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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  What a great car! - 2002 Hyundai XG350
  By John Silvers - December 29 - 12:56 am

  Ive had my XG-350 for 3 years and it has not disappointed. What an excellent vehicle. It has more features than much more expensive vehicles and performs just as well.

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  ride to cali - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By jasonM - December 28 - 6:13 pm

  i just baught the elantra gt about a mounth ago. about a week after i bought it my grandmother took a spill out side her house in california and broke her hip. i decided to get time off of work and take a trip down to help her out. now i live in north dakota and my grandmother lives about 30 minutes north east of sacremento CA. i took her through everything from dirt roads in north dakota to snowy passes in montana, washington, and oregon and rough traffic in portland and sacremento. she preformed extermely well in all envirements. her handling never got rougher no matter what terrain or how much snow and rain were coming.id just like to thank the guys who built it.

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  Happy with purchase - 2009 Hyundai Accent
  By Chris - December 28 - 11:30 am

  I just bought this 2009 accent and I could not be happier. This car is not my primary vehicle, its just a around town vehicle and for my 17yr old son to use to school and work. The outside body design makes it look like a more expensive vehicle. I was also surprised by the get up and go from the 1.6L engine. Im 6-4 and have plenty of head room. I do have to put the seat all the way back and tilt the back, but over all I feel comfortable.

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  Impressive! - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By Matt_Landers - December 28 - 10:06 am

  Purchased my 2011 Sonata Limited a week ago and 600 miles later, so my immediate impressions are positive. A lot more bang for your buck than a comparable Accord EX-L which I owned (2009 model)

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  Toyonda Who? - 2008 Hyundai Sonata
  By DrDrewOSU - December 28 - 1:13 am

  Check out the Sonata, I love mine and I am very glad about my decision to purchase it. And I dont say that lightly. Im a 12 out of ten when it comes to being particular about my vehicle. See it for yourself, I think you will be impressed. Azera and Genesis here I come!

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  Genesis is a Winner!! - 2009 Hyundai Genesis
  By Lou A - December 27 - 8:13 pm

  I just passed 1200 miles and this car is a winner for Hyundai. Drives well in Erie PA snow. There is a luxury about the Genesis that "drove" me to it. Everything so far is excellent... As with all new model cars there maybe an issue or two that comes up. Genesis provides the higher cost models (Lexus/BMW/Acura/Mercedes, etc) a true run for the money. The 5 year BTB is one of the key components for the purchase. Hyundais decision to extend the extra year was a thoughtful and calculated one. I agree with all previous comments from other owners. I did research for at least 6-9 months prior to purchase and I am glad I did. The service is key to post purchase and success to Hyundai.

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  Awesome little car! - 2005 Hyundai Accent
  By Shawna - December 27 - 5:47 pm

  I bought my car used in 2008 with 35k miles on it. It is now 2016 and Im still driving it with 286,000 miles on it! I love my car! There have been some fixes here and there- I had to replace both front axles a few years ago. I replaced a couple belts. The a/c doesnt work anymore. I replaced the radio with a better one. Both interior door handles broke. I fixed the drivers door and it lasted a couple years and broke again. Its ok. To me, its all just fixing the wear and tear. I would buy this car again, any day. Its not very often that you find a car like this one.

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  Bring back the xg350 - 2005 Hyundai XG350
  By keith - December 27 - 3:36 pm

  An absolute great car for the money. Very classy, easy to drive, steering and power response great. My wife drives it most and says its the best car shes ever drove. We have 81,000 miles on it and still love it.

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  The right choice - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By fluegs - December 27 - 2:00 am

  I just traded in my 2001 Subaru Forester for a Santa Fe and couldnt be happier! There is so much more room and it drives so smoothly I know it was the right choice for me. I do miss the heated seats and the compass/outdoor temp gauge but thats all. You cant beat the value and it handles so nicely. One test drive is all it should take!

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  Love the car - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
  By HGrant - December 26 - 11:20 pm

  After totaling 2 Toyotas I wanted an car that looked,and functioned as well, but cost less. My Hyundai GT was it. The only problem I found were the tires that came with it they did not last a full year. It handles wonderful and has great get up for a small car. There is also plenty of room in the trunk for all my groceries. City gas mileage is approx. 22-24 miles per gallon. Of course my dealerships service dept is wonderful to me, just as they were with the two Toyotas I bought. My neighbors were so impressed, two of them bought Hyundais. That must say something about not only the car but the dealership.