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 suv - 2006 Hyundai TUCSON
  By mud - April 28 - 2:06 am

  Fun to drive. The unique auto-shifter is a plus when driving around town and the way it automatically downshifts when you slow down is great.

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  hyundai review - 2002 Hyundai XG350
  By salexan - April 27 - 11:43 pm

  like it very much

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  excellent all around - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By trunks99 - April 27 - 2:00 am

  i have had my Hyundai Elantra GT for a year now and i still love it. the leather is luxurious and comfortable and the hatchback design is great for the outdoors (camping, rock climbing, snowboarding). i can fit three snowboards with the 60/40 split and three passengers. the engine is smooth and quiet and absolutely no problems.

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  What a bargain! - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By emmaspop - April 25 - 10:00 am

  This car is an excellent value. Loaded w/ features and comfortable for a family of 4. Hyundai cant be paying the Koreans enough if they are making a profit off this car!

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  Great Car!!! - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By ExHondadriver - April 25 - 10:00 am

  I love this car more than my previous 99 Honda Accord. I dont think there is much to improve upon this car. Gas mileage is awesome and the car is very comfortable.

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  Would not buy again. Looks good-eats gas - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Mario - April 24 - 12:10 pm

  Have driven the car 11,000 miles and gas mileage average is 19.9 MPG (for the 11K miles), sticker said 20 City, 30 Hwy. Rust spot by the sunroof, paint starting to peel around stone dings. Carpeting already worn by drivers left foot rest. It is reliable, the new 235 hp engine is fun to drive, except lagging acceleration in passing. Had to replace horn, it had gone dead. Dealer does not keep promises for service. Had to call Hyundai to schedule service by dealer, since service manager would not return calls. Other offerings offer greater value in this price range. Was looking at the AZERA, sharp looking car... but after this experience, will go somewhere else.

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  Love it - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By toysax - April 24 - 6:26 am

  Finally got my car fri. The steering took 1 hr to get used to. Drives great feels great. People ask questions and gawk at it. Some problems getting my phone book downloaded to bluetooth. But I found way to do it anyways. Build quality is great. Design great. Drive is great.

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  Giant Killer - 2009 Hyundai Genesis
  By jay - April 23 - 10:33 am

  What a great car!! Makes you totally rethink the brand. The interior is a lot lot better than what the pics show in the web or in magazines. The fit and finish is very good and the Lexicon really is AMAZING!! I thought the steering would feel too light as a lot of bigger luxury cars tend to be, but i was pleasantly surprised...its no sports sedan in feel but it has a good amount of resistance and good on center feel. Only gripe is the bluetooth, no wheel mounted controls and does not come through the cars existing speakers. Go test drive one with an open mind and you will soon forget all that you thought was a Hyundai. I give it an A.

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  Azera is terrific - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By starman253 - April 22 - 3:13 am

  The Azera is a great car in the following areas: The car is very quiet, the engine is smooth and powerful, the interior is top quality. The car is very enjoyable to drive. So far the fuel economy is what I expected (19 MPG in city driving), I have had brief experience with highway driving - got 22.8 MPG on its first long drive (300 miles round trip).

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  This is a Hyundai? - 2003 Hyundai Sonata
  By R. Feeny - April 22 - 2:00 am

  I have owned new Acuras / Hondas for the past 13 yrs... I went out looking to purchase a used Accord and during my search I saw this really sharp looking car, one that I could not readily identify. Hyundai has come a long way... For the money, std. features and warranty nothing else comes close. I purchased a 2003 GLS on 1/25/03. Its only been one week, but I am very happy with the car.