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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  working mans maserati - 2005 Hyundai Tiburon
  By al - July 23 - 10:06 pm

  first attracted by the styling (look at the maserati gran coupe). after first drive, impressed by the performance (better than my fiat 850 spyder, datsun 2000, datsun 240Z, or mustang gt).

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  Great little car - 2008 Hyundai Accent
  By NBB CHALESTON WV - July 23 - 5:46 pm

  I love this little car. The short shifter and sunroof are great. The car rides really well and is very spirited for a small car. The back seat folds down and creates a large cargo area. I took my sister and niece on a 150 mile journey. The back seat had plenty of room behind the passenger side seat. The back seat armrest and cup holder was Nice. There was no difference with one or three riders. The car rides smooth and very quite. The seats are comfortable and supportive. The rear window wiper and defroster works, the air conditioner is ice cold. Never had to change the radio station. Nice quite car and fun to drive. Get the manual. Filled up before we went needle hardly moved. Tire pressure system.

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  I love my SE - 2008 Hyundai Accent
  By Nancy - July 23 - 5:08 pm

  I was only window shopping, but fell in love with this car. I never thought I would own a small car again. Its silver with a sunroof, and as everyone says....its fun to drive. It has every feature I was looking for. I did not shop around for other small cars. This was the one I HAD to have.

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  Fantastic Car/SUV - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By TomJ - July 23 - 11:03 am

  Styling (controversial--but I like it!) and features got me past the raised eyebrows when I told people I was looking at a Hyundai; ride (and price) convinced me to buy it. After three weeks, I am still surprised at how solid and sensible the Santa Fe is--I have no problems with either the engines power or the firmness of the front seats (two areas that some reviews have questioned). It is built like something much more expensive, and it has a good (if incomplete) selection of "upscale" features. If you are looking at a small SUV, be sure to take the Santa Fe for a drive and discover what a change has occurred in Hyundai.

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  Moms little hot rod - 2004 Hyundai Tiburon
  By ghostrider1200 - July 23 - 10:00 am

  This car is an eye catching red. We get asked what it is all the time. People are always suprised that it is a Hyundai, we stopped at the dealer to just look around since my wife commuted 60 milround trip in our Suburban and we needed to have better gas mileage. We test drove almost everything on the lot when we pulled back in from a test drive and she saw it in the corner of the lot and she announced "that is the car" so we stuffed the 6 plus salesman in the back seat and wow what a ride. The rest is the wifes history.

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  GREAT BUY - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By MARCO LICONA - July 23 - 10:00 am

  I BOUGHT THE CAR IN APRIL OF 03 AND I THINK YOU GET A LOT FOR THE PRICE. ITS FAST, FUN AND GETS ME FROM POINT A TO B WITH NO PROBLEM. I WOULD RECOMMEND THIS TO ANYONE WEHO IS LOOKING FOR A BARGAIN!!!

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  Fun to Drive - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By d in georgia - July 23 - 10:00 am

  I just recently took a long trip 12hrs. worth of driving one way. I was 9 1/2 hrs. into the trip before my back ached. Used to be about 3 hrs max. Comfortable and easy to drive has the power needed to pass easily on the interstates. Thoughly enjoyed the trip this time.

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  Excellent So Far - 2008 Hyundai Sonata
  By CanadianSonata - July 22 - 9:23 am

  Bought a "previously loved" 08 with 20000 miles on it. My wife and I are very happy with the vehicle. Great value for the money. I cant imagine spending thousands more on a Camry or Accord. How much better can they be? Ride is smooth and quiet, performance is more than adequate. Steering could be more precise, but is OK for a family car. Nice large trunk. Front seats could be a little longer for more thigh support, but are still comfortable. Interior quality is good, but the design is a bit lacking. This has been fixed in the 09s. Vehicle should come standard with ABS, but it is only on higher trim levels in Canada. OEM Tires are not great - noisy and wear quickly - will be replaced.

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  My First New Car - 2006 Hyundai Elantra
  By KSM - July 21 - 7:14 pm

  In Nov of 2005, my used Subaru had reached its life expectancy. I could not afford an expensive vehicle so the Elantra was my choice after driving a couple other vehicles (Accent, Aveo, and a couple Suzukis). I have to say this vehicle has been fantastic. I do a lot of highway driving and get about 32-34mpg regularly, best ever being 38mpg on a trip that I drove 60mph most of the way. My only part failures were the starter at about 45K and an axle seal at about 60K. Has almost 75k on it now and my only issue is warranty is going to be up before I pay it off.

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  New Santa Fe - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By jerrys - July 21 - 6:06 pm

  I love this SUV. I only have one complaint: On bright, sunny days, its hard to read the numbers on the speedometer unless you run with the lights on. I suggest that you do that, and then theres no problem reading it. Hyundai should consider redoing the display. Otherwise, the vehicle is such a super value for the money, Its really had to beat. I shopped extensively over one month, and nothing can compare for the price and features.