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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  So far, so good - 2004 Hyundai XG350
  By NEWOWNER - December 18 - 10:00 am

  Really like the vehicle. Feel like Im driving a much more expensive luxury vehicle. Interior is luxurious, outside design is appealing. Climate control is excellent. No problems encountered after driving 5,000 miles.

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  The best - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By Cyndy - December 18 - 7:06 am

  Overall great car! I dont like the latch you have to pull out and push in to tilt the steering wheel, other cards Ive owned you just move the latch; move the wheel, and let go, this you have to push the latch for it to engage the wheel in place. (small item but bothersome). A small amount of road noise, but then I can never tell the difference in noise from 25 mph or 70 mph. Great acceleration.

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  2008 Hyundai Elantra SE - 2008 Hyundai Elantra
  By elantra08 - December 17 - 11:46 pm

  I bought a silver on black elantra se pzev w/ moonroof and heated seats. This car is great, I would tell anyone to go and buy this car. It has all the safety and convenience features at thousands less! The styling is very classy and looks better than civic and corolla. Hyundai has come along way and this is the best elantra yet. Go test drive one. You will not be disapointed!

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  Best car for the money! - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By twinklez - December 17 - 7:33 pm

  Base on my two months of ownership, here is my review of the car. For about $17000, you get strong V6 engine, smooth shifting 5 speed shift- tronic transmission, very quiet ride, excellent handling for the car this size, decent mileage (I get 24 mpg at average speed of 34 mph on my commute), 6 air bags, 5 star crash protection, quite comprehensive standard features, nice exterior styling. This car was better in everyways when I compared this one with Toyota Camry or Honda Accord. The suspension was too choppy at first but after driving first 2000 miles or so, the ride improved significantly and still improving. Before you decide on Camry or Accord, be sure to test drive this one.

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  Excitment on the Road - 2008 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Tom - December 17 - 9:56 am

  This is a great looking car and for me a great time to buy. With Owner Loyalty and rebates this car is a great bargain. I purchased for a 17 year old driver but I find myself borrowing the car every chance I get.

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  Excellant car - 2009 Hyundai Genesis
  By Jim - December 17 - 8:14 am

  We love this Genesis and would buy another! I have had several nice compliments and folks wanted to know more about it etc.

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  Good Car , Dealer Service Questionable - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By Sonata GLS V6 - December 16 - 10:40 pm

  Car seems to be above average, but service dept. stinks. Engine warning light problems, ABS noise, and transmission concerns. Not sure if hyundai will be my next car. Jury still out.

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  Beware - 2009 Hyundai Elantra
  By Davo - December 15 - 9:59 pm

  When I took the car in to the dealer at 2600 (yes 2600)miles to check an engine noise. I was told the engine was bad and would be replaced. They used a REMANUFACTURED engine short block. I talked to 4 levels of Hyundai consumer affairs and was told this is routine. So a used engine in my brand new car. The warranty isnt worth much if they use used parts.

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  Great car under $20K - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Jackie Shroff - December 15 - 9:38 pm

  Bought this 06 Sonata brand new. Now it has 33K miles and no problems at all. Wife drives it to work every day and a family car for the week-ends. Engine is powerful and quiet. Interior and trunk are very spacious. ABS brakes and ESC work as designed. Highway mileage is great, city could be better. Overall great car under $20K with power sunroof, ABS, alloy wheels. Great job Hyundai, will definitely buy another Hyundai car or SUV in next couple of years. No wonder Hyundais sales went up in this down car market while other car makers are suffering.

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  My first Hyundai is a Tucson - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By MAZ - December 15 - 7:13 pm

  We did a lot of research on small SUV and kept coming back to the Tucson. We ended up pruchasing one because of the Safety, insurance savings and all aorund comfort. I really feel this is the car for the budget minded.