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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  Very Satisfied - 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Rick - October 23 - 10:40 pm

  Drove from Denver to Dallas and averaged 23 MPG. Not bad for a AWD. I am 63", 300lbs and never felt uncomfortable behind the wheel. My friends found the back seat comfortable when reclined.

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  Best car I have owned - 2007 Hyundai Azera
  By R.Cherry - October 23 - 4:38 pm

  Of all the cars I have ever owned, be it new or used this is the best one of the bunch. Only problems I have to report are that after three months I couldnt get the XM radio to re-cycle and the pearl white paint seems to chip a little too much for my tastes. A dealer fixed the XM radio in less than a minute. One more thing, tires seem to have flat spots in them until they warm up. Otherwise a great car. I was impressed enough to buy my wife a 2009 Hyundai Sonata, solely on the strength of the Hyundai name. They have come a very, very long way since their first exports here years ago.

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  Fix the brakes - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By On the right track - October 23 - 1:43 pm

  Hyundai has continued to build more stylish vehicles, improve quality, and keep prices reasonable. This suv compares in options to the more expensive Lexus and Acura, but at a more reasonable price. Of course, its not equal in quality , materials, and status as the forementioned. Safety is the main concern for me. This suv is filled with safety devices from the air bags to the drivetrain. Im waitng for the side impact crash results. The one area of concern is the very long stopping distance. Im cinfident Hyundai will correct this problem.

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  Simply Perfect for Me. - 2012 Hyundai Veloster
  By dpsimcho - October 23 - 12:21 pm

  I bought this car 10/13/11 and still have not a single complaint. I know some reviews point to "poor acceleration" or what have you, but I have to say that for what I was going for, it is completely fine with me. I was looking for a good looking car that got good to great gas mileage. I absolutely Love the design of the Veloster (especially the rear end). When you get in, you would think you are riding in a car twice its price. Very comfortable seats, everything you touch feels like it has a high end quality to it. Ive had a few people in the back seat with no hiccups or complaints whatsoever. I simply love the amount of people who have pulled up next to me asking what it is!

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  I LIKE IT - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By RBURRIS - October 23 - 10:00 am

  I JUST TRADED A VANILLA 2001 JETTA THAT I LOVED FOR A VANILLA SANTA FE. SO FAR I AM IMPRESSED WITH JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING. I THINK I MADE A GOOD DEAL. I GAVE UP A THING OR TWO BUT GOT BACK A THING OR THREE. MY FIRST TANK OF GAS WAS 20 MPG BUT I EXPECT THAT TO GET HIGHER. I LIKE BEING UP HIGH WHERE I CAN SEE THE TRAFFIC BETTER.

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  Just Bought New Hyundai - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By Jessie Ramsey - October 23 - 10:00 am

  Hello, I just purchased a new Hyundai GLS 4 dr w/ automatic transmission today for my daughter. It is a quiet car for the money. As a first car, it is perfect for the college kid. It has A/C Power windows, doorlocks, tilt wheel, cruise control AM/FM/CD and Sunroof. It is really loaded for such a small car. Time will tell as to how reliable it is. We expect good gas mileage and cheap operation.

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  the best for the price - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By couchy32 - October 23 - 10:00 am

  This car is realy good, specially for the price. the manual transmision do the job. and his 135hp are realy acceptable.

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  Too Good to be True - 2000 Hyundai Elantra
  By Disgruntled - October 22 - 2:40 pm

  I bought my Elantra in 2003 with just 38,000 miles on it. I thought I was getting a steal at just $5,000 for a 3 year old car...man it was a steal...stealing my money. In the five years I owned my elantra, I had to replace the engine (due to a bad thermostat), 3 different water pumps, power steering pump, alternator, and I had 3 of the power windows stop working. I fixed the drivers side door for a nice $500 chunk of change. I decided the rest werent worth it. Gas mileage steadily declined from a nice 34 to around 20

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  New Owner - 2009 Hyundai Accent
  By PDR - October 21 - 8:48 am

  My daughter has a 2000 Accent and is wonderful. My wife has driven an Elantra for 5 years and it has been bullet proof. I just purchased an Accent and it drive great. PDR

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  Great Car - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By bucfan11 - October 21 - 8:23 am

  We have had this for four months now and love this car. Performance, handling, and ride comfort are outstanding. The mp3 player will also play wmas. The only complaint is fuel mileage. Dont expect good mileage from this car. We have averaged just over 20 MPG. You should test drive this before you buy anything else.