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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  Pretty, but needs refinement - 2017 Hyundai Sonata
  By Leslie M. - September 30 - 4:02 am

  Nice interior/exterior, but at the cost of acceleration, road noise. Very stiff steering. Coming from a smooth-as-butter Lexus, there is no comparision.

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  What a great car! - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By jrseattle - September 26 - 10:00 am

  I bought this car based on the attractive price and the many positive consumer reviews and I have not been disappointed. The car drives like a dream, has not given me any trouble and is a joy, to look at, to sit in. The hatchback feature with flat rear seats is very practical and the leather seats still smell good. Initial acceleration is great but midrange performance definitely could be improved but hey, its not a Porsche (I used to drive one). Fuel economy around town is no better than 24 mpg but jumps to 35 going 75 on the freeway (I love the little computer showing this). The doors dont quite close a easily as Id like when the weather is warm.

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  Santa Fe - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Robert Satler - September 26 - 10:00 am

  Very good value, solid chassis.

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  comfort and accelleration - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By 4lifR8R - September 26 - 10:00 am

  I was very impressed by this vehicle for the short time I was able to drive it. The comfort and space is awesome. At first glance it looks tiny but it is only an illusion. The space and comfort rival those german high dollar vehicles and the performance is just as awesome. The accelleration is the best of all. I zipped around the Los Angeles area as if I were in an indy car. Hats off to Hyundai.

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  2004 hyundai Sante Fe paint problems - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By lorie920 - September 23 - 11:04 am

  I bought it new in 2004. It has plenty of room for passengers and plenty of cargo room. The car has great power on take off. The biggest issue I have is they use bad paint. These hyundais are peeling and fading. This in itself is why I wont buy the new 2013 Hyundai Sante Fe.

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  Dont buy it, its not worth it!! - 2001 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Stupid Car - September 21 - 11:03 am

  This being my first car was nice when I got it. There were a couple things wrong but nothing big. After I had it for 3 months it needed new tires, new headlights and new taillights. It had about 40,000 miles on it when I got it and it now has 90,000 in the time that I have had it I put around $3,000 into it. Now it needs new belts, a new transmission, a new motor for the window because it never goes up once you get it down all the way. Once you start the car it doesnt stop squeaking. I have kept up with all of the usual maintenance and gotten tune ups when needed but it still runs like crap. The tilt steering wheel takes a lot of pressure to get it to move.

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  bought santa fe lx and sonata lx - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By ronzx - September 21 - 2:00 am

  I bought a 03 santa fe lx, which turned into my wifes car.A year later I bought a sonata lx.They both have the same engine,I thought I would get a lot better gas milege with the sonata ,but its only like 19 city to 25 highway,average I get about 21.Santa fe is 18-22 average about 19.Thats the only thing I dislike.My friend bought an impala ,which is bigger,heavier more horsepower and gets a lot better milege.What I paid for both makes up for gas milege.

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  Tiburon GT - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Arion - September 20 - 5:10 am

  The car is a surpirse and a blessing from Hyundai after the last Tiburon. The previous model was ugly, underpowered and worthless.

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  Glad I bought it - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By Rilo - September 18 - 2:00 am

  Great car for a great price! I wanted a work/commuter car thats comfortable and gets decent gas mileage without shelling out a lot of money. Elantra GLS is all that and more. Smooth ride, nice engine and smooth shifting automatic, decent handling, spacious, average 28 to 29 mpg. Leather, sunroof, aluminum wheels, front/side air bags, heated mirrors! And the bonus is the GT hatchback stands out in the crowd. I wonder why anyone would pay $2000 - $3000 more for a corolla/civic. Its giving my 92 Protege LX a run for my best buy ever.

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  All about the Warranty, Extend to 100K - 1999 Hyundai Elantra
  By YippySkippy - September 17 - 2:00 am

  It is all about the Warranty, Extend to 100K miles, Hyundai has probably put $5,000 in warranty work in our vehicle. It is now at 95,000 and running just fine. Power windows break all the time and some serious transmission and engine problems happened. Thank goodness for the warranty. I paid for the car brand new and have paid for oil changes and the 30K, 60K and 90K services and the car keeps running. There is an inconvenience cost associated with a Hyundai trying to claim on all the problems. So without the warranty, the vehicle is a big risk.