure.

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  XL350 - 2004 Hyundai XG350
  By ecfusa - March 9 - 10:00 am

  Great handling and accelatation. The vehicle handles well at high speeds and in corners.

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  An awwwwesome car! - 2004 Hyundai XG350
  By bot337 - March 9 - 10:00 am

  This car really took me by surprise. I was checking out between Jetta, this car, and the smallest Kompressor model of Mercedes. This car ruled the others out when i took it for a test drive. I couldnt believe the smoothness and quiteness! The power is more than i can ask for. the RPM stays below 2.5 x1000, as compared to others that reach way above 3.0. lack of visibility of the time and radio screen during daytime? Change the light to "off" which still keeps your daytime headline on, then turn on the night headlight when the sun goes down. Most asian cars are manual

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  MUCH better than my Saturn SC1 - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Moperock - March 9 - 10:00 am

  I have wanted a Santa Fe for the last 5 years and was finally able to afford one. The exterior styling has European grace and sleekness, and the cost is more than reasonable. The ride and steering are excellent, and I will be able to fit my toddler niece and nephew triplets all in the back seat in their car seats, and have room up front for an adult!

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  GLS V6 with leather is not a bad value - 2000 Hyundai Sonata
  By bgg - March 9 - 2:00 am

  The ride has seemed to have gotten firmer along with more wind noise since Ive had it. Bumps in the road are very evident. It was kind of loud in the cabin to begin with but its gotten worse as time goes by. Sometimes when its very cold, the windows wont roll down. They fog up constantly if its rainy, or snowy and/or cold. The heater MUST be set on just defrsoting the windshield or all the windows will fog up. Thats a real flaw. The only things Ive had to do is replace the "rear wheel" bearings and Ive had to replace both front headlights. The only thing its missing is a Moon Roof.