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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  Nice, but a few things to improve - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Hsudog - September 1 - 9:30 am

  Ive had the car for a month now. It is a really nice car for the price. Good off-the line acceleration, good looks, good feature set. Feels like a luxury car in terms of overall exterior appearance, quietness of ride, smoothness of engine, and standard interior appointments. Lots of my colleagues have said, "Its really a Hyundai?" They cant believe it.

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  I will never purchase another Hyundai! - 1997 Hyundai Elantra
  By UNHAPPY - September 1 - 2:00 am

  I would not recommend this car to even my worst enemy. The transmission has failed twice. All of the paint (original paint) is chipping off. It makes horrible banging noises when turning and no mechanic (not even Hyundai dealer mechanics)can figure out why. The steering column shakes (another "feature" thank no one can seem to fix). We have done all we can to no avail. I will never EVER buy another.

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  Poor rear suspension design - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By prince Strickland - August 31 - 9:33 pm

  My overall experience with my vehicle has been fine except it has developed a loud rear suspension noise and the factory reps are stating they do no have a solution for the problem.

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  Wow! Its a Hyundai - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By Zyvox201 - August 30 - 5:56 pm

  I have had the Azera for a week, but I can say that it is one of the best cars I have every driven. I have driven Lexus, Infiniti, Mercedes, Lincoln, and the quality of ride is comparable and in many cases better. The car is solid. It handles well, accelerates well and never feels like it is being put upon when driving up hill or whisking down a busy interstate during a heavy rain. If you choose this car, youll wont be sorry. It is not a sport sedan. I would place it in the category of a touring sedan. It has power and subtle elegane. Way to go Hyundai!

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  great car-horrible dealership - 2001 Hyundai Elantra
  By Elantraman - August 30 - 10:00 am

  I have been extremely pleased with this vehicle. great ride, comfortable, fast, great stereo system, traction control ABS, leather seats, etc. However, I have had numerous problems with the black tape around the doors which continually "peel." They have been replaced 3x and counting!!!!! Stay clear from Huntington Hyundai- New York. Horrible service department! Not concerned about customer satisfaction after they sell you a vehicle!

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  2nd Santa Fe - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By davem - August 30 - 10:00 am

  Bought this car in Jan 03 to replace a 2002 Santa Fe which we totalled on an icy snowy curve on Rt. 81 in NY. On the total we got back all of our cost except for $1400 which in not bad for a year of driving. We survived with NO injuries,the front axle bent which damaged the transmission. The 2003 is a joy to drive, the mileage is 25+ on a trip, city about 20. We have 7500 miles now with no problems.

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  Too Sweet For You - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By RepDog03 - August 30 - 10:00 am

  Just a crazy fun and cool car that can be upgraded with aftermarket parts like I am doing with my 2003 Hyundai Elantra. Yea baby.

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  Problems with no help from dealer or the manufacturer - 2012 Hyundai Sonata
  By emlod - August 30 - 5:49 am

  The car pulls to the left. The rear brakes went at18,000 miles. They blamed me for not having the sliders lubricated but I too the cAR FOR SERVICE TO THE DEALER SINCE i BOUGHT. wHY DIDNT THEY TELL ME. THEY DIDNT. A CALL TO HYUNDAI MOTORS RESOLVED NOTHING. I DONT ENJOY THE CAR. When you trade it in you will get nothing compared to Honda and Toyota. Some dealers are selling for $3,500 above sticker price. There is no reason for this. Dont pay it. Go on the internet and find a price there, but I would not recommend this car. Honda, Toyota and Nissan mask much better cars and have better service and trade in. Why by a sonata?

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  Worse Than a Yugo - 1992 Hyundai Elantra
  By Mark Palmer - August 30 - 2:00 am

  This was the worst new car I ever owned, and I never drove it hard. It was at the dealership for repairs over 15 times in three years. It started out with numerous electrical problems. The 5 speed transmission was rebuilt at 15k miles. The throttle body went at 30k, the front end components at 40k. There were many other numerous issues also, too many to mention. Finally, its timing belt broke at 50k miles, which threw all of its exhaust valves into the pistons. It was rebuilt, but I was fed up with it at that point and sold it. Way too much downtime. DO NOT buy a 1992-1995 Hyundai Elantra as a used car. They are horrible!

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  Great low priced car - 2002 Hyundai Accent
  By RTPOPS - August 30 - 2:00 am

  This is a great all around car. With a lot of standard equipment, its best to upgrade to the GS hatchback.