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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  After 10k miles--still a great car - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Experienced - November 28 - 10:00 am

  After 10,000 miles in 8 months--I still really like this car. Its done California mountains, Arizona deserts, and lots of LA freeways. Really fun to drive. Gets attention and compliments like a car priced MUCH higher. Shiftronic auto was a good choice with 16" rims. 17" rims (with manual trans) make the ride too hard for me. Performance is very good and you always feel confident with whats under the hood. Milage is great on freeways--up to 27, but around town, only 17-18. Paint has a few dings already--a disappointment. Forget the back seat for adults, but you dont buy this car to haul people. Front seats are outstanding.

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  cant beat price/value - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By Ronl - November 28 - 10:00 am

  I hate to buy cars but found the elantra a reasonable investment. This is my 3rd elantra and will probably buy another if the price remains at the same level. Getting a CD, power locks,windows,and mirrors plus a great warranty for this price will keep me coming back.

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  NEVER AGAIN!!! - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By robnvic - November 28 - 10:00 am

  We havent had this vehicle for very long and we have had to bring it to the shop 3 times for mechanical problems. This is by far the worst vehicle we have ever owned, and my family used to own a Ford L.T.D. The center console has broken on us twice, both sun visors had to be replaced, and the mirror fell off. Wed have been better off buying a used Yugo. At least we would have known what to expect. No wonder the C.E.O. jumped to his death from twelve stories.

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  17" Tires Extremely Prone to Damage - 2013 Hyundai Elantra GT
  By jjbaltimore - November 27 - 11:11 pm

  I bought my Elantra GT 2013 this past October. I loved the panoramic sunroof and got the style package. This included 17" low profile wheels and tires which look great, but BEWARE. Within 3 weeks this winter, average road conditions (meaning lots of potholes) resulted in 3 tires developing 3 sidewall bubbles. This included a tire that had just been replaced. There is an entire forum on this problem with this car and these tires. Read it. http://www.cargurus.com/Cars/Discussion-t35968_ds499866?actionMessages=Your+answer+has+been+posted.

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  cold and frustrated - 2006 Hyundai Elantra
  By frustratedelantra - November 27 - 9:51 pm

  All though I have enjoyed my hyundai very much, in the winter it is very cold. I cant leave my car running to warm up without staying in it. There is a saftey feature that wont allow you to lock your doors with the car running so that you wont lock your self out. This may be good for people in warm places but for me it is very frustrating. When I asked my local dealer about it they werent much help at all. Also for "SAFTEY REASONS" you should be able to lock yourself in in case an extreme situation forces you to do so.

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  Fun to look at & Drive - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Richard Bowser - November 27 - 4:20 pm

  This vehicle is fun to drive and great looking. Ive had people look at the car and thought I had bought a "Beamer". Hyundai has come a long way.

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  Trans Issue! - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By DAM - November 27 - 12:16 am

  Was on cloud 9 when driving home w/my new 2011 sonata, until 2 weeks and 680 miles later, on my birthday, to find myself calling roadside assistance 1 hr before having to leave for an event, when I placed my car in drive and it went into reverse! Thinking I was crazy, I tried 3x from park to drive with no luck. Called my husband to witness this, and 2 additional bystanders saw my car problem, car was in drive & went into reverse without foot on gas! They reset computer and do not know why this happened, but dealership and Hyundai want car to duplicate problem before they will take action! Do not feel safe and I am not the happy car owner I was 2 weeks ago! I will continue to take action!

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  NOT A BAD CAR - 2002 Hyundai Accent
  By ERICD77 - November 26 - 6:56 pm

  Overall I got my moneys worth but at 124,000 miles theres something wrong with my transmission thats around a grand to fix. I think the trannys a big issue on this vehicle but its reliable and although Im not buying another Im very satisfied with it.

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  After 6 months, I still love it. - 2002 Hyundai Sonata
  By GStrom - November 26 - 10:53 am

  I am very happy with this car. I believe it is one of the best values on the market. Compared to what other car companies are offering for the same price. I stack this sedan toe to toe against comparable sized sedans at a 5 to 8 thousand dollar savings.

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  A great car for the money - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By Steve Williams - November 26 - 10:00 am

  My limited is a great car, however the interior still feels a bit cheap. The plastic applique on the inside of the door is horrid, IMHO. Traded an 07 V6 Altima, so it truly isnt quick compared to the V-6. Cant believe the limited didnt have dual exhaust! I was shocked at no heated seats in SE. I know Im sounding picky, but this is my 38th car and Ive had all makes and models. The stereo (Dimension) sounds pretty good. The trunk in the Sonata is huge, yes 4 sets of golf clubs! Back seat is smallish due to slopped roof-line. Center stack very logical. Sunroof is smallish too. But mileage is great and the price cant be beat. Great car for $. Leather seats are mediocre.