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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  Sun Rough - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Tieler - February 26 - 10:00 am

  The Tiberon is a fun car to drive and looks great. However, the sun roof is rough - the design is poor and I have had the car in three times for repair. No permanent fix yet.

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  Great little car, for a decent price! - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By Dani - February 26 - 12:50 am

  I purchased my car brand new and itll be two years in May since Ive had it. I keep up with the maintenance so in return, my car has not let me down!! I take day trips on the weekends and the gas mileage is great. Smooth ride, good handling, and pretty comfortable (unless youre over 60" and sitting in the back-seat).

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  A great value proposition in this segment - 2015 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Sharvan Mohan - February 24 - 12:45 pm

  It is one of the better 3 row crossovers in the segment.Smooth ride,great handling,refined engine and transmission.Reliable electronics and cool features such as panaromic sunroof,Heated and cooled seats,heated rear 2nd row seats,smart liftgate and good comfort overall.If there are some weak points it has to do the front seats not height adjustable(my spouse doesnt like it),Brakes not so effective especially under full load and suspension that bottoms out under full load of passengers.

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  Move aside Honda - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
  By Jay - February 23 - 11:57 pm

  One of the nicest compacts out there. Rides better and has more room and pep than my Civic had. But my 3 negatives are: (1)Squeaks developed going slowly over speed bumps after 8 mos. (2)I have yet to get over 20 mpg and I drive slowly and do not accelerate suddenly. I do drive solely in town however. (3)The rear window fogs when its rainy and humid unless the AC is full blast.

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  Koreas Revenge - Watch your back, Japan - 2001 Hyundai XG300
  By mmw56 - February 18 - 2:00 am

  This is the inital model year for this car, yet it suffers from few "first year-itis" problems. A few features that were on my "wish list" were added for 2002.

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  Short Drivers Only - 2007 Hyundai Veracruz
  By Stormking - February 16 - 3:43 pm

  This SUV was on my list when I bought it, but the $5200 off list convinced me. But within a week of driving, I found it was not meant for someone over six feet tall (Im 6-2). Its smaller brethren, the Santa Fe and Tucson, have significantly more leg room. I can not drive this for any length of time at all, and am looking to replace it with something more driver friendly. A good vehicle otherwise, but what the hey . . . .

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  love my baby - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By flyinfrank - February 14 - 11:03 am

  Ive been in the automotive industry for over 25 years and the Hyundai has come a loooong way since its inception when i test drove this car i was totally impressed and bought my baby and im glad i did Im a big guy and find it a little cramped on long drives which i do daily the winshield post kind of creates a blind spot the drivers seat could be repositioned needs more leg room the outside mirrors should also be collasable it has great back seat space and plenty of trunk space it drives incredibly well very smooth love the power of v-6 it seems to have some shifting issues not smooth all times the sound system is great love the heated seats the climate control system lacks some

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  Genesis Coupe 2013 3.8 track - 2013 Hyundai Genesis Coupe
  By johnnylobo - February 13 - 4:39 pm

  This is one really impressive car. From nose to tail. I owned a 2008 Infiniti G37 Sport and this car is a very close second to it. In some ways better. The design is a real head turner. The interior is quite comfortable and spacious. The interior and exterior illumination is fantastic. The sound system could be vamped up a bit but still sounds good. The ride is decent. A little rough and the road noise can be loud but not overbearing. Compared to the G37 it feels way lighter. Most standard features are the same in both cars but the Genesis does have a little more. I lease this car and Im excited to see how the Genesis Coupe progresses in the future. Im extremely happy I picked this one.

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  Hyundai Santa Fe - 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By dramaqueen - February 13 - 4:23 pm

  Great car for someone who needs a smaller SUV. Not too expensive and reliable. Has some nice styling in the interior.

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  Good SUV - 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By retbpd01 - February 12 - 7:36 pm

  If the gas mileage was better, this may be the pervect mid size SUV. Reasonably priced, good standard features and great warrantee.