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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  Love my new Tib - 2007 Hyundai Tiburon
  By gail - January 13 - 2:13 am

  I just traded my 05 Tib on this SE model and I very happy with it. Looks, drive, and reasonable fuel mileage add up to a great ride.

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  Accent-u-ate - 2016 Hyundai Accent
  By gary dirisio - January 12 - 4:11 am

  Its a good car for getting from point a to point b. Its solid but does have vibrating issues due to light material used. It gets great gas mileage. Not fancy but a good value for the money. Plus great warranty

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  3 years, 3 transmissions - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By lbcsd - January 12 - 2:34 am

  I purchased my 2009 Sonata in August 2008 and am at 58,000 miles am on my 3rd transmission. My car has been in the shop 6 times since purchase, 3 times for over a week. I got a lemon! Hyundai corporate has been horrible to work with not helping the situation one bit! I had to search for a dealership that would provide a rental car without me having to pay. I have contact Hyundai with each repair and have received little to no responses. I am researching lemon law rights, but think I am out of luck unless I need one more transmission - which might happen! This is the first and last Hyundai I will purchase!

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  New Beginning for Hyundai - 2009 Hyundai Genesis
  By david - January 11 - 6:06 am

  This is a really nice and best value car. Do not hesitate. Get one. You will not regret it.

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  Tuscon SUV I Love It - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Roadturtle - January 10 - 5:16 pm

  I traded in a gas hog Ford Expedition. This Tuscon is more fun to drive. Easier to park, and twice the gas mileage. I love it. Very peppy acceleration. Fits into my garage. Has every accessory I wanted included in the price. Six airbags. Antilock brakes. 4 wheel disk brakes. Very safe. I am very happy.

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  My 2004 elantra GT - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By chris patton - January 10 - 10:00 am

  i bought a elantra GT last month,i looked at the civic and the sentra. Both were 1,500 to 2,500 dollars more. The fit and finish on my car is excellent, i have yet to find any defects inside or out.

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  Smart Buy - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By Floridaowner - January 10 - 10:00 am

  The extensive warranty, five year/unlimited mileage roadside assistance, FREE oil changes for as long as I own the car. Finally, the price. I had only seen them from a distance and read about them on the Internet. It wasnt until I test drove one that I became convinced. You can not beat Hyundai when you combine the price & warranty. I was a loyal Toyota owner for ten years. Toyota could NOT put me in a vehicle with this kind of comfort, space and features for 17k.

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  Super SUV - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Buffy Nauss - January 10 - 10:00 am

  With two children and a large dog this is the perfect mid size SUV. The leather heated seats are wonderful, seats fold down very easily,and it is a joy to drive. Gas mileage is not the best, and more options would be great, such as a built in DVD player, upgraded stereo, and side cup holders in the rear. Absolutely love it!

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  Excellent Value! - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By SpringTX - January 10 - 10:00 am

  This has been an awesome car so far. The value for dollars spent is great. All of the options the car came with exceed my neighbors new midsize that was almost $6k more!

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  Must get the stick - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By mr matt - January 10 - 10:00 am

  ok the break down. fun to drive. the manual revs high rpms. 2nd at 5000 rpm you hit 50 mph, red lines at 6500. Handels great, recomend getting anti-lock braks. 25 mpg until 2000 miles then you hit 30+ mpg. I replaced a ratteling factory stereo system so check yours at high volumes when you test drive if you dobt plan on upgrading.