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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  brand new baby - 2016 Hyundai Accent
  By linda dixon - November 20 - 2:29 pm

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  Veracruz 2012 Limited - 2012 Hyundai Veracruz
  By wakaz - November 18 - 8:05 am

  good solid ride, nice interior, versitile, so so gas milage

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  Leather Seats - 2008 Hyundai Sonata
  By Mike - November 18 - 6:43 am

  The 2008 Hyundai Leather Seats are totally unacceptable. I owned a 2006 Sonata and the seats were perfect. My Neighbor has a 2007 Sonata and the seats are perfect. Hyundai must have lowered their quality standards: Michellin Tire are no longer Standard on the Sonata and the seats front and back have are wrinkled as much as 1/2". Why pay $1,000.00 extra for sub-quality leather seats? The local Hyundai order a new seat for me and it was worst than the original one. Is this a recall issue?????

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  New Genesis Coupe - 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe
  By Myls-O2L - November 17 - 3:40 pm

  Have only owned for a week, but what a great week. This is definitely a sexy looking Hyundai. The styling reminds me of the Porshe 944. The sheet metal Z-styling and wide rear end make a nice statement. Power is not a problem with the 3.8L V6 and it features a nice exhaust purr at start up and acceleration. For a coupe, the interior is quite comfortable (at least in the front)and well appointed at the price level. Ride comfort is what you would expect from a sports suspension and low-profile Potenza tires. The vehicle is longer than you would expect for a "Sports Coupe". Overall, if you are looking for a fun, great looking car you cant beat the 2010 Genesis Coupe. Big bang for the bucks!

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  my hyundai - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By john 2 - November 16 - 1:57 pm

  good price and very good service.

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  1-Year Eval - 2004 Hyundai Tiburon
  By aragornVA - November 14 - 10:00 am

  I love it. Just wish it had better noise suppression. Lots of road noise. Thinking now that it may be the result of a problem in the rear axle. Good fuel economy. Fantastic looks!

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  Happy with the purchase - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Jocelyn C. - November 13 - 1:23 pm

  Great ride on the bumpy roads. Performs well in the difficult weather. Very roomy in the rear. The price is right. I have a positive feeling about the purchase.

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  Throw away car - 2013 Hyundai Sonata
  By Dean Hinderliter - November 12 - 5:44 am

  You had better like Sonata because once you buy it the only place that will talk trade is Hyundai They seem to have no resell value at all Really wish I would have went for a Toyota Daughter in-law has one seem to me to be a more and better quality car. We have 25,000 mile on the car and it jut doe not really get me excited just transportation is all it is

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  Pleasantly Surprised! - 2000 Hyundai Elantra
  By tony p - November 8 - 12:30 pm

  When I was shopping for a car I was looking for a 2nd hand beater. Something simple to get me back & forth to work. I wanted something inexpensive and after much looking I found the Elantra at a local stealership. Wow! Where do I begin? Dollar for dollar you cannot beat what this lil car has to offer. First of all these cars only come in one trim that means you get EVERYTHING! Power windows, locks, AC, am/fm radio, etc... Even the powerplant is not dissapointing. The 2.0L DOHC provides plenty of zip for this car. The fit and finish is very good. Hyundai has definitely learned from their mistakes and done a complete 180. I highly recommend this car!

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  SRS Issues Following OCS Recall Fix - 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By donmou - November 2 - 10:38 pm

  The vehicle was serviced June 2013 for the following recalls: SRS PODS and Stop Lamp Switch Replacement. After the recalibration of the SRS PODS system, the Airbag (AIR) warning lamp in the dashboard remained on. The front seat belt tensioner was replaced free of charge, but 9 months later the AIR light came on again and the entire seat needs to be replaced at a cost of $2400 plus tax and labor. I never had any problems with the SRS system until after the recallibration of the SRS PODS system. Prior to this, the transmission and Hydraulic Brake Control Unit were replaced in 2009. The noise thought to be the transmission (prob. valves) went away around 50,000 miles.