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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  OMG its a Hyundai - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By Mike - March 24 - 1:46 am

  Ive sold cars for years, (BMW, Porsche, Audi, Mercedes, Toyota, Honda) my children are getting bigger and was looking for a 4 dr sedan that would be comfortable for them, but not boring for me w/o breaking the bank. I was considering Accord, altima, mazda6, and Camry. All were very good, but didnt wow me. The new sonata has it all; head turning looks, huge interior space, great handling, over 35 mpg highway and a luxury class feel and design. This car competes with others 2x the price. Im constantly getting remarks from BMW, Lexus, and infinity owners. Dont hesitate a minute to get this car!

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  always check before you buy - 2001 Hyundai XG300
  By patricia - March 23 - 2:00 am

  i had a poor experience with this vehicle.it appeared to be a beautiful,econimical,reliable...i had more problems with this car and it took 3 tries to fix the problem before they took it back...always bring your car to a mechanic to check it out before signin any papers

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  Good - 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Jill - March 23 - 12:53 am

  I really love my Hyundai Santa Fe. I needed a mid size SUV that had a great warranty and I got it.

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  best full size for the buck - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By pete - March 22 - 7:33 pm

  This is the best bang for the buck if you are looking for a family sedan, far exceeds the value of the Camry and Honda and exceeds the value of the mid/intermediate class such as the corolla, civic which I compared, The brand will evolve to be a powerhouse and increased market share w/ bring prices higher to where they should be, approx 3-4 higher at least, which is found in the warrenty, nevermind the undervalue price in what really matters ....and thats the bread and butter of the family car, saftey,warrenty, soundness, and comfort. this drives very similiar to a buick century.

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  1300 Miles on New 08 Santa Fe - 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Ohio Citizen - March 22 - 3:30 am

  Im happy overall with my new 08 Santa Fe. Ive never owned a Hyundai, but they sold me with the massive warranty and assurance program. I looked at CR-Vs and Escapes, and I found this was a much better priced vehicle for the options I wanted. Its comfortable and snazzy. It drives more like an SUV than a zippy car. Braking distance sometimes sneaks up on you-- Ive taken to adding some following distance. Theres plenty of leg room. I wish there was more headroom in the drivers side. Anyone more than 6 tall will feel a bit scrunched by the vehicle roof when driving (my boyfriend is 62" and feels the roof is uncomfortably close to his head).

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  good product, bad performance - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By jeromey - March 21 - 8:33 pm

  would be a great product if they could get a larger 4 cylinder, and a little bit more comfortable seats.

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  Worth the wait - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By David64M - March 21 - 5:03 pm

  It was very hard to get the Santa Fe optioned as I wanted,I waited 8 months for one as close as poss.Now that I have been driving it almost a year I can say it was worth the wait.Its a fast truck that drives very well and has a controlled ride.The interior is black leather with graphite metallic exterior..Way cool.I have every option but the 3rd row.I looked at Honda,Toyota,Infiniti,Mazda and a few of the over priced premium brands,only to find a vehicle with far to many short comings.Even at 35,000.00 it had way more than they offered...and I saved thousands.I would buy it again only this time with Black int/ Black ext.Its a great truck.

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  Great Little SUV - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Dave Bell - March 21 - 10:03 am

  Overall love the car, love the 6 year bumper to bumper, though dont think we will need it. Great pick up..a real surprise. We looked at a lot of small SUVs. This was the one for us.

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  Tuburon a great daily driver - 2004 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Btalont - March 21 - 10:00 am

  I have been more impressed with this car each day I drive it. My purchase price was rediculasly low, a nd I opted for the 10yr 100K bumper to bumper warranty with NO deductable. Great piece of mind and a very very impressive car for the money. I highly recommend it.

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  Always getting compliments - 2004 Hyundai Tiburon
  By SamNJanRocks - March 21 - 10:00 am

  I love my Tiburon. I liked its looks from the very first time I saw it. It is fun to drive and people are always giving compliments on it. It is a very eye-catching car. It rides smooth and the 6 cylinder has very surprising power. I drove a six speed but purchased a 5 speed, because I really could tell no difference in the power or high end performance. This is my 3 rd Hyundai and 2nd Tiburon. I love my car!