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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  Good Truck - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Adman - November 4 - 5:40 pm

  Purchased used @ 96k. Towing capacity is awful. Can pull a 13ft Boler travel trailer. Had continuous problem with rear brakes overheating. New calipers fixed it. Transmission cooler and power steering lines both rusted through @ 220k. Replaced tires 190k, Tie rods 215k, timing belt 190k, alternator 150k, crank sensor 120k. Malfunctions of rear wiper, drivers seat belt latch, passenger power lock, screws in driver window shook lose and window fell out. Currently it needs new shocks, and the diff. seal leaks. Other than that it still has lots of life, looks great and has 251,000k on it. Id have to say after 250k thats not to bad. However, Id like my old Safari van back. Less $ loss.

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  OK - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By Jerry - November 2 - 11:48 am

  Just totalled my car, for some reason the left rear tire came off on its own on highway and the car went into a ditch. No other problems, not sure whether any body else has had their tires come off.

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  steves car - 2013 Hyundai Elantra
  By steve gootman - November 2 - 8:44 am

  good car but noisy interior very roomy. good gas milage not good on resale value

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  Super Value, very good car. - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By joe - November 1 - 8:50 pm

  I now have 30k on my 06. Would make the same purchase without hesitation. Yes, I wish fuel economy was better, but 200+ horsepower aint free, I get 25mpg city and hiway. Quieter than the Buick Park Ave I replaced. People comment on how quiet the car runs and at hiway speeds. You cant buy anything as good as this car for anything near the money, I was off the lot for $18,200, wanted a Passat, but saved $4500 and got much more back seat room in the deal. Service costs have been negligable, most appointments have cost less than $50, worst one less than $200. Still feels fresh at 30k. Dealer was very good, actually had fun buying a car for the first time in my life.

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  Nice car - 2016 Hyundai Veloster
  By Siu Wong - November 1 - 6:37 pm

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  Great Little Sedan - 2003 Hyundai Sonata
  By portknoxxa - November 1 - 10:00 am

  ive had my sonata gls for 1.5 years, and im totally impressed with the car.the list of standard features on the car are incredible.i wanted a larger car with a v-6,sunroof,etc.and of course a good warranty.i looked at the new altima and it would have been about $24,000, same for the accord and stratus. my sonata fully loaded w/o leather and abs stickered @$18,500 w/sunroof.the car has a very good ride at high speeds and minimal vibration,the v-6 to me is better than i thought it would be,passing power is great and acceleration is good.i highly reccomend this car to anyone.

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  Never thought Id own an SUV - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By boltguy - November 1 - 10:00 am

  If you dont need 4WD or a huge engine, youre going to love this model. The 4 cyl. with a 5 spd. is plenty, and the ride is really nice. Makes you feel like youre in a 30K machine. I paid (and I think you can too) 16K even including freight, for a package 2 with floor mats and cargo tray. It may not be the best deal, but its damn good. If youre afraid of the Hyundai name, just try one for the fun of it. Youll be afraid no longer, but you might fall in love..

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  Santa Fe - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By The Don - November 1 - 10:00 am

  Overall, very pleased with car. Good heating/AC; like the 6 CD Monsoon system; seems compfortable to ride in and drive. Not too happy with the shift points--engine seems to strain and rev too high on the road. Small nit-picking--would be nice if door lock buttons were lighted; not impressed with the diversity radio antenna.

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  Good Value-Weak Engine - 2006 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Roger - October 31 - 5:43 pm

  I like everything about this vehicle except the engine- I bought it for the overall value (safety especially-air bags/stability control, etc.) and I am very satisfied- got the V6 for more performance but its still weak and only 20mpg- Its still a good value vs. competitors.

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  Beware Maybe? - 2007 Hyundai Accent
  By Dave - October 29 - 8:15 pm

  After three days of driving my brand new car (200 miles) I noticed a delay in my transmission when I shifted it from reverse to drive. I also noticed the gas gauge went from full to empty way too quick. Took it in to the dealer and as per Hyundais suggestion, the dealer replaced the transmission and gas tank sending unit. After 2000 miles the speedometer wont drop all the way to zero and the alignment is off. Broke my heart as this was my first new car I have bought in over twelve years. The dealer wouldnt replace the car when I took it in. Why would he he got his money? Hyundai said sorry, but that was it. Learned my lesson that Honda and Toyota are worth the premium price.