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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  See ya Avalon - 2002 Hyundai XG350
  By biggus - October 7 - 10:00 am

  Best buy out there. Period.

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  Perfect Car - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By Dave666Thomas - October 7 - 10:00 am

  I want to thank Hyundai for offering this car at such a low price. Its such a great deal. I know 3 people who own various models of Hyundais and they all love them. When I went new car shopping Hyundai was at the top of my list and stayed there especially when I realized that I would get so much more for my Dollar by buying a Hyundai instead of a Toyota or Honda. Read the reviews and compare the Elantra to the Corolla, Civic, Neon and Focus and you will see that the Elantra is not only a car worth serious consideration but your best option. Besides how can you go wrong with Americas best Warrenty?

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  Great Vehicle, So far... - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By jblewis - October 7 - 10:00 am

  Purchased a 2004, 3.5, GLS AWD Santa Fe about a week ago. Im sure we made the right choice. We looked at Ford Escape, Honda CRV, Tribute and RAV 4. None rode as comfortably. Very smooth handling. Feels solid, too. A few minor quibbles about the interior--the armrest is too low, the windshields angle picks up some weird glare in certain sunlight conditions and the cup holders could be better placed. Of course if youve looked at the Santa Fe you know that gas mileage is terrible. But we liked the ride so much that we simply pledged to walk a little more and drive a little less to conserve some fuel.

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  Hyundai has come a long way! - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Eagle - October 5 - 3:03 pm

  I was settled on buying an Altima until I saw a local ad about the Sonata. Decided to check out the vehicle and glad I did. This car is not only cheaper by $4000, it has more features, more power, and has updated its styling that rival the luxury European cars.

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  Awesome - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By JVolk - October 5 - 10:00 am

  I like everything About it. Its the best car for the money!

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  Hyundai Veracruz - 2007 Hyundai Veracruz
  By Disappointed - October 5 - 2:40 am

  I purchased this vehicle in the FWD Model and not the AWD version. It is horrible in the snow, I had other FWDs and they blew this vehicle away. It gets stuck with just a dusting of snow. It also hydroplanes on the Interstate with just a little rain. The divers side window would not go up and had to go abck to dealership to correct the problem. The brake rotors had to be ground down to get rid of the shimming when the brakes were applied. I am very disappointed at the 29,000 dollar vehicle. i am getting rid of it to get something I can feel safe driving.

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  Great SUV - 2006 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Chris - October 3 - 11:53 pm

  Bought mine a year ago. Have had no problems. Its a good-looking SUV, with ample space for hauling with backseat folded down. Very practical car, great value.

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  I love this car - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By mrsk - October 3 - 9:33 pm

  The 2011 Hyundai Sonata is a Great!! We rented a car about 3 weeks ago and it happened to be the 2011 Sonata, We fell in love with it immediately. We decided to buy one 6 days ago. Its great on gas and the exterior is perfect, so many people stare and some even ask about it. We are so pleased dwith this product. The basics that come with the car are unreal. If we would have purchased another car in its class we would have payed extra for little things like the ipod connection and bluetooth capability, etc. The only thing I would love to change is the horn. It is very weak. But that is such small issue for all the good that this car has to offer. We are so satisfied and the $$ is right?

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  Happy with my Sonada - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By NC driver - October 2 - 10:46 am

  This is the quietest car I have ever driven. It exceeds all the good things that had been written. If you are looking for a car thats built solid and looks good, you will be happy with the 2006 Sonata.

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  Poor mans Honda - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Vince - October 2 - 9:10 am

  For the price is a very good car, but after 1875 miles my driver side window strated to squeak when going up or down. Other than that its very good.