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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  good cheap car - 2002 Hyundai Accent
  By fredou - November 25 - 2:00 am

  Great car for the price. It looks nice and the interior is very comfortable. The design looks nice, and for the price! Perfect for a student with a small budget. Better get this new car for a cheap price, instead of buying a Honda that prolly has a beated up engine.

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  Best in its class Great Value for money - 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Suresh A - November 24 - 11:20 pm

  I was driving a Hyundai Tucson, I drove it for 3 yrs and around 50000 miles I did not face a single problem, I was happy with it. I trade in my Tucson and went for Santa Fe for a bigger vehicle. I was surprised to see the features and MPG for such a big vehicle. I test drove Toyota Highlander, Toyota RAV4 but the drive in Santa Fe is awesome and a great product for great price. I got around 26 MPG on highway with 70 MPH and around 18-19 in the city. My car is limited with GPS and 3rd row seating. Dealer gave me a very good price of 25250 what else you need. Very calm cabin, excellent control on the road with excellent safety features it took my heart. I am so happy with my purchase.

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  The best suv I have owned - 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By SANTAFE08 - November 24 - 10:00 pm

  This is the best suv I have ever owned, coming out of a lease of a denali which sucked gas I have never been so happy, it first started when my mother purchased a 2008 sonata limited and I thought Hyundai mom why did you purchase a sonata and she replied it drove better then the competition and I have to say it does down to the options Hyundai offers, well I am spoiled and I have to have every option so I purchased a 2008 Santa Fe limited with navigation and bluetooth and every option you can get including every accessory down to the wheel locks, mud guards tubes and the cross rails front bra and cargo tray etc, I love this vehicle so much I would definately repurchase again way to go!

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  Great buy!! Great Car!! - 2003 Hyundai Sonata
  By New Fan - November 24 - 10:00 am

  Have the Sonata LX for a month and it is truly a wonderful car. the value in this automobile in fantastic. Drives great, looks great and has good performance and features. One of the best "bangs for the buck" that is out there.Actually drives like my Acura 3.2TL yet was $12,000.00 less. My friends still comment on how nice it is from the outside and inside. If it holds up over time, then I have certainly hit a good find.

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  Very Satisfied - 2003 Hyundai XG350
  By ThomS - November 24 - 10:00 am

  I told my wife, "You can have a Lexus or a BMW or whatever...you decide." She stated matter of factly, "I want a Hyundai!" Now I know she likes to save money, but this was her present from me! She originally said a Sonata, which in itself is a heck of a nice looking car, but once I caught a glimpse of that brand new gold XG350L, I had to drive it. I have but one word to describe this car... SMOOTH. And whats this malarchy about the "shifting problems" I keep reading about? This tranny does no hunting... my wifes favorite victims to date? RX7s and Hondas

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  Excellent SUV - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By paulie - November 24 - 10:00 am

  The Hyundai Santa Fe is an excellent SUV at a low price. It combines a comfortable ride with secure handing and many standard features at a low price. But acceleration and fuel economy dont match up to todays standards. Overall it is a great vehicle and I recommend it to anyone wanting a small SUV. Reliability is great, too.

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  What a great SUV - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Michele Manzi - November 24 - 10:00 am

  Not only was this my first new car, but my first SUV. I never road in a SUV with such a smooth ride. You forget its a SUV because the ride feels like a car. My mother had the Jeep Liberty and hated it because of the rough ride. When she drove the Santa Fe, she feel in love. Everything about this SUV is great. The style, performance, gas miles, ride, etc. I would recemmend it to anyone.

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  Just got it - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By lillapoyka - November 24 - 10:00 am

  Just got the Elantra to replace my crappy built ford Tempo. This is my first new car. I was in love with the MINI cooper but what you want and what you can get and still afford to feed yourself are often two different things. When I got in this guy I was amazed with the space. It is about the same size outside as my wifes sentra but inside... wow... this baby is huge. I feel like Im driving a luxury care much bigger than this really is. Im happy and when I make my monthly payment and still have cash in my account Im sure Ill be even more happy.

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  BEST VEHICLE EVER!!! - 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Love my Santa Fe - November 23 - 4:06 pm

  This is our 11th time buying a new vehicle and the first time buying a foreign vehicle. The Santa Fe is our favorite vehicle ever. It is fun to drive and very easy to handle. Even though we live in snowy Minnesota, we opted for the FWD and have had no regrets. The FWD handled beautifully in the snow and ice last winter. This vehicle cannot be beat in terms of quality, safety, warranty, price value, and cost to insure. An added bonus is the great dealership where we purchased it - St. Cloud Hyundai. Well be back there the next time we need to buy a vehicle.

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  Not worth the money - 2000 Hyundai Elantra
  By Jlanders - November 23 - 2:00 am

  The car with waranty is great, but you dont get a much of a car.The car is noisy,underpowered and cheaply built.Accelaration is poor and handling is terrible.The seats arent comfortable neither is the ride.Decent gas milage and good waranty but overall not a good pick in cars.