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 Car but with a few downsides - 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe
  By Eugene - January 22 - 2:03 pm

  I purchased my car in November 2009 and I can say that Hyundai makes great cars. But the main problems I have is that it has a bad rattling noise from the sunroof. I took my car to the dealership but they said they cannot hear the rattling. They said that the rain might have lubricated the sunroof and to bring the car in when it is not raining. Also, the transmission does not down shift smoothly. Other than that, I think the car is great and the styling is awesome. I get compliments from people all the time. The car feels like its worth $40,000 but I only paid $27,000 with a navigation. Unbelievable deal. To me, it looks better than the Infiniti G37.

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  Like a jag 1/2 the price - 2003 Hyundai XG350
  By Mark S. - January 21 - 10:00 am

  After 1 month I still think I got a luxury car for 1/2 the price. From the inside you cannot tell the difference from an Audi A6 or a new Jag. Drove it for 800 miles criss crossing Colorado including nearly a dozen 10,000+ foot mountain passes in 2 days. No snags except the window washer failed to work. Decent handling, great engine power,so- so gas mileage (avg.23 mpgs), and a comfortable leather and woodgrain interior.

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  saturnf - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By saturnf - January 21 - 10:00 am

  I just boought the Santa Fe and I Love it. It not only was priced right but the style is terrificand the ride is suprisingly comfortable for and AWD . I love the shiftronic. I have the 6 disc cd changer which sounds great the warranty is the best so like all cars they do have problems from time to time but hyundai will fix it for 10 years

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  fun car that wont break the bank - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By edcal - January 21 - 2:00 am

  My first Hyundai was a 2001 Tiburon that lasted 1 car payment and was totaled in an accident. I thought Id give Hyundai another try and bought a 2003 Tiburon. I am very pleased with the car, I have yet to find the least little thing wrong with it. It is a real fun car to drive and I am always getting asked what kind of car is it. It is a lot of car for the money.

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  surprised at how good - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Erinn Strain - January 21 - 2:00 am

  I bought it because of the styling and needed to get from here to there in a fun vehicle. Very powerful torque and the strength of the vehicle feels really solid. I feel safe in it and it takes corners at a very smooth and fast rate. Feeling the raod a bit but well worth the money.

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  Ive Researched, this seems to be the 1! - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By krikie - January 21 - 2:00 am

  I started researching for a new suv about Jan of 03. It is now April 03 and I will be buying a Santa Fe. Everyone Ive talked to, including my very trusting insurance agent and all the reviews Ive seen, Ive only seen one bad one, and there have been many many reviews, and the bad one I seen, just said poor (21m said it-go fiqure). I cant wait to go get mine this month. And strangly enough, my insurance is running within $30 of my old 97, Pont. Grand AM insurance. So for all you researchers, times up, this is the one.

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  Theres a reason for the warranty - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By K.C. - January 21 - 2:00 am

  I have 15000 miles on my car, the dealership did what appears to be a terrible job with the 15000 mile service (putting the oil plug back in correctly would have been helpful). My 6 month old car just threw a rod. Its dead. Can I get a hold of anybody? No! Do I need to take time off work tomorrow to call the dealer? Yes. I couldnt get hold of Roadside assistance through the police dispatcher, but RA sent an automated message saying to take a survey through an option on their roadside assistance phone number. Thats helpful alone at night in the rain. Beware these vehicles and the dealers!

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  Great SUV - 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By chirs - January 20 - 2:56 pm

  This vehicle is awesome for the price. Smooth, quiet, strong engine. And the transmission shifts just fine. Granted its not like a BMW, but what do you expect for 25 Grand. If you get into this vehicle expecting, it to be a 7 series you will be disappointed, but if you get into it expecting it to be a "Hyundai" you will be pleasantly surprised.

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  Hyundai,Honda, Mazda,Toyota ? - Elantra! - 2007 Hyundai Elantra
  By John - January 20 - 12:33 pm

  After looking at the Mazda 3, Civic, and Corolla we went with the Elantra. The interior size, ride and features available with the Limited could not be met by the other three. Closest was the Mazda but it was smaller and the Corola and Civic didnt offer leather and heated seats, which have been greatly appreciated. Add in the outstanding warranty and safety features and it became obvious to us which was the car of preference.

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  Great except, is gas mileage overstated? - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Key1Chuck - January 20 - 8:26 am

  I enjoy the drive experience. The vehicle feels high quality and well put together. I like the relatively short vehicle length with the small turning radius making it easy to park, maneuver, and fit in the garage. I like everthing except the gas mileage. I got 15.5 mpg in my day to day city driving and 18 mpg on my combined city highway. I saw some write-ups stating that city mileage should be 20 minimum and others saying it should be 19 minimum (my window sticker). I must admit I really enjoy the vehicle but if the window sticker would have stated 15 mpg city, I would not have purchased it. I have owned the vehicle for 3 weeks and have put about ~650 miles on it. (GLS 4WD 2.7L).