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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  nice car with a couple of issues - 2008 Hyundai Sonata
  By 1yearlater - July 6 - 10:23 am

  I have owned this car for about a year now. Owned a Tucson prior and it was in the shop right away. I was given a Sonata as a loaner and loved it, so I ended up trading in the Tucson for a 2008 Sonata. I read these reviews and wanted to comment. This is a great car for the price, it absolutely is great in the snow, can not say the same for the Tucson. However, I do have to agree with another post. When you have the heat on the floor, it comes out through the upper vents, but I have found if you close them, it forces it more to the floor. Also, it has alot of rattles in it, but so does my husbands year old Toyota.

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  Best SUV for your dollar - 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By boxman_okc - July 4 - 7:25 pm

  IMO this is the best SUV you can get for the money, especially if buying used. The cargo capacity is outstanding, including generous under-floor storage, the ride is very quiet, the mileage is surprisingly good (no worse than my previous Honda CR-V - a much smaller and noisier vehicle). With the Santa Fe you get the feeling of a refined, almost luxurious vehicle but with a bargain pricetag.

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  Nice car for the price - 2007 Hyundai Elantra
  By bsh1 - July 3 - 6:19 pm

  Have had the car for about three months now and I am very satisfied with my purchase. My family owns two huyndais and they have been good reliable cars so far. I thought the previous elantras were kind of ugly but this year the design is very appealing, which is why i went for it. For the money I think you get a great deal considering the safety options etc. My main complaint with this car is the speedometer. It is way off and it is a common thing if you read the forum here. Huyndai needs to take responsibility over this and get it fixed. 4-10% error cannot be ignored.I have yet to test my odometer-keeping my fingers crossed.

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  Snow no go! - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By ljb506 - July 3 - 11:53 am

  I purchased a used low miles 2011 Sonata last fall and loved it, awesome gas mileage, up to 40 hwy. inside great, outside great! Winter came late and I discovered it does not get around in snow at all! Ive never had to worry about getting around in snow and I live in a state that normally gets a lot of snow. Had trouble navigating in even 3 inches of snow! Car dealer said they are built light which is why mileage is so good. Got stuck 3 times in a 7 min. commute from work to home. Next day traded it in for an AWD Subaru - I didnt even hesitate to get rid of it. Dependability and reliability is tops on list for a vehicle!

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  Good value - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By tstonelaw - July 2 - 4:26 pm

  I put a lot of hiway miles on my Hyundai Sonata, 150-200 mi/day and I must say, for its size, its very comfortable, miliage is about 30-31 at hiway speed with air on, but it only has 3700 miles on it, (not really broken in yet). Sound system is great, car is exceptionally quite except road noise which is a minimum considering.The trunk is suprisingly large and the back seat is roomy and comfortable. Some friends have a 05 model and theirs is what sold me on the care. So far,yes, I would buy another.

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  tuscon - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By dave - July 2 - 2:10 am

  Solid engineering and reliability. It is primarily used for comuuting. Fuel economy could be better but overall I am happy with the car.

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  best buy - 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By jim - June 28 - 6:13 pm

  when gas got so hugh i started looking trade a 2003 ford explore sport trac.hyundai was my first and only place i went i test drove it and feel in love with it.i,ve had only one problem and it was my doing loose gas cap.i love it. i,ve seen the new santa fa and can,t wait till jan so i can buy the new one its great.

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  Satisfied - 2003 Hyundai Accent
  By Accent fan - June 27 - 7:36 am

  I got the 5 spd manual 2003 GT model and added the cruise control after the sale for approx. $200. This car has been great, the only problem I had was the muffler corroding, and this was replaced under warranty. With the manual version I dont find any lack of power unless the A/C is on. The car is comfortable and has all of the features that I need in a car. So far I have only driven 48k in the car, but I far prefer it to the Sonata that I also own. Having got the sports version, my only real complaint was the fact that they put premium tires on the car that had very little traction. Driving on snow and even wet streets was difficult until I replaced the tires.

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  Its worth all the money - 2004 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Lattdogg - June 27 - 2:00 am

  Hello, I own a 2003 Tiburon GT V6.I am the son of a retired big-time car dealer. I am 27 years old, married both my wife and I work. I have been a mechanic since I was 16 in my fathers shops. When I was looking for an inexpensive sports car the Tiburon was my choice for a few reasons. Try to find another V6 with leather, premium sound, and a hellacious warranty for around $20k. This car is the best car I have ever owned for the money. I also drive a 2003 GMC Yukon.

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  good value - 2004 Hyundai XG350
  By hooper - June 27 - 2:00 am

  albeit there are a few downs, overall this car is great value for the dollar. good power great comfort, sound system, lights, long term cruise, etc. could use better traction control, overhead sunroof/lights control switches lighted for easy use at night. tire size limits performance and winter options, but on the whole for the price it is a great car that convinces folks it is a higher end product than they expect from hyundai. 10 year bumper to bumper for an extra $800. How can you beat that?