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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  Dream Car - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Jess Portwood - April 30 - 2:56 am

  I have had many new cars over the years and this one is right at the top of the list. It is so much fun to drive, that I almost hate to arrive at my destination. The handling, quietness, & power are above expectations. Gas mileage is better than I expected averaging over 23. I do baby it though and a lot of it has been highway miles.

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  Hyundai Tuscon - 2006 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Jim Cox - April 30 - 1:46 am

  Very pleased with the car with the exception of gas mileage not as good as we expected. The six cylinder has plenty of power and acceleration for an SUV of this size. Very impressed with interior roominess.

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  What a sweet ride~~~ - 2008 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Sean - April 29 - 5:46 pm

  When Hyundai redesigned the Tiburon, I had to get it. It looks so stylish. I love the freshly designed front and rear. The 17in RIM is also very nice. With blue interior lights, car looks great at night too. Performance is pretty good too, although it can be improved. Im sure the new Genesis coupe will be excellent in terms of performance. Best of all, Tiburon is real fun to drive.

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  Fun car to drive - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Zerton - April 29 - 10:00 am

  Its a very fun car to drive. But more power would be really appreciated.

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  Love It! - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By fungirl - April 29 - 10:00 am

  Wasnt planning on buying a vehicle that day. Went to test drive the Sonata and decided to drive a Santa Fe while we were there. My husband and I fell in love with it instantly. Love the huge sunroof(much larger than sunroofs on other vehicles we drove). I havent found anything yet that I dont like about it.

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  Great SUV/Great Value - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Therese - April 29 - 10:00 am

  I love my Santa Fe. Great amount of space, nice interior design and comfortable to drive and I feel safe knowing that I have roadside assistance for five years. I just love it!!!

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  BEST CAR IVE EVR OWNED!!!! - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By #1 Elantra fan - April 29 - 10:00 am

  I can honestly say that this is the best car Ive ever owned. My 2001 Elantra has 35k miles on it and I havent had one problem with it yet. This car runs like a dream. Everytime I get in it I just smile, knowing that I got the most bang for my buck. Its true, when you choose Hyundai you win!

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  Its a great little car. :) - 2001 Hyundai Accent
  By Halle - April 29 - 3:54 am

  Ive only been driving the car myself for two years, but its been our daily driver [and through hell and back its been] for 8 years as of this september. The only major thing weve ever had to replace is the transmission which went one day in the winter a couple years back. Other than that, the car has had such minimal maintenance done to it since were unable to afford to pay a mechanic when we should be buying food. Times are tough but were still only paying about 11-13$ to fill it up from being 3/4ths empty. I have a lot of dream-cars, but I wouldnt trade this one for any of them. Not only do I really like it enough not to give it up easily, I always beat my friends V6 up big hills.

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  Sweet Ride - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Jason Edwards - April 26 - 12:36 pm

  I traded in my 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer OZ Rally for this car because my Lancer was very underpowered. I looked at this and said wow this is sweet!!! I love this car!!! Props to Hyundai for making such a stylish vehicle. I got nearly everything for $15039 after the trade in!

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  Three Plus Years and Counting - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By hitektex - April 24 - 1:46 pm

  Bought my Hyundai Sonata because of the price, warranty, and features. Have owned it more than three years. Dealer replaced dead windshield washer pump at three years. No major problems in three years. Would and will buy more Hyundai products. My biggest complaint is the road noise when driving on the interstate. Those ole boys (and girls) in Alabama build a GREAT car for the money!