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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  Great value, but lackluster preformance - 2013 Hyundai Veloster
  By bjperez007 - October 29 - 3:37 pm

  Ive had this vehicle almost 2 years and have found it satisfactory. Cost less than comparable models and yet comes with all the the amenities that one could need: moon roof, bluetooth, Steering wheel controls, usb port, auxiliary port, and Faux leather w/ mesh seats. Sporty styling, but the third door makes it more convenient than your conventional 2 door coup/hatchback. At only 168 inches long it makes finding parking a breeze (Important in Brooklyn these days). Despite its small size, it has ample cargo room when you fold the seats down. However, the ride is VERY stiff and you cant open the windows in the rain due to leakage directly on to speakers (design flaw). Good value overall.

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  bad car - 1997 Hyundai Accent
  By Kitty - October 29 - 2:00 am

  Vehicle skids awfully .Brakes dont work when you are starting off down a slope. Cannot climb upslopes or hills. Engine starts to heat up . Other things are ok except when u put it to test for extremems.

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  bad car - 1997 Hyundai Accent
  By kitty - October 29 - 2:00 am

  Vehicle skids awfully .Brakes dont work when you are starting off down a slope. Cannot climb upslopes or hills. Engine starts to heat up . Other things are ok except when u put it to test for extremems.

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  Silver 2000 GLS sedan 5spd manual - 2000 Hyundai Elantra
  By Ruger_11mcrdpi - October 29 - 2:00 am

  This car is a gem. I love it. Ive owned mine for two years and two months now, since I bought it new as a late model in 00. The engine is peppy, the styling is nice, the fuel economy is terrific (avg. 32mpg). I have heard reports of bad paint, but I keep mine looking like shes brand new, and the paint is fine! Just buying the first set of tires after the Michelin MXV 4s went after 38,000 miles!! Pretty good for OE tires!

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  Better than we expected - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By Terry Coleman - October 28 - 9:10 am

  We purchased our Azera mostly due to the value it seemed to offer compared to an Avalon. We have not been dissapointed so far. It rides beautifully. We have not driven the car long enough, but we feel mileage is not as good as it is advertised. I was skeptical to purchase the Azera - due to Snub Appeal - but now that I have it, Im proud to have the same features as my neighbors and have saved us some money. I just hope it holds as well as our last car, which was a Honda. We were extremely happy with the reliability of the Honda and hopefully will be equally happy with the Azeras performance.

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  Decent Set of Wheels - 2000 Hyundai Elantra
  By nobrainr - October 28 - 2:00 am

  This car is comfortable and is easy to drive both long and short distances in. Smooth Start from the line, but could use a little more kick. Great for a family.

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  Great Car! - 2002 Hyundai Sonata
  By onob - October 28 - 2:00 am

  We decided to drive this car on a lark. As soon as we got in the car, we fell in love with it. It was so responsive that it seem to just take off with barely a touch on the accelerator. It was a dream to drive, particularly on the highway. A roomy, comfortable, quiet ride is very important to us and this car certainly fit the bill. It also has a nice solid feel on the road. We were just amazed that we could get so much car for such a reasonable price.

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  The real truth about Equus - 2016 Hyundai Equus
  By Gary Gettenberg MD - October 27 - 7:22 am

  Stay away from this vehicle.The major problem is with service.Buyers think they are buying a premier car,however the dealerships are not geared to a premier experience.The dealerships are not familiar with this car,and service is generally poor.My car was in the shop for long periods,parts were not readily available and were very pricey and frequently not covered under warranty. However, the critical fault of the Hyundai Equus is that it handles and drives very poorly.It also has a weak chasis that cannot handle New York City roads.My car swayed and vibrated at 50 to 60 mph and the dealers could not fix it. My wife just would not drive it on the highway because it drives so poorly. Stay with Lexus and/or Mercedes this car is not worth the money.

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  Great Car for the Price - 2002 Hyundai Sonata
  By NewSonataOwner - October 27 - 1:00 am

  I bought the 6 cylinder model 2 months ago and I very happy with the car. In fact my daughter also bought one. We got all the bells and whistles without paying a outrageous price. The car looks like a Jag and handles great. I was really pleased to have my warranty extended to 6 years and 72000 miles due to their horsepower mix up. Many people have told me the car looks great.

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  My new "used" Sonata - 2000 Hyundai Sonata
  By The G Man - October 26 - 2:00 am

  I cannot say enough great things about my 2000 Sonata GLS V6. It has everything you could want in a automobile!! It is extremely comfortable, quiet and fun to drive! I am a true believer in the Hyundai line. I am not the only Hyundai owner in my family. It you have any doubts in the product go test drive one! You will be impressed!