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 _budget_ car - 2001 Hyundai Elantra
  By scott - April 21 - 10:51 am

  Like other Korean products, like Samsung phones, this car is high on well-designed features, but just misses on small things that Japanese competitors still consider (and prove to be annoying long term). Biggest pros: Features - sunroof, leather, etc Interior space- everyone is surprised at "how roomy" it is Exterior design - often mistaken for a SAAB 93 Biggest cons: Loud to drive- very little sound dampening Rough to drive- feel every bump in the road Electrical- have to replace a headlight every couple months?!? Other minor complaints... Why did they design the center A/C vents that way? They are completely worthless for the passenger.

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  I love my hyundai car! - 2007 Hyundai Elantra
  By mouse - April 21 - 2:55 am

  I have had my elantra for almost a year now. I want to advise anyone out there looking for a car to make sure to look at this one. The fuel economy is good, about 30 mpg but i do a lot of highway driving. The size is wonderful. Im very tall and it was the only car I looked at that I didnt feel cramped in. The best thing about my car was the price. I spent about 3000 dollars less.

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  Warranty not what they claim - 2002 Hyundai Sonata
  By Jeann - April 18 - 3:20 pm

  I absolutely loved my car. A few minor flaws, such as the interior handles needing to be replaced several times, and the armrest wasnt the most comfortable. Other than that a fantastic car. However, I now have 30,550 miles on my car and the fuel door doesnt open. (Not covered under the extend warranty that I purchased for an additional $1265.)Now the car is also due for 30,000. mi maintenance - $400., and drive belt (required) $600. Yet the car is only worth $4500-$5000. You do the math. I wont buy another!!

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  good litte cheapie - 1997 Hyundai Elantra
  By den - April 17 - 9:55 pm

  Bought from an older gentleman 6 yrs ago some just general maint. Both my power Windows had to be fixed the car now has 61k and still works good dont know how long I will keep it the trade value is poor to say the least so as long as I can I will keep it.

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  very good car for the price - 2003 Hyundai Sonata
  By Eric - April 17 - 9:45 am

  Just returned the car at the dealer (was on a lease). The Sonata had been a very reliable car. Put on 70K without any problems except for normal maintenance. You buy this car for family needs (roomy for 4 & a good size trunk), not for performance (small V6).

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  Superb Quality - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Aggie91 - April 16 - 5:50 am

  This ugly thing has grown on me. It has been virtually maintenance free. The build quality is superb - Im really impressed. Its resale value is far underappeciated for the reliability and quality. I will buy more Hyundai products.

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  Hyundai needs some gas mileage. - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Robert E Jones - April 14 - 8:16 pm

  Took a trip to N.C. and only averaged 22 mpg.

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  Reliable, but some maintenance woes - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By drew_c - April 12 - 5:42 am

  Just paid off the car. Let me start by saying that the car runs like a dream, is exceptionally roomy for a compact, and maintains speed very well (a must when I drove it across country when I moved from the west to the east). Bought new for the warranty, but everything that went wrong was maintenance parts. Dont get me wrong, It is a fabulous car. You just need to know that you have to replace the headlights every year and tires every 1-2.

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  Its a squeaker - 2007 Hyundai Entourage
  By pafundi - April 12 - 3:47 am

  My 07 Entourage is a squeaker in the back end. Nothing the dealer does fixes it. It has actually gotten worse since their last fix job. I think it is a design flaw.

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  Very poor instrument panel poor fuel - 2007 Hyundai Azera
  By BERNARD HAUSFELD - April 12 - 12:20 am

  The instrument panel lighting is so poor in sunlight cant see odometer or trip meter or Cruise set indicator. Tires have vibration. Poor fuel 23 mpg. Transmission does funny things, as if it does not want to release when coasting. Should have bot another Buick Lesabre, 27 mpg over 68,000 miles.