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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  Great Car, Lacking Clutch - 2008 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Doug - November 12 - 7:03 am

  I just recently purchased my 2008 GS and I am very impressed with its appearances, and the smooth shifting 5 speed manual transmission. However, I have driven many manual cars, a Mustang Cobra, Jeep Wrangler, Camaro Z28, Honda Civic, and an Eclipse GSX; I have NEVER driven a car with such a weak clutch. The clutch seems to ruin the good fun of the car for me, however when it goes bad I plan on upgrading to a stage 1 Clutch Master FX100, and there shouldnt be a problem with it. Overall, the Tib is a great car, and has a lot of potential. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a sporty car within the 16-20k price range.

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  I love Hyundais - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By pwedding - November 11 - 9:23 am

  I traded my 2009 Sonata in for a 2011 Sonata, it had 15,350 miles I love the Sonata I read everything i could find on the new Sonata, and got a very good deal, plus a loyal customer discount of 500.00 and they paid off the 2009 with money left over. I love the engine and handling looks are impeccable, the paint job on the new Sonata is better than the 2009. The only thing i dont care for is the different tires I miss my Michelin tires a lot quieter. MPG is great I tried it at 70mph with a/c on and cruise got 43 MPG. Also got the dealer option of the 5 year oil and rotation for $150.00 if oil goes up thats a deal

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  Love this car - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By Edward Wronsky - November 11 - 12:20 am

  I traded in my 1998 Tiburon, only because I wanted the additional protection of side impact airbags and occasional use of the rear seat for adults. I was initially attracted to the GT when I saw one on the dealers lot, and couldnt believe how much car was available for sixteen thousand dollars. Since my experience with the quality of the Tiburon was very positive, I had no reservations about buying another Hyundai product.

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  Never again - 2009 Hyundai TUCSON
  By lb401 - November 10 - 2:56 pm

  Gas mileage is terrible considering similar SUVs with larger engines get the same or better. SUV that drives like an SUV... not a problem for me, but not a good vehicle to learn in. Would never buy another.

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  I Love This Car!!!! - 2008 Hyundai Elantra
  By just me, OR - November 10 - 11:20 am

  I just bought this car 2 days ago. I absolutely love it. I traded a 05 Ford Freestar because of gas prices and wanted something smaller. This car has everything I have wanted in a vehicle. I have 3 kids and they actually fit comfortably in the back seat. Before I bought this car I test drove an 07 Pontiac G6 and an 07 Chevy Malibu, both were nice but neither compare to the Elantra. When I test drove this car I fell in love with it. It is easy and fun to drive.

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  travelin nurse great car - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By judi - November 10 - 10:00 am

  i travel all over and this car is not only fun to drive, but is so very comfortable, and has alot of space for my luggage. it has a beautiful exterior and interior design, and people consistantly look it over, and some ask what kind of car it is. im proud to drive it!

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  Not what I expected. - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By schwabie - November 10 - 10:00 am

  I have not even had my car a year and it is in the shop at least once every 2 months. I am very disappointed that I made my first big investment on my elantra!

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  Great - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By nothing - November 10 - 10:00 am

  I love this greatest car in the world

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  Ridiculous value - 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe
  By KC Cruiser - November 9 - 10:30 pm

  Ive only had this for a short while, but everything about this car has met my high expectations. For Hyundais first venture into the performance arena, the Genesis Coupe is a stellar debut. With comparable equipment, the Infiniti G37 listed out over $10K more & the only real edge Id give the G37 is in the aesthetics of the interior design. The Gennie Coupe is comfortable, quick off the line & navigating in traffic, nimble in maneuvering, & very stylish---talk about turning heads on the road! I would definitely recommend it as a quality performance car that represents a clearly superior value to anything in its price range, & it can compete with others priced several thousand dollars more.

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  Wow...this is a HYUNDAI !?!?!? - 2007 Hyundai Veracruz
  By Dougski - November 9 - 1:13 am

  My wife and I test drove nearly every vehicle in this class and the Veracruz wasnt even on the list until recommended by a friend. It soon became the benchmark for all others in its class. OUTSTANDING interior room, TONS of bells and whistles and safety features STANDARD (on the Limited with the Ultimate package). Peppy engine with a smooth transmission and extremely comfortable ride (on Michelin tires, no less) make this the perfect family vehicle. And, for $34K (for the FWD Limited LOADED) that included the warranty upgrade to 10-year BUMPER-TO- BUMPER coverage...aside from normal maintenance, this vehicle is stress- free to own. Thanks, Hyundai, for building such a classy vehicle.