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:

• 

  Call previous owners first... - 1999 Hyundai Elantra
  By Shan - March 27 - 2:00 am

  Fun, sporty-looking car, but not very good acceleration. Transmission slippage recall on some. Had to have tranmission replaced at 35000 miles. Check engine light has been on most of the time since. Fuel pressure sensor replaced, now service is checking some other sensors. Or might be faulty wiring. Fuel injection timer replaced shortly before 35000, of which service said is common in this model. All repairs have been covered by 60000 mile warranty. Blinker handle too short, no reminder bell if you leave your lights on, and the exterior trim on a door fell off. Plastic pieces inside that you use to close the doors come out easily.

• 

  My 95 Elantra :-) - 1995 Hyundai Elantra
  By DavidTX - March 27 - 2:00 am

  I got the car for my 17th birthay with 125,000 miles on the odometer. It was a great car. My good ol Aunt had it before me and she babied that car, it was perfect. Well, two years later Im sad to say the ol car threw a rod at 159,987. It almost made it! That car and I had some good times. I had charachter. We all called her Edna. She was the best. Rest in peace Edna!

• 

  2003 Hyundai Tiburon GTV6 - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By JFrusci - March 27 - 12:56 am

  Hyundai did a great job at redesigning this car. I would recommend this car to anyone. If you are considering this car, I strongly suggest you get the V6. This car is much heavier than previous years, therefore it would be too much stress on the V4. Overall the added weight adds to your safety.

• 

  Surperb Value-Features-Style - 2004 Hyundai XG350
  By RGR - March 26 - 10:00 am

  Was a loyal Toyota driver for +17 years; compared any/all aspects of Camry XLE V6 to the XG350L. XG proved superior on paper and in actuality; more std. features, less cost/more value, equivalent (if not better handling), better styling (Camry is bland!). XG350L has more torque/power at low speed; better drivability (tighter turn radius, less sway/roll), and phenomenal braking comparatively. To date no problems, rattles, wind noise, or performance issues. Highway driving is excellent/comfortable. High traffic (stop/go) is fine; acceleration, transmission, drive-by-wire aspects DO take some getting used to. Initially somewhat concerned/skeptical- now THE best choice by far!

• 

  hyundai elantra - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By Daniel Kostick - March 26 - 10:00 am

  its a great car very dependable and great on fuel

• 

  Brodnax review - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By bill brodnax - March 26 - 10:00 am

  Traveled to SC. The trip was unexpectedly smooth and high speeds were unnoticeable. Gas milage was great.

• 

  Underrated Car - 2009 Hyundai Elantra Touring
  By himoses - March 26 - 8:30 am

  This has got to be the best car for your dollar on the market today. I drove almost everything in its class with an automatic transmission under $20k and the only car I liked better was the Jetta (superior ergonomics, power, refinement). I did think I would get better fuel economy since I am fairly conservative in driving. People that drive like maniacs (dont coast, mash the brakes, jackrabbit starts) will probably get a lot less than 23mpg city/30mpg highway. This car has outstanding fit and finish. I have not seen a sub-$18k car that can even come close, and that includes the Civic. This car could use a peppier engine/automatic transmission paring.

• 

  Best Car I ever had - 1999 Hyundai Elantra
  By jpmazzola - March 26 - 2:00 am

  This car has been the best car for the money. It is roomie, inexpensive, and reliable. For the money, it cannot be beat.

• 

  My best car ever! - 2003 Hyundai XG350
  By My best car ever - March 25 - 8:06 pm

  I bought this car because it was easy for my aging mother to get in and out of. But it has captured my heart. I cant imagine not having it.

• 

  Awesome BUY!!! - 2005 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Tara - March 24 - 4:23 am

  I love my Tiburon. I bought it after my research pointed in the direction of the Tiburon. Its fast, sleek and totally affordable. My black Tiburon is my BABY! I have tried to figure out ways to customize it to make it look sportier, but I havent come up with anything as of yet. I would recommend the Tiburon to anyone that is money conscience, but still in need of a sporty car!