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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  Unbelievable value - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By Jeff - July 19 - 3:23 pm

  This is my second hyundai. My first was a 2001 Elantra. All I can say is that this company has made massive improvements in comfort in the last 10 years. Ive put about 2K on the car so far and love it. Getting 31 MPG while doing mixed driving. For the size of the car, the way it rides, and all the features, I wouldve expected to pay way more. Theyve gone above and beyond. They even keyed a garage door opener into the rear view mirror. After testing ford fusion, Malibu, and accord, this one was far and above the best combination of ride and comfort.

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  2004 Hyundai - 2004 Hyundai XG350
  By Kathy O - July 19 - 10:00 am

  One of the nicest cars I have ever owned. The ride, the extras, the room, the price. I would highly recommend this car. Test drive one soon!

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  hubert humphrey hyundai - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
  By gilbert freeman - July 19 - 10:00 am

  I just sold a big Acura, have had Hondas for years, big Buicks, etc., and this is the best car ever. More bells and whistles than some very expensive autos.

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  2005 Hundai Elantra GT Hatchback - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
  By edjets123@aol.com - July 19 - 10:00 am

  Drives like a dream, holds the road like it knows the way to where you are going. Controls are second nature, good gas mileage so far, with 1200 miles getting 25mpg. Hatchback utility is awesome with plenty of cargo space. Loaded a new dishwasher without a sweat, who needs a gas guzzling SUV? We are very happy with our purchase to date. My wife has a Honda Accord, which is also a great car , but she says the Hundai holds the road better and handles like a champ. If you are going to buy one make sure to spend the extra for the GT suspension.

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  This cars A Steal !! - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
  By Zbillz1 - July 19 - 10:00 am

  Being in the market for a reliable, well built but low cost new small car, I fully expected to end up buying a Honda Civic.. Until I listened to a friend who swore by his 03 Elantra. Im glad I did. After lotsa research & test driving both the Civic & Elantra GT, The Elantra was the clear winner with much better acceleration, lots more fun to drive, better looks in & out, better interior egonomics, the fit & finish was excellent, great sound insulation, the warranty was far, far better. The Elantra GT came with far more standard features (like leather, alloy wheels, etc.)and cost, after all the dickering at both, literaly thousands of $$ less than the Civic. This cars a steel !

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  love it - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
  By orange1 - July 19 - 10:00 am

  I absolutely love my car, even though it isnt the expensive sporty car that I wanted, I got more than expected for my money. I bought it since my dad is the mechanic at the dealership and he believes that Hyundais are truely remarkable and reliable cars. The comfort rating is top among even cars in the $30,000 range. I love my elantra!

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  New owner - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By PMK - July 19 - 10:00 am

  So far so good. I have not owned my vehicle for that long, but there are alot of little added features that are really cool. For example, the way the cargo area is designed with compartments to store tools. The SUV has a very solid feel. When I picked up the SantaFe and brought it home I noticed the map light was out and it had a slight paint chip near the door. I reported it to the service dept., and brought the vehicle back the following week. The service center and my salesman were unbelievably accommodating, which was a very refreshing and unique experience.

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  I Love my santa fe!!!!!!! - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By hairbysue - July 19 - 10:00 am

  The exterior shape of the car is great with all the cuves.

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  Great vehicle - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Janet Kresge - July 19 - 10:00 am

  First SUV and love it. Two babies to haul around and still lots of room left over. Affordable and gas mileage is great. My parent have owned Grand Marquis for the past 20 years, loved this car so much that they now own one and love it as much as I do.

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  Hyundai Santa Fe - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By marsha bell - July 19 - 10:00 am

  The Santa Fe rides very comfortably. When the seats are down it can hold a surprising amount of items.