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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  100,000 miles without a single problem - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By fonixkween - April 6 - 9:36 pm

  I commute over a mountain and have had to successfully navigate through black ice, snow, steep terrain, suicidal deer, and drunken drivers. My Santa Fe just hit 100,000 miles and I have had ZERO problems. My factory tires lasted 60,000 miles (my friend who drives a European car over the same roads had to get new tires at 30,000 miles). My car has started, dependably, each and every time. It has the power to tackle steep roads (and with the Shiftronic Transmission) it is hell-a-fun to drive. I once raced another friend (who drove a Miata) over the mountain, and my Santa Fe handled the curves better than her little car. Great Car!!! Comfy cloth seats!! Im so glad I own it.

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  Passed the crash test - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Speed_Demon - April 6 - 2:00 am

  Encountered "black ice" at 70+ MPH left road did a barrel roll hit a pole. Got out without a scratch. Center pillars and seatbelts saved my life without a doubt. Would buy another in a heartbeat. 69,500 miles in two years without a problem.

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  Out of the Mainstream - 2002 Hyundai XG350
  By royvw56 - April 6 - 2:00 am

  Ive had my XG350 for over a year now, and am satisfied overall. What I dont like is: (1)leather seats are too hard, (2)gear shift lever can be too easily put into manual mode (3)no autodimming rear view mirror for this model and (4) poor resale value. On the plus side, the V6 provides more than adequate power, and theres a nice array of standard options.

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  tiburon v-6 - 2004 Hyundai Tiburon
  By jessieo10 - April 6 - 2:00 am

  i have had alot of problems with it first problem was the door seal then the rear window seal then my window motor quick workin then my trunk wouldnt open and the biggest problem was that it was quiting it would start up and run for about 5 seconds then stall out and it would do it 4 times before it would run but i had to take it to the shop about 4 times for that problem and they finally got it fixed said that it was the fuel i was using and that you shouldnt use high test gas in the v-6 that it was tuned to use 87octane but so far so good well see though

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  i may not buy another one - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By william r obrien - April 6 - 2:00 am

  gas mailage not as good as i thought it woud be ( 18 to 19 mpg.) car has sounds coming from back like something is broken-- all in all i dought that i would buy another one.

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  Frugal, but its a workhorse - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By JT SMITH - April 6 - 2:00 am

  Traded in a Lincoln.Needed room for more hauling.lawn tools,retaining wall blocks,back-fill mat.topsoil and mulch just to name a few items. Also took it on vac. to beach, carried our stuff plus 2 other couples luggage, golf clubs, beach stuff and 4 coolers.Has proven to be a good all around SUV. Also great in the snow!

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  My wife is in love. - 2013 Hyundai Sonata
  By sjspanich - April 5 - 9:35 pm

  Just got my wife the 2013 Hyundai Sontat SE, and she is in love. The exterior is sporty and the interior is luxurious. We couldnt be happier with our purchase. I definitely recommend this vehicle!

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  2009 SE AWD - 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By vermontbuyer - April 5 - 2:23 am

  Good value,handling and comfort. Center console has less storage compared to Pilot.The car handles well in snow (havent driven it snow deeper than 3" as yet). Oil/filter change at dealer is pricy (first car Ive without any to get oil filter)

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  When given lemons.... - 1994 Hyundai Elantra
  By Amber - April 5 - 2:00 am

  This is a visually decent car to look at however as you all know, Hyundai did a TERRIBLE job with the earlier 90s versions of ANY of their vehicles. I would NOT recommend this year car to anyone. The transmission started going about 3 months after the purchase (which was a used purchase at 9,000 miles) and has been a constant headache along with the steering and brakes ever since. Luckily, mom only drives it 25- 30 miles a week so I let her keep it.

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  not to bad - 2001 Hyundai Accent
  By tom434 - April 5 - 2:00 am

  great gas milage the rides not bad for a small car and the price was great considering toyota,honda and such wanted much more for basically the same thing.The engine performs well it has alot of zip manuvers well doesnt strain a bit even in the mountains.