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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  Great transportation - 2002 Hyundai Accent
  By Gren - December 3 - 5:30 pm

  I bought my Accent instead of renting a car when my primary car was being repaired. 2 years later I still have the Hyundai, have let several people in my family borrow the car and I have had nor heard no complaints. It has never required any repairs what-so-ever. It gets good gas mileage and is comfortable to drive even on long trips. The interior noise level is a bit high at freeway speeds and it is lacking horsepower, but I didnt buy it with any great expectations of luxury or performance. I am very pleased with the car overall. I highly recommend it for its class of vehicle - Good, Solid, Economical transportation.

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  If it only had a more comfortable ride... - 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By steelydan - December 1 - 8:35 pm

  This review applies only to the SE and Limted trims with the 18" wheels........NOT THE GLS trim with 16" wheels......BIG DIFFERENCE. My wife drives the 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe, good thing, because I would have traded in this rough riding bronco by now...... The engine is sweet, brakes good, interior is well thought out, exterior is good. The biggest and , unfortunately, most notable con is the HARSH ride over the many bumps and potholes on our crappy streets here in West Houston. The 18" wheels are a performance choice for the Santa Fe, as they are the wheels for the SE and Limited trims, not the base GLS trim. It is unfortunate that the BASE model Santa Fe is a more comfortable ride !!!

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  Best Sedan For 15 Grand - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By XxChevyFreakxX@aol.c - December 1 - 10:00 am

  It is an excellent car to drive. It has some awesome features like cd player, sunroof,and many more, I cant wait till i get it when i turn sixteen. Its one of the best sedans for under fiveteen gs.

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  reliable and fun to drive - 2000 Hyundai Elantra
  By Andy Schutte - November 29 - 6:13 pm

  I really enjoy my Elantra and would recommend it to anyone. I am good about maintaining it at the dealer, and in return it has been good to me - one mechanical breakdown in almost 5 years and 90k miles - which was covered under the warranty.

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  GT a fun car!! - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By sd0315 - November 29 - 3:14 pm

  great car reliable, fun, good power.

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  dont buy it - 2008 Hyundai Sonata
  By green - November 28 - 8:43 pm

  Just bought this car for less than 2 months, and wanted to get rid of it everyday. There are several problems: (a) a lot of rattles on the front side of the car. This is ridiculous for a car with only 1500 miles, and says something about its build quality. (b) the infamous rear suspension problem seems not fixed even for this 2008 model. When I drive it at a imperfect road at 30-40 mph, I simply cannot bear it. I have to choose a longer route to work because of this problem. (c) when the oil tank is full, it makes noises, and the dealership told me that the cure is not to get a full tank. Will I buy a hyundai again? you bet not.

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  Didnt buy a Lexus - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By Test Driver - November 24 - 2:10 pm

  Having driven the Sonata for less than a month and married with 3 kids, this car seems to deliver. Most of the cars I owned were Toyota but with the worse economy since the depression, Hyundai is right for our budget. I would suggest to visually check every nook and cranny before signing. this car is roomy and interior design is up to par, the dash board placement of gauges and knobs are intuitive. Great gas mileage. No buyers remorse yet, update you all next year.

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  Great, till the clutch went - 2004 Hyundai Tiburon
  By mel - November 24 - 6:46 am

  i bought the car brand new at 19 yrs old..a lil too expensive for what you get i thought...the car has a very sporty style to it with a lot of sleak features as well

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  great commuter car - 2004 Hyundai Accent
  By TTV - November 23 - 7:02 pm

  I bought my 2004 Accent (2 dr/manual) in August at a dealer in CA as an advertised special for $6880. After adding in $1500 for dealer installed AC plus tax, license, and fees, the total came out to $9200. You get a lot of car for this price. Runs great (13,000 miles in 6 months without any problems). Average 35-40 MPG depending on traffic and speed. Did research before deciding to go with Hyundai instead of a Civic or Echo. Hyundai has really improved in quality and reliability over the last few years and I am happy with my purchase. Will definitely consider Hyundai for next purchase. Hope this is useful for others.

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  Not happy with service and Hyundai - 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Susan - November 23 - 10:00 am

  I bought this car and am not happy with the car primarily bc. Hyundai refuses to address my problems with the Air Conditioner. It has a vinegar like smell and the several dealerships refuse to admit that there is a problem. I have owned several Hondas and foreign cars and never before have I met a manufacturer that wont admit to a manufacturing defect. Hyundai has an attitude of superiority starting from the sales department and heading down to the service arena. They dont know how to take care of their customers and treat them with respect and dignity; instead they make you feel as though you are imagining the problem. I will never buy another Hyundai due to lack of integrity!