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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  pleasantly surprised - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By russ - November 22 - 2:00 am

  I bought this car for my wife to drive around in. the air cond/heating is fast and efficient as is the pickup in it. I was a little disappointed in the legroom as Im 61" and am used to the legroom in my fullsize pickup but when I put the seat back tilted a bit, it works out fine for a trip. The cargo space and style are also very nice and we get compliments on it all the time. I

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  Fantastic!! - 2004 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Don Eisenhuth - November 22 - 2:00 am

  This car attracted me from first git go.But was skeptical on first year car. BUT, Since I purchased it I dont regret it.The power is great {but not enough}. Recently owned an Acura Legend compared to that it is really close {except for the ride} The Tiburon is a little choppy and noisy on bad roads. The fuel mileage surprised me when I didnt hot dog it between 31 & 32 MPG around town 25 to 27. GREAT VEHICLE

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  Happy with my Hyundai - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By nnewton - November 22 - 2:00 am

  One of the best values that I have recently had. Everything works fine and there have been no disapointments

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  This is a great SUV - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By J Moore - November 22 - 2:00 am

  I fell in love with the flared fenders and the style that seems to set it apart from the rest. I test drove it and had to have it. I had driven other SUVs in its class and none compared. I even drove a Lexus. I didnt think the Lexus was worth the money. I definitely got a great value with my car. This is the second Hyundai that I have owned. I have been very pleased with my Sante Fe. Just give it a test drive and youll see what I mean!!!

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  Go For It - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By dudemanyo - November 22 - 2:00 am

  Great automobile. Comfortable, smooth riding, full of feature, and overall, a good value.

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  better than the Rondevie - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By ljnvb - November 22 - 2:00 am

  We check many SUVs and found that this one had a much better frame. Better price and better warranty.

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  My Santa Fe - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By CBDIII - November 22 - 2:00 am

  Better than the Ford Escape, Mazda Tribute, and Saturn Vue which we test drove. 6 cylinder acceleration is OK.

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  Jake - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Baysoo - November 22 - 2:00 am

  Its well thought out design

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  Best SUV ever - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Kodee - November 22 - 2:00 am

  Newly bought after owning others. Love the quality for the best price of a new mid-size SUV. The kids and dog love it!

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  Best SUV for the Money - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By DonP - November 22 - 2:00 am

  I researched all the available SUVs that I could get for less than $30k. The Santa Fe is a solid car with many features that I like. So far no major problems at 17,000 miles. I did have to have it into the dealer FOUR times for emission problems. RV mirror came loose, and rear window defroster does not work. LIKE: Good power, solid handling, many features such as heated seats, sun roof. DISLIKE: Door arm rest are hard as a rock and very uncomfortable. Why? Horizontal buttons on the console are too easy to push accidentally - very irritating. Rear seats do not fold down flat, reducing utility.