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:

• 

  Surprised Me - 2007 Hyundai Elantra
  By Paul - June 6 - 10:12 am

  Wanted smaller car for milage looked at Civic and Corolla. Price did for Hyundi after rebates and dealing got it for $15,000 MSRP was 18,380. I cant believe it is quieter than my 2005 Camry and much less wind noise. Audio first rate. Simple controls nice cubbies and tight fit. I never thought a small car, at such a price,could offer so much. Hyundi did it right. Have not had the car long but averaging 30 mpg on combined driving. Waiting to take a trip.My reliability rating is a guess.

• 

  Didnt purchase. Leased. - 2012 Hyundai Sonata
  By M - June 6 - 2:40 am

• 

  A saavy consumer - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By brbyu - June 4 - 10:00 am

  I had tried Civics, Corollas, Proteges etc. Finally, I tried the Elantra and was surprised, especially with how it drove. More responsive than the Civic, more solid than the Camry. My friends know that my car didnt cost as much as theirs did. But when they are complaining about taking their car into the shop and about their huge monthly loan bills I only smile. Many of them have remarked how nice it is when I give them a ride. The support after I bought the car has been incredible. Hyundai is really catering to the consumer, which I like. A happy Hyundai owner.

• 

  In the SHop - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Lamar - May 28 - 10:00 am

  Well first of all its stays in the shop more than I drive it. Has a very bad pull to the right, dealership cant seem to get it fixed. Sunroof has broken, the shocks on the rear hatch have had to be replaced. I really dont think I will be purchasing another on of these.

• 

  03 GLS rocks! - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By themanx - May 28 - 10:00 am

  Bought an 03 GLS sedan as a second car for my wife to drive. She loves driving it and the fuel economy is 23 in the city. Dealer was great to us, got a remote control cd player installed. After the rebate got it for $12,150. Hard to find a brand new car for this price with this quality and warranty to back it up.

• 

  Pleased so far - 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Hutch - May 26 - 10:00 am

  My new 2010 Santa Fe has about 4000 miles on it so far. Overall I am pleased with the car but there are some things i dont like about it. The ride is very rough. From the factory the tires had 36 lbs of pressure. Dropping the pressure to 30lbs helped a lot but the ride is still stiffer than that of a 2010 Rav 4 Limited. The V6 engine is very powerful but the gas pedal has excessive lag. Step on the gas and wait a 2 seconds before the engine RPM picks up. You will find many complaints online regarding the transmission but I havent experienced any problems yet (fingers crossed). Rav 4 would have been my first choice if it wasnt for that swing out rear door.

• 

  Poor company response to safety defect - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By sedan - May 25 - 6:09 am

  The head lights are of poor design and make driving the car unsafe at night. I drive emergancy vehicles and have been trained for over 26 years. This car makes it so you over drive your headlights at night and is unsafe. The company response to the problem is very poor and not owner friendly. They do not seen to care about the safety of their buyers.

• 

  Better than expected - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By John Rumbach - May 22 - 2:00 am

  We traded a Subaru Forester which we liked very much, but the Santa Fes power, style, size and other features for the money made it irresistable. The quality is outstanding, and we appreciate the effort Hyundai has put into this SUV, to make it a superior purchase for us. John and Ellen Rumbach

• 

  Sante fe - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By egerssp - May 22 - 2:00 am

  Love our Sante Fe, very comfortable ride.

• 

  I Love It - 2002 Hyundai XG350
  By john115 - May 21 - 10:00 am

  In my opinion its better than Camry for the same dollars.Solid build,roomy,nice standard features.And o yes $9,000.00 less than the Avalon XLS!