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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  Nothing but problems - 2002 Hyundai Sonata
  By Laurie - January 25 - 9:14 pm

  Love the style, price, etc.But...Ive had nothing but problems- only had car for 6 wks. rotors had to be replaced- warped,$400+, multiple belt problems, vibration in steering wheel, interior handles cheaply made - caused cuts on hands, brakes not covered under warranty- pulley problem was causing belts to be replaced every 2 weeks.Took back to dealership 5 times within less than 5 months for high pitched noises in front end.The pulley was chewing the belts up.Problems with engine cutting out.Carfax check prior to purchase showed car was clean.Im reporting this under lemon law and trying to get another car, but because of amount owed will have negative equity in car. Very disappointed!

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  Sorta Beware - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Kingtriton - January 25 - 2:00 am

  This vehicle is great, except that it burns oil. Hy. Corp said that it is normal to burn 1 QT / 1000 miles. Dont buy into this. It took 2 months to finally get the Corporation to fix it. Now the dealership is tearing down the engine to find out the problem. Other than the burning of oil, I have enjoyed this vehicle, especially in the snow, where it plowed through 1 1/2 of snow.

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  First Hyundai - 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By John - January 23 - 5:13 am

  We drove various Suvs,Cuvs and we kept going back to the Santa Fe as a basis for comparison. The Santa Fes cost to value ratio when everything was considered (styling,warranty,level of interior trim, resale value ect)the Santa Fe was the clear winner. Would not hesitate to purchase another Hyundai.

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  accent 2005 - 2005 Hyundai Accent
  By accent 2005 - January 22 - 1:27 pm

  I would buy this car all over again. It is a hatchback, people look at it as there not many of this style around my area.

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  I want my Taurus back - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By Peter Sawatzky - January 19 - 5:46 pm

  Before driving 2000 km . rear suspension began to rattles ,bang ,etc. Dealer said it was the high performance struts and the cold weather and all 2007s did the same thing.The banging is getting worse even over small bumps.They ordered new strut brackets;havent arrived yet. Annoying squeak between windshield and dash. None of my other cars had this problem in our cold climate.Could never get the XM radio to work.

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  Great Car for the Money - 2000 Hyundai Elantra
  By Kathleen - January 19 - 10:46 am

  I bought this car new in 2000 and have since driven it 140,000. It could not have been a better car to own. The gas mileage is great for my situation (a 60 mile round trip to work each day) and I have done nothing but routine maintenance. I do keep the oil changed every 3000 miles, but other than a few belts and tires, it has been maintenance free.

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  great car for a great price... - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By DK - January 19 - 1:52 am

  Bought the car a year and 4 months ago. Havent had any problems other than the crappy Kenwood MP3 player - it never wanted to play mp3s. Im happy with the car though and I recently sent one to Europe. I havent had any mechanical problems and I would definitly recommend the car to anyone whos looking to buy a compact sedan. I have friends with Civics and Sentras and they are not any better yet theyre more expensive. The car is even roomier and better laid out inside. The GT is a great value but I think they should add a bigger engine if they wanna call it a "sporty."

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  The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly - 2000 Hyundai Elantra
  By Dentheman - January 19 - 12:13 am

  I reviewed this car right after i bought it when i was in love with it. After a year and a half of ownership, i have realized the good and bad of this car. Replaced alternator, transmission at around 56,000 miles. Constant power window problems. Have had engine light issues for the last 5 months. My car was a flood car, but that doesnt explain issues like interior door handles snapping without warning. Bottom line: If you only have 13,000 to spend, Elantra is a good choice. If you can afford better, definitely get something else. I intend on moving up to a Camry or Accord soon.

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  my first car, XG350L - 2002 Hyundai XG350
  By daeboo - January 18 - 10:00 am

  Looked around and test drove BMW, Lexus, Honda, and Camry. The sales people at those dealers werent reasonable and they just wanted my wallet. Went to a Hyundai dealer, no hassel, no pressure, and great people. XG350L had more standard features compared to other brands and it was an AWESOME value! After purchasing it, I drove to a mountain... handles & responds VERY well!

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  1 year review...so far so good!! - 2011 Hyundai Elantra Touring
  By gwilly - January 18 - 8:27 am

  We already have a 07 AWD Santa Fe, with a pretty reliable record. Didnt know about this car 1 year ago, but it fits the bill perfectly. Mileage is 25-28 city and 31-34 highway with a light foot, car coasts very easily in neutral, I throw it there often. Ride can be harsh on the freeway in So Cal, my wife dislikes this bumpiness caused by the perpendicular cross-cuts in the pavement for water drainage. Overall no problems at all, with a few rattles coming from the shifter and occasionally the car idles like a diesel for no reason. I would recommend the manual shifter if you want to have more control over the driving experience. Older people with bad backs will not like the SE.