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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  Automatic Tibby 03 - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By RyanPaton - October 9 - 10:00 am

  Love this car, turn a lot of heads. Great all around car, back seat is a little tight but what do i care, im not sitting in it =)

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  close to perfection - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By the joo - October 9 - 10:00 am

  i went in to buy a 2001 tiburon and fell in love with this beauty... everywhere i go i get looks and compliments on the car... its great but a few things bother me... the back seats are horrible.. and the gas mileage from such a small car is disappointing... overall... i love the cars looks, power, ride, and comfort

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  Im glad I did my research - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By Barbarann - October 9 - 10:00 am

  I test drove the Elantra last December...compared to the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla and Nissan Sentra it won hands down. But I hesitated because of poor crash test results re: airbag deployment. Ive had my 2002 Elantra for 2 weeks and love the way it handles. My "workhorse" 93 Toyota Camry still runs and looks good but at 190,000 miles it became a second car for my daughter. The Elantra is so much peppier and responsive. I had to get used to sitting a little lower on the road and more road noise. Im having too much fun playing with the moonroof. CD feature is nice although I dont believe the speaker system compares to Toyota. Still checking gas mileage...with only 2 fills, between 25-28 mpg mostly city driving

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  shake rattle and vear off the road - 2002 Hyundai Sonata
  By not happy - October 9 - 10:00 am

  test drove this car on the suggestion of a friend it was NOT at all what was promised, all the while the sales person is sitting next to me talking up the car, especially the warranty, but I dont think I would ever keep this car around long enough to even tap the warranty, it is dull car that has shakes and creaks new

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  I Will Never Go Back To A Ford - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
  By DONNA RENNINGER - October 8 - 9:26 pm

  I absolutely love this car for its comfort, fuel economy, the style of the vehicle and performance. With my cars acceleration ability, as well as its anti-lock brakes, I could not have asked for a better vehicle to save my life. I have been a Ford person all my life and last year I decided to check out the Hyundai Elantras because I liked their style -- now I will never go back to a Ford.

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  Satisfied with purchase - 2009 Hyundai Genesis
  By JoJofive - October 8 - 7:51 pm

  So far, so good with the car. I didnt really know what to expect with a Korean brand car. But the Genesis has proven itself capable to me. the Car is very beautiful, a little derivative. but most people think that it is a mercedes, which is a compliment. The dealership where I purchased it was definitely an interesting experience. Some of the team members were a bit oblivious to the features of the 3.8. but I finally got a guy to help me out with some important questions. Financing the car was good. got it for about 424/month with 1.9 APR.

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  Best Car For The Buck - 2008 Hyundai Elantra
  By jc1979us - October 8 - 10:03 am

  Great car. Best bang for the buck in its class. Has more safety features than its competitors. Excellent gas mileage. First new car Ive owned and worth every penny.

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  Cheap to Buy - Expensive to Maintain - 2003 Hyundai Sonata
  By Brazoo - October 8 - 8:15 am

  The Sonata is about $5k less on average to own vs the Honda Accord & Toyota Camry. However I do know about 6 yrs into ownership that in the end I spent much more in repairs on this "cheap car" than going with one of the others. First everything on this car at the garage is "special parts" & expensive. Needs special transmission fluid when flushing, special tires (racing ones found on a Jag)at about $130/tire & already replaced 2 sets. The power radio antenna broke-$300. The power steering line rusted & broke-repair pending. Have 134,000 mi on it presently & gone through 3 sets of brakes & pads an most of driving is wide-open hwy. I suggest buying a better car up front & save $ in long r

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  its a SHARK - 2001 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Mokael - October 8 - 2:00 am

  First time I saw it, I knew that this I will own it. I still test driven Civic and Sunfire, but Tiburon was the winner hands down. Awesome basic features (I have 2nd package with CD, sunroof, and stuff), as they say "zippy" engine, pretty small (good for in-city parking), more powerful than Civi will ever be, and much more comfortable and better looking that Sunfire (or Cavalier, or Saturn, or Escort). By the way, should I mention that it has a large and more powerful engine that Celica? Anyhow - if you are looking for a sporty coupe, give Tiburon a try.

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  Great value, Fun to drive - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By dsmith - October 8 - 2:00 am

  Test drive was the selling point for me.It is a hot looking car and performance was everything I expected. The five speed manual was fun and responsive. Interior had style and sleek. Exterior is a head turner. Will buy in May. Cant beat the price for all the standard equipment. Had two Corvettes and a Toyota Supra. This compares very nicely except the price is better!