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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  the perfect 10 - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By nata456 - June 19 - 10:00 am

  when a car exceeds your expectations, you win. definitely, best deal in the elantra lineup is the gt. for a few extra dollars, you get a whole lot more car.

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  Best Hatchback Buy - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By backy - June 19 - 10:00 am

  The Elantra GT is the best value in the compact 5-door class, at least $3000 less than other cars with comparable equipment. It is a solid, comfortable car with a good blend of ride and handling, excellent driving position, and roomy cargo area. This is my second Elantra and I am very satisfied thus far.

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  Great starter car for a new family - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By phantomusaf - June 19 - 10:00 am

  This car is great good gas milage for a small SUV and good amount of power compared to its competitors. I have 2 small children and they have plenty of room. I have had it for over 2 years and I have never had one problem nor heard of anyone that has had a problem. You cant beat it in its class for the price you get a lot more then what you pay for which is a rareity these days

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  Hyundai Santa Fe is #1 - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By CSJKGC - June 19 - 10:00 am

  I find the handling is the ultimate best. I really enjoy the ease in shifting gears, especially the responsiveness of the clutch. The design line of the body demonstrates thought in its development. I would have never believed so much vehicle could be had for the price. It is worth much more than its cost.

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  kittyfancy51@aol.com - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By sylvia gerardo - June 19 - 10:00 am

  very nice to drive. small easy to park. attractive, spacy, nice interior, good lighting. the best part is the warranty. especially free oil changes for life which is great to have the dealer per- form services and also keep me informed of future service schedules.

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  Love the exterior, inside so-so - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Knowidentity - June 19 - 10:00 am

  I Love the exterior design, gas mileage,and overall performance BUT, the front seats are too small and uncomfortable. It is great to drive locally but, unfortunately, uncomfortable for longer trips.

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  A lot of Car for the Money - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By Dan - June 19 - 6:36 am

  What a car! The only drawback (if you can call it that) is I was use to the V6 power of my 2006 Sonata; but the 4- cylinder is not far behind and it gets allot better mileage. The car is just fun to drive and the Navigation/Infinity Stereo system are amazing. I put allot of mileage on my vehicles (96-mile round trip daily commute) and love all the amenities like voice activated hands free blue tooth to my Blackberry and access to the 4,000 songs on my IPod. ItÂ’s a phenomenal car for the money.

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  Total Unsure at this point - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By LNS2011 - June 18 - 8:53 am

  My new 2011 Hyundai SonataGLS Automatic purchased 8/13/2010 & Im not satisfied, I was at first until I notice how loud/idle the car was parked just running not to mention hearing a big bang sound when I shift the car in reverse and drive the car now act as though it doesnt want to move past 20/40 miles forcing me to push the gas pedal to the floor, this could have caused an accident while trying to get onto a major highway,The sales manager @ Porter Auto in DE says I may have gotten a bad batch of gas/we dont live in a perfect world Go figure, what a thing to say to a concern customer who spent $20k & put a nice down payment.They currently have the car, Im currently noting everything

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  My second HYUNDAI - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Kenneth. - June 18 - 3:26 am

  after 2,000 miles no comlaints. petrol consumption high..good value compared to rivals.

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  Few flaws but good - 2000 Hyundai Elantra
  By Sean Dechter - June 18 - 2:00 am

  The car has great road handling especially if you take the time to listen to the engine with nothing on. Also a few gizmos might need a little work on timimg, but I did buy an automatic.