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 with 2003 elantra ve [canada] - 2001 Hyundai Elantra
  By jcl - March 8 - 2:00 am

  GOOD PRICE. VERY COMFORTABLE.VERY QUIET. ONLY 2000 KM SO FAR.CHECKED OTHER CAR COMPANIES,AND NO OTHERS COULD EVEN COME CLOSE TO WHAT HYUNDAI HAS TO OFFER ON PRICE AND EQUIPMENT.SO FAR VERY SATISFIED.dealer and sales staff very nice and helpful.

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  Like A Best Friend - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By Anthony - March 2 - 8:10 pm

  I love Sonatas. This is my second one and it has been great overall! Pros: * This car is a work horse and a good cruiser. * Fuel economy is outstanding! Ive gotten 40 mpg on the highway many times, during non-stop driving and doing between 70-75 mph. * The satellite radio is a great option, you can listen to your favorite station anywhere! Otherwise the CD/flash-drive (USB) is another good option. * Other than routine maintenance performed at the dealership, this car is solid. * Love the stability control! Some cons: * The drivers seat is uncomfortable. It is narrow and lacks support, however, on long trips, you do tend to settle in and forget about it. * The 4 cylinder engine, while effective for, is somewhat under-powered. When the car is loaded for those long, summer trips, or with the a/c running, it can easily lose up to 20hp and youll notice it when attempting to merge onto a highway. I should have opted for the 6 cylinder version instead. * Tires are very important! Do not go cheap on them and always get the original or better. You will be thankful, especially when it rains as the car tends to lose grip upon accelerating from a stop or going around corners. * I wish navigation was available when I bought it.

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  I love my santa fe - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By ellie - March 2 - 1:26 pm

  My husband and I went looking and test drove a few and with his severe back injuries could not find one that was comfortable for him, until he sat in the Santa Fe, he said this is the one. This is my first suv and I am loving it, roomy and fairly economical. We love it and I like it better than driving his 30+ thousand trans sport van.

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  GL, I recommend it to my friends - 2005 Hyundai Sonata
  By Mohamed - February 28 - 11:29 pm

  I have had the car for two days only and I like it. For this price it is wonderful. Smooth engine (not noisy like I read in some auto web sites) and enough room for driver and passengers. Its acceleration is great and suspension is good enough. For these features another car will cost you at least 5000 dollars more. I recommended this car to my friends.

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  Fun lil Car - 2000 Hyundai Elantra
  By Edgey - February 28 - 1:47 am

  I bought a 2000 Elantra used with bout 58k on it. I only had to replace the altenator, battery, and the front left wheel bearing. Great car, ran great, was a lil sluggish to shift under heavy acceleration. I bought it in 9/03 and then totaled it 1/05 with 86K miles on it, when some twit in a rental made a left in front of me. Seemed to crush a little to easily, the whole front end was trashed. Sounded good, handled good and no repairs, except the aforementioned ones. For reference the wheel bearings suck to do on your own. The old filter isnt the easiest to get at. But it has a nice ride, comparable smooth to some smaller cars. OH and the air bags work great :)!

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  Reliable but Terrible in Bad Weather - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By curt123 - February 26 - 6:59 pm

  I got a great price last year on my previous 2004 GT Hatchback with the Automatic Tranny. Not much pep and transmission was confused easily. Tires lost tread very quickly and gas mileage was a major disappointment average 22mpg due to having to floor it often. Inside is very nice but leather showed distress within a few months. Last winter spell was its last, nearly crashed serveral times going to work on light snow covered roads. Good cheap college car in dry flat climates but in Pittsburgh it was not going to cut it, got a 2005 Subaru Forester this weekend (7,500 more), no comparison and I finally dont have sweaty palms in snowy conditions.

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  Sonata hybrid - 2016 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid
  By Sbremer - February 25 - 10:19 pm

  Stitching on leather seats questionable

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  Great Value - 2006 Hyundai TUCSON
  By WMassOwner - February 25 - 2:26 pm

  I purchased the AWD Tuscon in January 06, just in time for a huge New England blizzard. The Tuscon performed magnificantly, and has continued to be a great vehicle. Its a lot of vehicle for the sticker price, loaded with all the options except leather seats. I love how it looks, it handles like a car and has enough quickness to get out of any situations. Its a solid buy, great value and you cant beat the 10 year 100,000 mile warranty.

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  Will not buy Hyundai again - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By cole - February 25 - 5:43 am

  Driving is decent for an SUV along with the looks however I have owned my "first-time Hyundai" 2 months and it has been in the shop over half of that due to a sunroof issue. I am on my 5th sunroof and the problems are still not corrected. I contacted the consumer affairs department and received a case number and that is the last time I have heard from them. I have called to update information and have been told repeatedly that my case manager will be in touch and this has been going on for a month with still no contact. The sunroof still leaks and when open rattles to the point it sounds like the glass is going to brake. Now, I am again waiting for them to decide what to do. Horrible!

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  Its a Real pleasure - 2005 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Coupe - February 25 - 12:20 am

  This is my first sport car so I cant compare it to any other sport car, but I feel it needs more power. perfect handling (without a high performance suspensions and tires) The only bad thing about it that itÂ’s very difficult to find accessories and modification for the body and the engine as well