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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  Cheap to buy, cheap to feed! - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By Bill - April 5 - 3:26 pm

  We wnated something affordable for my commute downtown - this car has been great. Cheap to buy, cheap to feed (gas), cheap to keep. Not luxury, but a good, comfortable, servicable car, that handles very well (suggest buying good tires)in traffic and on open road. Great room in back seat and trunk. Have had a few problems after 60K, but nothing serious. Negotiated extended warranty as part of deal (bought a demo) and it proved useful when radiator went. Had problem with tie rods, but dealer handled. Would like to stop hearing "thats just what happens with these cars" from dealer, however - thats the one thing that will make me compare elsewhere for the next car.

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  Hyundai got it right! - 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By pmack - April 3 - 3:50 pm

  I researched this vehicle purchase for two months. It boiled down to the Santa Fe and Dodge Journey because of our current experiences with both Hyundai and Dodge vehicles. Did not like the looks of the smaller SUVs such as the CR-V, RAV-4, & Escape. Drove the Journey and was sorely disappointed. Hyundai had the big rebates at the time, so it was a no- brainer. Good choice! The car is easy to drive, view from the drivers seat is great, averaging 21 mpg for the first 1,000 miles. All those reports about the bad transmission - not evident! This is a well-made, very comfortable, and whisper-quiet vehicle. And you can hardly beat the warranty! Totally satisfied 2nd Hyundai owner!

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  great commuter car - 2002 Hyundai Sonata
  By ajacques - April 2 - 11:17 pm

  A little too wide for a city car, and slightly sluggish on acceleration (it is not meant to be a muscle car, though). Otherwise, a great commuter/travel/hwy car. Never had any real problems, very dependable.

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  Almost perfect - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By Dan L. - April 2 - 10:00 am

  I researched cars in this class for months before taking the plunge. I bought the Elantra GT to replace my wifes Neon Sport. We both have past racing experience and realy enjoy driving a good-performing car. The GT has most of what I was looking for and is the only car out there that offers so much for so little.

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  Review of prior post 6/09 - 2009 Hyundai Elantra Touring
  By tellosahn - March 31 - 11:30 am

  I had my brand new Touring for 2 months until I was in the middle of a 6 car pile-up on the interstate. Needless to say, I hit my head on the steering wheel (no airbag deployed!), and my knee hit the dash/column really hard (no air bag here!). Ive been waiting 1 month to get it back from the autobody and lets just say that once I get it back Im selling it and buying something bigger and more substantial. I do not feel safe driving this car any longer. Its too small, and not built to withstand accidents. Look at the IIHS ratings not the other ratings for true information on safety!!!!

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  Ok but has Issues - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By Karen - March 30 - 6:43 am

  Like the overall car for looks and roominess inside. A little disappointed how the vinyl doors inside scratch easily. Sporty and stylish.

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  Nice Ride - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By SWMan - March 29 - 10:00 am

  Good value. Smooth ride and much quieter than our Ford Windstar. One problem with putting it in park (started rolling a couple of times). Hyundai rep told me that they can be difficult to put in park.

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  santa fe - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By fnamvd - March 29 - 10:00 am

  local to mid range driving distances, to 4 cly is fine...for more pep get the 6cly.

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  Nice car but do have some issues and 1 I will soon - 2013 Hyundai Genesis
  By one1carfan - March 27 - 11:48 pm

  If it is wet I have to be care full not to pen trunk all the way or water will run off trunk lid into car.I find my self wiping the bottom of lid if wet when I want to use trunk. I never had a car with this problem.I am finding a discoloration on the rubber below the trunk lid running above the trim like there was a problem when they painted the car.It is a Satin Pearl White that color they no longer make! Has anyone else had these problems ?

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  the truth - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Hyundai Santa Fe - March 27 - 9:41 pm