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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  The opposing view - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Cheryl P. - July 9 - 10:00 am

  I bought this vehicle after reviewing many and after feeling that "I would never buy one of those foreign pieces of crap!" The reviews from in-persons and through the computer have been incredible and I had to test drive for myself! I was EXTREMELY impressed with the handling, the standard features, the roominess, the looks and the warranty so much that after the test drive, I bought that "piece of crap!". Everyone that Ive taken with me to drive or ride cant rave enough about the handling and how comfortable it is.

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  Best in Price for Standard Options - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By gotmine - July 9 - 10:00 am

  Armed with an invoice and a desire to get the most for your money this is an excellent buy.

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  my santafe - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Ellen Perlson - July 9 - 10:00 am

  So far after 4000 miles in 2 months I love my santa fe. Tons of room for me my show dogs and all their gear. This is a fun car to drive.

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  What a great car at an Awesome price. - 2009 Hyundai Genesis
  By Rick S - July 8 - 11:13 pm

  I have had the car since Sept 2008. I was very apprehensive about buying a Hyundai but loved the look and styling of the car. After the test drive and reading many reviews I was convinced to take the leap. 3 months later I am still amazed and loving this car. I have owned Lexus & Cadillac but this is my favorite yet.

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  Nice car for a nice price - 2008 Hyundai Azera
  By CarFan - July 8 - 10:39 pm

  Purchased used from dealer (executive car with only 22K miles) It was extremely well taken care of and looks and drives brand new...still smells new! It now has almost 30K and Im still pleased with it plan to keep it a long time. I get lots of compliments and now that I have one Im starting to notice them on the road more. You cant beat it for the price...however the Genesis is very tempting.

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  One Beautiful Car - 2009 Hyundai Genesis
  By Canadian Car - July 6 - 8:49 pm

  I bought this vehicle in Jan after looking at Lincoln, Maxima, Chrysler 300 of which I had a 2005 and it seems a million others and this one came out on top every time. I have not had to go back to the dealer once since I have bought this car and people are always asking me about it. I have the 3.8 with the premium pkg and would not change it for any other car.

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  warranty issues - 2007 Hyundai Azera
  By Lee F - July 6 - 1:53 pm

  The 2007 Azera appears like a great buy due to the features and warranty. However, the car seems to be built with cheap questionable parts and design. Weve had trouble with door locks, airbags, and accessories. All were under warranty. Then the engineer covers under the car actually came off while we were on the highway -- huyndia is not covering it. So, buyer beware.

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  Bad Hyundai Quality - 2008 Hyundai Sonata
  By Bad Car - July 6 - 1:52 pm

  I have a 2008 Sonata, the brakes are gone after less than 18K miles of very light driving the dealer said that they are not part of the so much advertised hyundai warranty too bad they said. Hey, brakes that do not even last 18K, is this hyundais quality? It seems so I wonder what else will be braking soon. I will never, ever buy a hyundai again, and I advise against buying one. Yes, they are a little cheaper than the Japanese cars, but so much worse! My wife has a Japanese car for over 6 years, over 60K, not a single problem with it! Keep away from hyundai. And, yes, their service, at least here in Henrietta, NY is terrible.

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  too many problems - 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By mantza - July 6 - 10:00 am

  Since I purchased this car, I have had problems with the rotors and the lift gate latch. The rotors are constantly needing replacement. At first the lift gate would not open at all, and then it wouldnt lock. I wish that I hadnt been so hasty in my decision.

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  fun car - 2004 Hyundai Tiburon
  By John Ber - July 6 - 10:00 am

  Performance is fun. Love the auto trans with sport shift. styling is a knockout. Quality is a real surprise. If it lasts it will go down asa one of my best cars