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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  drove it had to have it - 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe
  By t - September 29 - 8:33 pm

  all the sales person had to do was get me behind the wheel, it sold its self. Great power and just fun to drive. Gets a lot of attention since there are not many out yet.

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  I cant believe I own a Hyundai ! - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By Paul chesney - September 29 - 3:53 am

  My 2011 Sonata. SE is great. The car has every thing I like in a car so great on gas go test drive one today and you will see for yourself. Before you buy do your self a favor check it out first.

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  would never buy a hyundai again - 2000 Hyundai Accent
  By candyb - September 29 - 2:00 am

  This car has been in the shop 3 times for various things that were covered under warranty, along with another hyundai we have that has been in the shop twice.

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  Amazed! Wow, what a car! - 2002 Hyundai Sonata
  By ahrenius - September 29 - 2:00 am

  I recently rented the car wasnt supposed to get a Sonata, but the compact I ordered wasnt available. At first I thought, Hyundai... oh no. Boy was I wrong! This little Korean beauty really took my breath away. The ride is plush and responsive, similar to a $40k+ Lexus. The V6 is quite ample and quiet, without tempting a 27-year-old male into a Mario Andretti syndrome. It looks like a Jaguar, minus the hood ornament. I have never bought a new car, but at this price, I cant afford not to. I challenge anyone to find a better all-around car for the buck. I will buy one as soon as I can for now, Im extending my rental another week!

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  A great car! - 2005 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Tina Walker - September 28 - 2:20 pm

  I love this car. It rides smooth, steers excellently, and is just an all around great car. Its body style isnt like everyone elses, so to me it doesnt look like everything else on the road. I am a very happy new car owner.

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  A great car! - 2005 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Tina Walker - September 28 - 8:46 am

  I love this car. It rides smooth, steers excellently, and is just an all around great car. Its body style isnt like everyone elses, so to me it doesnt look like everything else on the road. I am a very happy new car owner.

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  Nice Car - Good Value - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By Tim Sottek - September 27 - 5:36 pm

  This one beats the heck out of my 2000 Camry..or any of my dozen or so GM, Ford or Chysler products from the last 30 years. It is comfortable, gets much better mileage than advertised, and drives better than the Edmunds people rate it. I took an emergency 90 degree turn at about 30 mph and the car didnt roll or leave the road.

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  Still a good car - 2007 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Maine - September 27 - 5:00 pm

  Ive owned a 97 Tiburon, a 03 tiburon, and am now the proud owner of a 07 tiburon. I love the line, its always provided me with fun driving and this year is no different. The most notable is the chassis just feels stiffer then ever. The steering is very tight and gives that racing feel. The 07 looks better then ever and Im enjoying it. I suppose when the new model comes out in 09 I will wait till around 12 and purchase that year! keep up the good work Hyundai

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  Dissapointed! - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By SF2007 - September 27 - 2:53 am

  I bought the car new in November 2007. Having high hopes this would be the last car I would have to buy for a long time. I had the car in for the 15,000 mile maintenance in July 2009 and mentioned it had started making a roaring noise, more prevalent at lower speeds. I was told it was tire noise and the tires were feathering. I have had the tires rotated at the specified times why would they feather? If they are feathering at 15,000 miles somethings wrong! I have not been able to get any results from Hyundai as to the real problem. The car is also downshifting hard at 30 miles when coming to a stop. I dont think Ill be buying any make, model or type of Hyundai again.

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  My 2005 Tucson - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Ed - September 26 - 7:20 am

  The best feature about this vehicle is the air conditioning system. It has hands down the coldest system I ever had in a car. Temperatures several degrees over 100 outside and the cabin is easily between 70 and 75. The worst feature - relative poor gas mileage (2.7L) for a small SUV. real fuel mileage in the city about 20 MPG, highway about 23 MPG.