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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  More and more disappointed :( - 2003 Hyundai Sonata
  By Brittany - May 7 - 8:58 am

  When I bought my car I loved it! I called it my baby Jag. 5 months after I bought it the airbag light came on, the dealership couldnt fix it. After 3 years of ownership, the engine blew because the timing belt broke. No check engine light ever went on. I was 1,000 miles over the warranty limit. It cost me $3500 for a new one. One year after the replacement of the engine the check engine light came on and now I dont want to deal with this car anymore! I thought Hyundais were supposed to be good cars. Apparently not after so many years. :(

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  Love it but.... - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By vote4honesty - May 6 - 3:54 am

  I purchased my 2011 Sonata in Jan. It is a comfortable car, great trunk space, runs well and looks great but...... after two months in my possession I noticed a small area on the trunk that is rusting. The area is very small on the passenger side of the trunk door above the brake light. On the driver side same thing but no rust just missing paint. I took it to dealership for repair (covered under warranty)and they gave me a 2011 Sonata loaner which I checked, of course, for the same problem and YES it did have issue. Before purchasing you may want to check for this manufacturers defect. Otherwise, love my car.

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  You need one - 1995 Hyundai Elantra
  By paintchip - May 5 - 5:39 pm

  This was my first car and it has lasted me 2 years and counting. Considering it is only 6 years younger then I am this car has held up great. I havent had any Major problems with it just regular maintenance which is usually really cheap for this car and the two previous owners who I personally know have also never had a real problem with this car. The only thing I dont like about it is that is slow as hell and accelerates a little slower then I can run. Also the interior which has held up fantastically is a Nice fit for me at 5,9" 150 lbs but for any one bigger they would have problems especially when I have the seat all the way back and my knee hits my keys.

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  little car lots of heart - 2005 Hyundai Tiburon
  By chris hutchins - May 5 - 2:10 am

  I am 6 4" and fit almost peerfectly into the Tiburon. For the weight and the small six it is extremely spirited. I am extremely surprised by the Tib being as I traded a 2003 Silverado for it, good power, the interior was well thought out and it rides well for a more sport suspension than what I am used to. Over all this car will impress not only on price but quality and performance as well.

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  My purple Elantra - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By Karen Milton - May 4 - 2:00 am

  Easy to drive and fun. A lot of interior space for the 5 of us. Easy on gas, low maintenance. Secure feeling in winter weather. Roomy trunk. Rear cup holders an added bonus.

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  Good car bad dealers - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By bikermark - May 3 - 11:16 am

  The Sonata runs god and has nice power. the seats could have better thigh suport. The build quility could be better. But the worst thing is the dealer attitude. My rear brakes howl when i turn left, and the dealer refuses to do anything because this only happens to the 4 cyl. cars. the paint is peeling off on the bumper. the seat rattles and the dealer says they cant do anything because thats how they build these things. So i went to the other dealer in town who also sells buick and doesnt have any time or desire to help a hyundai owner. So Im going back to Toyota where Ive always got very good cars and very good service. Hyundai a good car but not there yet.

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  poor fuel performance - 2007 Hyundai Azera
  By mathew7 - May 2 - 11:08 am

  This is an excellent car as a whole . Great radio . Rides smoothly and has excellent pickup. Automatic climate controls work nicely. I have had this car since Nov 07 and have driven 4700 miles since then.

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  MY 06*** Love my car - 2006 Hyundai Elantra
  By Tracey - May 1 - 10:45 am

  I bought my 2006 Elantra New May 06. It now has 21000 miles on it and it has been very good to me, I have had no problems with it at all since i bought it. Reliability is a 10++++ plus i bought the extended 10yr 100k bumper to bumper and i have to say that i feel 100% safe w/free roadside assistance with a push of a button on the phone.

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  My Elantra - 2006 Hyundai Elantra
  By pfk981 - May 1 - 6:41 am

  I purchased my Elantra GT in feb 2006. I now have 50,000 miles. This has been a great car. No major problems. The only real complaint I have is the stock rear brakes are very soft brake pads. I always noticed that my rear wheels had more brake dust than my front (not normal). After they started making noise (35K) I replaced them with better pads and all is good. I enjoy driving it to and from work everyday. I would definitely purchase another one.

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  Sweet car for price - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By Ryan - April 29 - 2:05 pm

  I dont have one negative thing to say about this car. I havent had one issue whatsoever! Very pleased with this car, and will be sticking to the brand in the future.