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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  Ggggrrreeeeaaaattt - 2004 Hyundai Tiburon
  By leland - December 19 - 10:00 am

  I am 63" and have no problem with headroom or entering and exiting the car. I compared it to the RSX type-S and SRT-4, but i got more for my dollar with the tiburon, at the base price of the other models! This is an awesome car!

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  Surprised! - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By ptspitz - December 19 - 10:00 am

  This car was purchased to replace a 2003 Honda Civic that was totaled ($13000 damage) in a 25 mph accident. I was disappointed that the Honda suffered so much damage at such a low speed when my son hit a Ford Explorer. We looked at another Civic, the Ford Focus, Mazda 3 and the Elantra. The Elantra was by far the best deal for the money. Got it for just under $14000. Its nice to drive; MUCH quieter and smoother than the Civic with more engine power. The MPG is around 25 in city commuter driving, very respectable. So far Im very pleased.

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  2003 GT Sedan (5-speed) - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By jabphd - December 19 - 10:00 am

  Positives: very peppy engine; smooth 5- speed; most passenger leg room for its class; attractive styling; fun to drive. Negatives: Flat spot at 4000rpm; noticeable body lean in tight turns; poor paint job; trunk lid rises to exact position for head-whacking of the unaware; fold-down rear seats provide only a small, semi-circular access between trunk and passenger area.

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  fun car great price - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By transformed - December 19 - 2:00 am

  the gt 5 door in my area was very difficult to find,northtown dealership found one dealership reallies cares about the customer had one small defect which they fix immediately great dealership to work with

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  Used 2003 GLS AWD 2.7L - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Sayer - December 19 - 2:00 am

  I bought the car three weeks ago. It was a lease trade-in with 16,000 miles on it and I absolutely love it. Its roomy and it went through the snow without a problem. I cannot stop telling people how great this car has been so far. My only issues: the back windshield wiper only wipes half of the window. I need to take it back to the dealer to have it fixed (under warranty), which is bothersome. Also the drivers side door lock paint is peeling in a small spot.

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  WOW, WHAT A GREAT VEHICLE! - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By BILLY JONES - December 19 - 2:00 am

  IVE ONLY HAD THE VEHICLE FOR TWO MONTHS BUT SO FAR IM VERY PLEASED WITH MY SANTAFE

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  A#1 FAUX EURO-CRUISER - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By bucksLXURIATE - December 18 - 7:13 pm

  Not a 6i in corners but solid.Quiet,refined,stately Buick-like ride and build quality.Astonishingly competent,loud tunes in base pkg.-if you can lose the roof check out the sound system and save the 1.4 grand.Two quotes for 799.00 to bump up to a 10 year wrap on the B2B warranty- 12k mi. or 1 year to do it.Huge upgrade over the previous generation in the engine/looks dept.-this car is especially handsome in Ebony or Deepwater blue,Cinnamon too.Trans does very well and is smooth,mud guards easy install,oil filter on TOP of the new,powerful 3.3 plant.If had black leather I would be in heaven rather than on cloud9.At 21,495 after 2k in rebates coupled with base warr.equals no-brainer/win-win.

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  Fun Car/Reliable - 1998 Hyundai Elantra
  By vinney - December 18 - 2:00 am

  I bought this car new in 1998 and my wife loves it. She would rather keep it than give it up. This car has the 5 speed that gives it some extra pep. I enjoy driving it so I can race some of the teenagers that think there civics are fast. I usually blow there doors off and I have nothing but stock.. The only issue that I had was regular maintanance. Battery, brakes, wipers and tires.

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  not bad for the buck - 2000 Hyundai Elantra
  By al b. - December 17 - 2:00 am

  I purchased my car in 1999 and have 76000 miles on it at the current time. The main reason why I purchased the elantra was because of the warranty. this car has plenty of pep and the handling is awesome. The only problem I had with this car was the radiator upper hose was leaking, the dealer replaced the upper and lower hose at no cost.

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  Just love it! - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Love my Santa Fe - December 16 - 10:00 am

  Rides like a car. Hugs the curves with no sliding. Good stereo system. Air conditoner is keeping up with the 95+ temps this summer. Sails along on the highway. Lots of cargo room-we moved a full size refrigerator with the back seats down.