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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  Dont be fooled like me!! - 2006 Hyundai TUCSON
  By vwlovanow - March 18 - 1:03 am

  Ive had my Tucson for over 2 years, I bought it with 13K miles on it, only 1 year old. Within the first 3 months of ownership, it had to go into the shop, as the 4WD was kicking into gear while shifting from 1st to 2nd gear. The dealership had for a day, and said they "fixed it", well not so much. Its been in the shop to fix the same issue 4 additional times. Whether its the dealership or the car, Im fed up! Also, this car has no power, NONE! Though I knew it was a 4 Cyl and therefore low power, this car is no power at all. Its embarrassing to drive this thing. This awful vehicle makes me miss my old Dodge Neon, and that to me is sad! My husband has a VW, and there is just no comparison!

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  Love this car! Probably last car Ill buy - 2009 Hyundai Elantra Touring
  By Blingsupreme - March 16 - 7:03 pm

  Love the exterior, interior, displays, comfort, got to use the Clunker program on it. Only had 1 week, but it is so much fun to drive! Turns easily, parks easily, love the fold down rear seats and the cup holder arm rest in the back seats. Can carry my things to craft shows easily as well as friends when necessary. Great car for the money!

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  Best two door available in 2003 - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Anna - March 16 - 7:43 am

  I LOVED the car I had before this one. I would never have believed that I would buy a Hyundai, but after road testing all the 2 door coupes - this was the best for road holding, responsiveness and feeling of safety! My only real gripe is that it could have a little faster pick up, and a LOT more room for storage. Other than that I am very happy and would not consider trading it out for another make/model any time soon. Hyundai has come a long way!

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  Its about Time! - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By sonatas r 4 playing! - March 16 - 1:06 am

  I researched this car for 4 mos. before buying, only regret, not buying it sooner!! I was raised in a family of (american)auto enthusiasts, and used to really love driving. Havent since 1980...UNTIL NOW!! Its fun to drive, avg. 30mpg, smooth quiet luxury sedan mounted on a sports car frame. Got the GLS 4cyl 4spd auto. 10,000 mi in the first 3 months-no squeaks, thumps or any problems!! Love it, took my mom back to the dealer a week later & she got a Hyundai too!

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  A good bang for the buck. - 2008 Hyundai Sonata
  By Milard - March 15 - 8:56 pm

  Love the sound system...wont have to replace as I have done in other cars I have owned.The 4cyl. motor has plenty of power and gets good gas miledge.Had two strangers comment on how nice it looked and were blown away on how inexpensive this model is.Handling is good and brakes are excellent!

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  Best coupe for the money! - 2005 Hyundai Tiburon
  By peachferrari - March 15 - 2:10 pm

  I absolutely love this car. Ive been looking at them since the redesign in 2002 and finally was able to pick one up. Sure its not as powerful (horsepower) as some of the competition, but you wont notice when you get behind the wheel. I havent seen a better looking car for under $25000 (and yes, Ive looked).

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  Not a Highway Vehicle - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By three ms - March 14 - 5:53 am

  We bought the Limited with all the extras. Interior quite nice with leather, but after a 2000 mile trip a bit disappointing. Read all the reviews beforehand.....comfort for driver is good (power seat) but front passenger is lousy. Seats too short, power seat not available. Picking up road noise already and bumpier ride than expected. Cabin a bit small for front passenger afer a few hours and seats too short to rest legs, cant adjust seat enough to compensate. Did not expect comfort to disappear so quickly. It is definitely a lightweight in windy conditions also. Very disappointed.

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  The new 17 is better that previous model - 2017 Hyundai Elantra
  By reperoni@hotmail.com - March 13 - 8:05 pm

  So I drove a Silver Limited the other day, I have to say it drives and feels way better than either my 12 or 13 limited. It does feel more like a luxury sedan. For people who say the looks are not as good go see it in person, after the test drive I parked it next to my Silver 12 limited and I can say the new one is more attractive. The side view is similar but the new one is slightly more aerodynamic looking. The front end looks a lot better and the rear end looks wider and slightly better. I am not going to jump in right away but I may trade one of our cars for a new one.

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  Reliable and almost maintenance free - 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Gerry Carrier - March 13 - 9:42 am

  Good ride, dependable, low maintenance. Original exhaust system even with 135,000 miles. Wheel bearings - replaced 3 under warrantee. Interiors are not flashy but do stand up to daily use. Mileage is about 20 mpg average. pulls a boat trailer real easy. AWD works well in snow.

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  Good 4 the Money - 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe
  By GI 1982 - March 13 - 3:16 am

  Ive had a good time so far with this vehicle. Ive had other sports cars (7), from RX7s to INTEGRA GSR. This car is great. I would like to take it to a good road and just push it to the max, but Ill probably busted. AZ is harsh on speeding, but I understand. I haggled the best I could for a decent price. A "Pretty Blue Boy", thats what I call it!