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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  go else where - 2004 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Mistybella - December 1 - 2:00 pm

  With only 13000 miles on it the car has needed repeated service for the power windows. The manifold had to be replaced at 7500 miles and the clutch, dick, bearing and lining at 13000. In 20 years of driving a manual transmission, this is the first time I ever had to replace a clutch or manifold. I would seriously look elsewhere before buying another.

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  Impressed so far - 2008 Hyundai Sonata
  By Richard - November 28 - 7:03 am

  This is my first foreign car (whatever that means). I needed a commuter car and looked at Camry, Accord and Altima. The Sonata provided the best value, mileage is a little less than advertised but overall I really like this car. The limited package has most of the bells and whistles. The engine provides more power than I expected but when you "punch" it at speed it feels like a four cylinder (about what you expect).

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  Leaks - 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By anne - November 27 - 5:10 am

  I purchased a used 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe with 5500 miles on it for 18,900 and then it rained saturating the rugs on the drivers side with water. Two days later it was back at the dealership. They put it through the car wash and said the leak was coming from the door and that it would be ready in two days. They then called and said they were going to keep it two weeks. I took it back home waxed it and kept it in the garage. Last Saturday it poured, I had left it outside and again the rugs were saturated with water. Resealing of the windshield didnt work. This experience has soured me on Hyundais although I really liked the feel and large cargo area. Carmax took the vehicle back.

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  Fun on Wheels - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By ferrier - November 26 - 10:00 am

  after much research we decided on this vehicle and have not regreted our purchase. we bought in feb of 03 and we have had nothing but good to say about our choice, love the color (silver), love the options, everything but 4 whl drive which we didnt need so left that off. back seat is very roomy as if the front and the bun warmers are fantastic for those of us with tender backs it helps as well.

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  Nice but underpowered - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By nmroberto - November 26 - 10:00 am

  Great value for the money. Similar equiped vehicles from other manufacturers were a couple of grand higher. Very comfortable, lots of amenitities, handles well, quiet and build quality has been excellent so far. My only gripe is the underpowered 2.7 liter engine.

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  Hasnt let me down so far - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By chris1003 - November 26 - 10:00 am

  i was most leary about purchasing, but the price was right, the sales staff worked with me on my terms, and i got more bang for the bucks

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  Not Bad For $8900 - 2002 Hyundai Accent
  By Mars - November 24 - 4:52 pm

  Bout this car in august 03. It had 15000 miles on it at that point. Now (Nov 07) its at 102000, and I have had my first tranny problem. None of my service was done at the dealership. I dont trust dealers so no one touches my car other than my regular mechanic. With regular oil changes (and tranny fluid changes every 30000 or so) its run well for me. had the plugs and wires changed around 50000 and had a problem with the rear brake hardware somewhere in there. Ive actually been really pleased with this car. Its made several trips back home (1200 miles twice a year) and only just now conked out. I can accept a tranny problem at 100000, hope its not an expensive fix.

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  Bad Gas Mileage - 2007 Hyundai TUCSON
  By rainybstn - November 21 - 9:03 pm

  I bought my 2007 Hyundai Tucson SE 4dr SUV (2.7L 6cyl 4A) at the end of 2007. I thought i had done significant research, but I must have missed the complaints about gas mileage. Although I really like the feel of the car, I expected better than 14mpg city and 18 hyw. I change my oil every 3k and have never missed a scheduled maintenance. The quilaity of paint is also very poor. Scratches very easily.

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  Love my new Santa Fe - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Blonde mussy - November 21 - 10:00 am

  I recently picked up my new Santa Fe. I love the comfort and handling. Everywhere I go people stop and ask me "What is that?", "I love it", "It doesnt look like everything else out there." Those are some of the reasons that I purchased it. It has great get- up-and-go, and so far it gets the gas mileage promised. The salesman at Ganley Westside was honest and completely helpful{ Bob C.}. If you ever shopped for a new car and you are a woman youll understand that it is a real pain, as I found out after 4 LONG weeks of shopping around. It was a breath of fresh air to find an honest salesman.

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  Great Value - 2007 Hyundai Accent
  By lenrocas - November 17 - 4:55 pm

  This is my 3rd Hyundai in 6 years. I usually get a new car every 2 years. Okay, I only paid 9,000 dollars for this car brand new so my review is based on what you get for the money. This car is comfortable and easy to drive. Its very light so it jerks a little on the freeway when being passed an 18 wheeler. The get-up and go isnt very good, but sufficient for a commuter car. I have the 2 door, manual, no air. The styling is nice and theres plenty of leg room for a tall guy like myself. People have complained about the gas mileage. Ive filled up 4 times so far and Im getting 29-31 MPG. I do mostly city driving.