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:
Showing 1661 through 1670 of 13,764.00-
Good Car - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
By Rick G. - June 4 - 7:10 amWith 10 months of ownership/23,000 on the odometer (yes, its quite a commute), car has done everything weve expected. Avging 35 mpg on the highway. Not shabby. Sufficient get up and go for merging/hwy passing. Outside of oil changes and the suggested 15k "checkup", car has not seen the dealership for anything other than the passenger seat recall (15 minute visit for recalibration). IOW, initial quality has been exceptional. Originally was crossing my fingers on this Korean product and hoping for the best (Had my doubts but the discounted pricing in comparison to the Japanese products reflected this) but Hyundai has dispelled these misgivings. Highly suggest car if "value" is high on list.
-
Verdict is still out - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
By Loradora - June 2 - 12:16 pmSince buying this car in July, it has been in the shop 3 times for a thunk in the front end--which they are replacing parts, but its still there and now I am dealing with an odor in the car that smells like BO (body odor). There are issues with this car and right now I am not a happy Hyundai owner. I would hold off buying a 2009 until they figure out some issues with the car. This is a brand new car, should not be in the shop already.
-
Fun to drive!!!!!!! - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
By NormJay - June 2 - 2:00 amThe car hanles the road very well. Theres pleanty of power in the 4 cyl. Its the best car for the price.
-
New purchase, upset - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
By vilamed - June 2 - 2:00 amSluggish movement with V4 model
-
Good Car for the money - 2006 Hyundai Elantra
By Russ - May 29 - 8:22 amI traded in a toyota pick up for this car in an effort to save gas on my long 45 mile one way trip to work. i was very impressed with the gas mileage which is about 10mpg better than what i was getting in the truck. not exactly a luxurious car but gets you from point a to b. roomier than i thought at first glance. fits 2 adults and 2 kids comfortably. great trunk space. for only a small 4 cylinder, car has good get up and go power. i prefer driving this around town over our smooth riding mini-van.
-
nice car - 2006 Hyundai Tiburon
By JACQ - May 28 - 11:50 amhandles great!!!!!!
-
Hugs the ground - 2001 Hyundai XG300
By RC K - May 28 - 10:00 amGoing 70 mph, in order to avoid another car,the choice was go down an embankment, or go into a fishtail. The car hugged the ground tight, never feeling like it was going to flip. It did a 360, coming to a stop on the shoulder. I KNOW the weight & stability of this car saved our lives, so the lower gas milege I get because of it is well worth it!
-
love it - 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe
By kerry holmes - May 28 - 12:30 amlove it ride good. I find my self speeding because it ride so smooth comepare to my suv.this is my wife car. my girl wamts ot to go to college in it not her honda. no way she wil get it.like the intero setup good ac.seats up high so you can see the road.lots of room in back for things. will buy me one on my next car
-
Good Car - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
By Gisele - May 26 - 10:36 pmI choose this car for my parents because of the affordability and warranty.
-
Good mountain car - 1998 Hyundai Elantra
By MtnDriver - May 26 - 2:57 pmGreat mountain car, handles good on snow/ice/solid snow floor. Put 10K miles on it in 6 months. Has good get up and go, especially on steep mountain grades- can go 65 in 4th gear up a big grade (5 speed). No major problems until now (wheel bearing replacement, exhaust system problem, oil pan leak) and the paint scratches really easily. Overall great experience aside from the mechanic visits.
-
Hyundai Accent 964 Reviews
-
Hyundai Azera 572 Reviews
-
Hyundai Elantra 2,696 Reviews
-
Hyundai Elantra GT 50 Reviews
-
Hyundai Elantra Touring 162 Reviews
-
Hyundai Entourage 177 Reviews
-
Hyundai Equus 53 Reviews
-
Hyundai Genesis 523 Reviews
-
Hyundai Genesis Coupe 171 Reviews
-
Hyundai Santa Fe 2,171 Reviews
-
Hyundai Santa Fe Sport 4 Reviews
-
Hyundai Santa FE XL 1 Reviews
-
Hyundai Sonata 3,413 Reviews
-
Hyundai Sonata Hybrid 134 Reviews
-
Hyundai Tiburon 898 Reviews
-
Hyundai TUCSON 869 Reviews
-
Hyundai Veloster 109 Reviews
-
Hyundai Veracruz 262 Reviews
-
Hyundai XG300 68 Reviews
-
Hyundai XG350 467 Reviews