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:

• 

  Sunroof Noise - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Donna - September 22 - 3:43 pm

  I just traded my 2002 Sonata for the 2006 Aquamarine V6 GLS with the 17" wheels, sunroof, etc. Its a beauty. The only issue I have is the noise from the wind when the sunroof is open. Its a lot louder on this car than my 2002.

• 

  xg - 2002 Hyundai XG350
  By lprewett - September 22 - 2:00 am

  $4000 less than a v6 camry or accord and 10k less than a loaded passat, faster, and much more comfortable, this is the sedan to beat. I was in line to buy a Passat and got curious. Its dead reliable and not anonymous like toyota or honda. Its got a great warranty that Ive used for minor things. Great customer satisfaction.

• 

  my car rocks - 2004 Hyundai Tiburon
  By kaylee1115 - September 22 - 2:00 am

  I lov my car I had a GRAND AM GT and that was a sweet car...but I dont even miss it!!!!

• 

  Chose The Hyundai - 2004 Hyundai XG350
  By VeryPleased - September 22 - 2:00 am

  * 10 year / 100000 mile warranty * We liked the exterior styling * Had the options we liked * Had a good combination of power and economy * A firmer suspension would be a good improvemet * Contrary to the editor, I thought the transmission was fine (have not confused it yet)

• 

  Little things dont work - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By Bill Vance - September 22 - 2:00 am

  Great gas mileage, neat 5 speed, alittle gutless, overall turning radius is fine (u-Turn) on a normal street works, however its the taillight that wont operate replaced it 5 times, not the buld, and the headlights, do not last. this is my 5th replacement, Im a courier, so I never shut off the car from morning to night, saves on starter motor, and all the other pertinent parts, only lose about 4 mpg so instead of 30, I get about 25-26. not too shabby for a 2001, with 168000 miles so far

• 

  Excellent Car Excellent Price - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By Misty386 - September 22 - 2:00 am

  This car is great not only does it have style it is a nice running 4cyl, good on gas, comfy for passengers, and lots of trunk space. Definitly would suggest it to anyone.

• 

  I get asked about my Santa Fe a lot... - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By aquacies - September 22 - 2:00 am

  I always tell people that we love it and that the warranty cant be beat. You would pay $5000-7000 more for any other car in its class with all its features. The styling is sporty, yet carries 5 people comfortably. The cargo area is roomy and the fold-down rear seats expand that more. It also has get- up-and-go that you wouldnt expect. We are very satisfied with our purchase and what we received for the price we paid. We would also recommend our dealership to anyone - they treated us far better than any other we tried dealing with.

• 

  hyundai - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By paulfiquet - September 22 - 2:00 am

  overall the elantra is a very fine automobile for either highspeed driving on the interstate system or work time freeway driving to and from work.

• 

  My 1st brand new truck - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By HisWife - September 22 - 2:00 am

  I bought my Santa Fe in May of 2003. My first new truck from a dealership. I was so excited. I drove home and it was making a hissing sound under the hood. Called the next day, the told me I can bring it there in 2 weeks. I was so upset. Brand new car making noise for 2 weeks. Turns out it was a bad belt. Ok, this is a beautiful little truck. I do enjoy it. Its reliable and drives nicely. The only complaint I have and I see others have is that there is absolutely NO pick up.

• 

  Snazzy Azzy - 2013 Hyundai Azera
  By Livewiremd - September 21 - 6:59 pm

  I am a previous owner of a new 2006 Azera Limited. That car was newly re-designed and different so I gave it a try .....with NO regrets! I still own that one and it is running trouble free at 160,000 miles with very minimal service of any type. I admit I sometimes skimped on oil changes too! When the newly designed 2012 model came out, I was so impressed by the "look" that I kept my eye on them. As an excuse to go shopping again, I gave my 2006 to my oldest and purchased a 2013 from a dealer with 44,000 miles. This car has it all! I looked and found a "midnight blue" which is spectacular! It actually looks like different colors depending on the angle of the sun. A bit hard to keep clean but it is beautiful and sets off the chrome accents around the car. The 2006 Azera came with the 3.8 L V6 while the 2013 has a 3.3 L GDI V6. The smaller engine seems almost as smooth and powerful as the larger but it has increased horse power and I can get 32 MPG highway at 80 MPH! The cabin is more like a jet airplane with great materials and feel. Seats are extremely nice and the AC cooled seats really give a nice effect when youre hot. There are a lot of options in this car and it took me a few weeks to learn them all. The technology package throws in the kitchen sink. The full size tinted panorama roof is IMPRESSIVE! This may overwhelm people who prefer more basic controls but I love them. The sound system is 550W and powerful. May think of upgrading the speakers. The car even has a cooled glove box!! One of my biggest complaints about the 2006 Azera was poor headlights, even with xenon bulbs. My 2013 has pure white HID low beams which really improve visibility. One thing to note is that in USA, a used Hyundai 100K mile warranty reduces to 60K but that still beats most makers and I had any warranty issues on the 2006 fixed immediately and for free every time. My main issues with the 2013 are (improved) but still numb feel at steering and road noise and feel on rough roads with the stock tires. If this car is as reliable as the 2006 then I will be back for a third Hyundai in the future. If you like to be unique and stand out in the crowd, and impress all who ride with you, this car has the most bang for the buck and can be found reasonably priced in the used market. This car is for someone who likes to be different from the crowd and I personally think the 2013 Azera looks better that the newer Hyundais or Genesis models.