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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  Car of the year! - 2008 Hyundai Elantra
  By Anita - April 24 - 12:43 pm

  I bought this vehicle last year and due to the affordability I got the features that I wanted like a sunroof. Its great on gas getting 35MPG. I work at a Hyundai dealership and am proud to be selling such an economical vehicle.

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  2004 Hyundai Santa Fe Review - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By DG - April 24 - 12:33 am

  Very well built. Good performance from 2.7 litre V6 engine.

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  Great Vehicle - 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By PaPa Steve - April 23 - 10:43 am

  Checked out everything else prior, and I mean everything. Wife suggested Santa Fe and I reluctantly added it to the mix. (What can the Koreans possibly have to offer?) What a pleasant surprise. Fit, finish, comfort, performance, price & just plain fun to drive. Only major downside: My wife wont let me drive it, I have to take the Lexus to work!

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  Luxury at a Low Price - 2002 Hyundai XG350
  By JayMagic - April 23 - 10:00 am

  I love everything about the luxury at the low price everyone else has mentioned. I am adding this review, because after 26,000 miles, I am seeing much better gas mileage than I did when the car was new. I am getting close to 26 MPG on the highway and never under 22 in the city, even though I drive it fairly hard.

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  Good - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By perfect - April 23 - 10:00 am

  Real Good Drive, very reliable, I will continue to purchase Hyundais.

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  hyundai senatra - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By merrilie@adelphia.co - April 23 - 10:00 am

  the car,bought in sept of 2000,has been a surprise.it has been driven up to 88mph steers great,handles great at all speeds,delivers 24 mpg.believe it or not it is a marvelous car for very little. i rec.it without reservation. i loved my hyundai. my other car is a mercedes. the hyundai with greater milage has never needed a repair.the mercedes has,in less milage, needed about four repairs.is the mercedes as good as thought of? no. the hyundai is better then thought of. i do not make any money from hyundai at all. really it is just a damned good car.watch-out GM.f for 12,00

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  Ex-Honda Owner - 2008 Hyundai Elantra
  By chivo - April 22 - 3:27 pm

  bought leftover 08. Paid $13,200. Has automatic, bluetooth, a/c, fog lights, xm radio, mp3, radio/cd. All for a measly $13,200 plus tax. Try buying a stripped civic with a manual and no a/c for that. Extremely comfortable and quiet once you are up to speed. Yeah its a bit loud when youre accelerating hard, big deal. We had purchased a Kia optima lx and loved it. I actually like the smaller elantra better.

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  I love it! - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
  By Colleen Ryan - April 21 - 10:40 pm

  I had to be talked into buying this car against my wishes, but I love it. The car is smooth, reliable, has wonderful design (everything necessary is within reach) and the warranty CANNOT BE BEAT! I bought this car used with only 10,500 miles on it and had a bearing go within the first month. No problem. I took it into the dealership and they fixed it and changed the oil just for good measure while they had it at no charge! I didnt believe the warranty could be that good or that reliable, but it is. Am getting ready to trade mine in for a new one because of how fast I put miles on it (and that is the only reason). Yhinking I might try the Sonata this time. It is a wonderful car!

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  Excellent Vehicle - 2007 Hyundai Veracruz
  By dave - April 21 - 10:00 am

  The Veracruz is a very well built auto. With the addition of a hitch, it even tows reasonably heavy loads without much trouble. The engine is very capable. The interior is nearly perfect. Material quality is terrific and better than my previous Honda. In 60k miles the only issue I have had is a power window switch had to be replaced. Great stereo. Has been in two collisions, front and rear, with no damage other than bumper cover replacement. One of the other vehicles was totalled with trunk and roof creases. Compares well with my wifes Acadia.

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  Love it - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By Bren - April 21 - 10:00 am

  I love my sonata. I bought the limited. I have only 1000 mi on it so far. the styling is great! lots of compliments. I test drove several cars before I made my decision. I drove Cadillac cts, Buick lacrosse, Buick regal, ford Taurus. I chose the sonata because of value, style, fun to drive.