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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  Hyundai on the move to the top!! - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
  By 1SweetV6 - February 3 - 12:56 pm

  We traded in my wifes 01 Neon, it stunk on gas. We went with the Hy Elantra because of the warrenty. She drives 100+ miles a DAY!! We couldnt find any other car for the price+value+warrenty. Nothing came close to it. All power options+ Sun R, CD, Keyless, etc. Rides very nice, nice seats, nice looks, not much road noise, less then the Neon thats for sure!

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  Excellent car! - 1995 Hyundai Accent
  By micqn - February 1 - 7:31 pm

  I used to make fun of my little Accent but not any more! This car has been the most reliable car I have owned and it doesnt cost a lot to maintain. The engine had to be replaced but I did that myself, the paint is still in excellent shape, the car overall is a great little car. I am able to get about 325 MPGmiles on a full tank of gas around town and nearly 375 MPG on the freeway cruising at 65 MPH. This equates to filling the car up every two weeks. The tires are very inexpensive when needed, oil changes are a cinch, basic maintenance is nearly obsolete. The car takes very good care of me hence I take very good care of it.

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  Not a bad car - 1999 Hyundai Sonata
  By Shane Crook - January 30 - 3:36 pm

  We bought our Sonata with 24,000 miles on it. The main problems we have had is electrical such as sensors, spark plug wires, etc. The transmission has always shifted strangely, but I have had this checked out several times and have never found anything wrong. For the warranty and price, it is hard to beat. The resale value isnt the best.

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  Nice car, needs more "GT" in the GT - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By cheslers - January 30 - 12:08 am

  This is my wifes car and was purchased three weeks after I got my Mazda 3s 5-door. Both cars have a real nice fit and finish. I would recommend either one for the long haul. Thats where the similarities end. The Elantra GT has bland looks. Not much separates it from the GLS sedan. The interior is nice, especially for the small amount it took to upgrade to the GT. On the peformance side, this is hardly worthy of the GT designation. The engine is reliable, but hardly a performer. The leather seats are slippery and unsupportive in turns. My biggest gripe would have to be the steering ratio. It takes too much movement to coax this car to turn. Nice reliable car, splurge for the 3s to add fun.

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  2000 tib - 2000 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Jamesbe - January 29 - 2:00 am

  Well Ive had this car for 2 1/2 years now. It is still going good. Lots of rattles and problems with dealerships in Canada. Ive had a few problems with cracked door panels bad spark plugs and o2 sensors. But I havent had much mechanical problems. Squeaks and rattles a plenty, actually the car has squeaked from the second I drove it off the lot. It doesnt seem to like the cold of Canada though, the engine idles really rough, the brakes bong and clank and there is lots of squeak in the clutch in the cold. Eveything goes away in the summer months though. I wouldnt buy another one even after the mechanical stability as I find the fit and finish to be sub par.

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  2001 Elantra GT- Zoom Zoom Zoom - 2001 Hyundai Elantra
  By mitch rb - January 29 - 2:00 am

  Best bang for the buck! I do alot of traveling and the interior features are great. Good zip in 2nd-5th gears

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  i love this suv - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Lori - January 28 - 8:03 pm

  its the best looking suv to me out there. i wish it was just a little more quiet when driving, but for the whole package for the price, i cant ask for anything else except for long reliability, which i hope and prays keep up for as long as i have this suv. but i love it all around, especially looks and price.

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  Road Noise - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By GLS 4dr SUV w/Automa - January 27 - 4:20 pm

  Have had what I would call excessive road noise especially at highway speed. This problem continues even after wheel alignment check, which was negative and tire rotation. Bridgetone tires may be the culprit. A very minor issue is the front license plate screw holes are just part of the plastic grill area and now have stripped which will probably create a loose front license plate.

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  $anta Fe Value - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By CA 93901 - January 27 - 10:00 am

  Bought this SUV intending to use it for my work vehicle. My wife has taken it away from me because it rides and drives so well with lots of creature comforts. For less than $20K after rebate, - we got lots of nice standard features, moonroof, 6/CD. trailer hitch, etc. So far, the vehicle has done great - almost 6K miles. Too bad Hyundai is not building a pick-up truck based on this model. The service/maintenance requirements are pretty reasonable - I took the car in early for the first service - the $125 dealership price was steep but the list of what was done was pretty comprehensive.

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  Too much gas - 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By diana - January 26 - 1:23 am

  This is a great vehicle. Too much gas consumption, but I would recommend it to all that dont drive long distances. I am very pleased.