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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  Moms SUV - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Sam12345 - February 7 - 2:00 am

  Great for around town

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  100,000 wagon - 2000 Hyundai Elantra
  By RonM - February 6 - 6:29 pm

  Bought this car new, and hate to trade it. Put 100,000 on it without any major problems.

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  Best value I could Find - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By tuckerjm - February 6 - 6:26 am

  Been shopping for a car for 4 years. Intensive research. May not be the best car car, but it is a great car anyway. Definitely the best value for the money in its class hands down. Feature rich vehicle that you dont pay extra for.

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  Actually the top 2005 LX 4WD - 2006 Hyundai TUCSON
  By augg-the-dog - February 6 - 3:30 am

  We love it. We replaced my wifes 2000 Jeep Cherokee and we are very impressed. More head and leg room, better vis, and all at the same overall length (+/- a tiny inch or so). If you are a young family with multiple car seats, playpens and baby stuff to haul, it may not fill the bill. But for my wifes everyday round-town, it is perfect. Remember, most of the folks that report to CR are usually those that are unhappy for both small and big reasons. Personally, if interior noice is rated at 92dbs or 94 dbs or whatever, it is typically meaningless to me. Great car, great ride and great value...we researched them all.

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  Best Ever - 2006 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Armand Micheline - February 6 - 12:53 am

  I drove Toyota for 15 years, 3 vehicles, but after trying to Tucson, I fell in love! I love that the seats fold FLAT...Big selling point for cargo hauling. This vehicle is by far the best for the price, and I strongly recommend anyone looking to check it out!

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  Just bought for my Daughter - 2005 Hyundai Tiburon
  By gdevans - February 5 - 5:16 pm

  Just bought 4cylinder roof,cloth,dark tint wins,black/black. good quality, good price good looking! less than two hundred miles on it now so time will tell but my daughter picked it over several other autos and she loves it

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  Confused New Buyer... - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By magnoliaviva - February 4 - 9:50 pm

  My GLS XM doesnt have the MP3 input jack, or the leather-covered steering wheel and leather-trimmed shift knob, which is odd, because these are standard features! The sticker said it came equipped with fog lights, which the dealer confirmed, but there are no fog lights...which I found out driving home the first night I owned the car in a thick, blinding fog! It seems that there was a shift in the trim lineup the very week I purchased the car. This is something Ill have to resolve on Monday, when the dealership reopens. Meanwhile, this car is so peaceful to drive; its like riding on a velvet cloud - but with great road feel and steering-wheel feedback, as well as decent handling.

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  Best Car Purchase Yet - 2008 Hyundai Elantra
  By Andy @ Dallas - February 3 - 5:16 pm

  We purchased our little "Hunni" in December and absolutely love this car. Its quiet on the highway (very little "4-cylinder engine noise" - if youve owned a 4-cylinder you know what I mean), hugs the road, great turning radius, etc. It is the nicest "small car" weve owned or even driven to date (were well into our 40s so have been around a few blocks!). We test drove this gem and both fell in love with it.

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  Thrilled with this new car! - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Kymmee - February 3 - 11:26 am

  Ive only had this car a week, so my review at this point is limited. However, it truly is a joy to drive. Smooth, solid feeling, responsive, comfortable, FUN! I have the loaded model, and so far no complaints. Ive also had several people tell me what a great looking car it is. The quality and value for the price is amazing, and anyone shopping around should definitely go try this car before they decide!

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  Hyundai - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By Marc - February 3 - 8:13 am

  I like the car a lot. I really enjoy driving it