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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  Happy until now! - 2001 Hyundai Elantra
  By Katmandu - October 2 - 10:00 am

  I was fairly happy with my car for the price until recently. For the price, I feel that I got what I paid for. Economy! Rides okay, somewhat comfortable, cute, compact and so on. Recently I put it it for some repairs. The engine light came on. Also, the latch for the trunk wasnt working and the passenger air vent slats were coming out. Well the dealership said that the vent was broken due to hit being hit, well I disagreed. So Im trying to fight it.

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  GT Must Stand for Good Times! - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By celtic-ace06 - October 2 - 10:00 am

  Just bought the pewter GT (fully loaded)...I love this car! My brother drove it he was completely impressed. He is 6 2" and Im 5 4. My brother had plenty of leg & head room. There is plenty of power for passing, normal excelleration and mountain driving. We had no problems with the power going up steep roads with the A/C on! Looked down to find us going 85 mph! This car has got performance! Good sound and I love that trip meter! So far Iv gotten 30.4 mpg (mountain driving, 75/85 mph and bumper to bumper traffic all while using the A/C!) All around a great car. I found it to be a better buy than what those other manufacturers offer! Get the GT.

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  Fantastic Car! - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By HyundaiJohn - October 2 - 10:00 am

  I love this car! It has most of the features of a luxury sedan, but in a smaller, more fun package, and with a warrenty that leave me worry-free. Im in college, so its nice to have a car that wont have unanticipated expenses. It handles well enough in the snow, due to the anti-lock brakes and front wheel drive. Im 6-4, and still have plenty of room to engage the clutch and sit comfortably.

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  Dont Believe the Hype - 2008 Hyundai Azera
  By toalie - October 1 - 8:11 pm

  After 6000 miles, I have had several problems, mostly electrical. The air bags were broken 1 week after purchase, and my driver seat moves backwards while driving. The finish of the dashboard is separating around the airbag housing. The car drives well, but I fear that it will be falling apart in a few years. After this experience, probably wont buy another Hyundai.

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  very pleased - 2004 Hyundai XG350
  By pmadonna - September 30 - 10:00 am

  This vehicle has power and a smooth ride. I like the styling very much. It reminds me of a Linclon. I appreicate the interior features and overall look. It appealed to me as a quality vehicle with a lot to offer. Luxury at a decent price with a great warranty.

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  My 2004 Hyundai - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Cindae - September 30 - 10:00 am

  Ive had my 2004 Santa Fe for 5 1/2 months now. My prior vehicle was totalled in an accident and I had not planned to have to purchase a vehicle any time soon; however, I have no regrets over purchasing my Santa Fe! My biggest compliment is how well is does on gas mileage. It also drives very smoothly--more like a car! I never worry about getting somewhere safely I have also aken it down South, and it handled just fine on the road.

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  Best Vehicle I Have Ever Owned - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By dunnroven - September 30 - 10:00 am

  Love it! It handles like an expensive European sedan, but is "off road" tough. Quite a buy for the money.

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  Overall, SF is well built and fun to drive - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By jamit - September 29 - 7:13 pm

  I am from Canada. Even though I have my Santa Fe 3.3 GL Premium (7 pass) just over a week, I am enjoying very moment of it. It is well built, and fun to drive. The ride is a bit firm, and you can feel the bump (when offroad). Compared to other SUV/CUVs that I test drove, this SF strikes me hard on its comfort, quality, and quietness. Oh, it is a very quiet car. The 3rd row seats are great for kids, but I dont use it alot.

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  Need new suspension - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By ottok - September 29 - 6:51 pm

  Overall I have been pretty happy with my 07 Sonata GLS. No technical or mechanical issues yet after 20,000 miles. My biggest problem has been the suspension which is designed for a light bicycle. Bumpy roads provides very strong feedback into steering wheel. Bottoming out is donw easily. So you Hyundai engineer lear from Honda Accord.

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  Navigation problematic - 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By KF - September 29 - 2:06 am

  The Santa Fe handles very well in the snow and is much better than my other 4 wheel drive. After 8000 miles however the navigation/radio unit went out. Sent it to Hyundai dealer for warranty work and the part is back ordered indefinitely. Reportedly there are 50+ on back order ahead of me so apparently this is not an isolated incident. So I selected this vehicle because of the nav and other upgrades and they are unreliable. Fuel mileage is about 21.9 mpg.