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 Car for the Money - 2007 Hyundai Elantra
  By TxWmn71 - June 24 - 1:06 pm

  I thought I would be downgrading from my Santa Fe to the Elantra, but I love this car. With gas prices the way they are, I love averaging 30-32 mpg (mostly highway driving at 80mph). I even managed 42 mpg with a strong tailwind. Going from a V8 to V6 to a 4-cyl, I am impressed with its power. I could not have asked for a better price in a car that includes leather heated seats, 6 CD changer and MP3 jack. I hear the seats in the back are extremely comfortable and there is plenty of leg room. The trunk can handle a 40" diameter folding table. A less bumpy ride would be nice, but it is tolerable. It has been very reliable. I would not want to be doing my 24k miles a year in anything else.

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  Bmer on a Budget - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By Jim Meyer - June 24 - 12:13 pm

  Wow! Im in love with driving again. Such a great feel! Nav system would be nice but the portable ones are workable.

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  Love my Sonata! - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By Brent - June 24 - 8:56 am

  Outstanding performance, quick engine, comfortable ride, well-designed interior, big back seat, luxury feel to it.

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  Awesome First car!!! - 2008 Hyundai Elantra
  By Kristen - June 23 - 7:50 pm

  I just got this car two days ago. ive been searching all over for cars, and i finally settled for this one. Especially the SE you cant find it anywhere, we called every dealership to see if they had one and finnaly found one. The Elantra SE has a lot of room, and different compartments!its very comfortable. The car also picks up speed good.

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  I wish I had another one! - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By susanAT - June 22 - 10:00 am

  My husband drives it most of the time. Now I want to buy my own because I want to drive it too. That says it all. Its the best quality for the value out there.

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  What else can I say? - 2002 Hyundai XG350
  By BigBill - June 22 - 10:00 am

  Ive had the vehicle for 16 months and put 54,000 miles on it. Ive had no problems to speak of. Battery died at 15.5 months but it was covered under warrentee. Have to say I take it back to the dealer every 3,000 and did complete overhaul at 30,000. Id buy one again tomorrow and will in 20 months. Dont tell anyone so the price doesnt go up!

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  Very good, reliable, fun car - 2001 Hyundai Elantra
  By Jo Squier - June 22 - 10:00 am

  This is the second Hyundai I have owned, and the quality of this car is excellent for the price. I have had no problems with it in the two years I have owned it. The interior is nice, the leather is comfortable and easy to care for. Make sure you get the floor mats from the manufacturer though, or they wont fit.

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  little red Hyundai - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By arkmasons - June 22 - 10:00 am

  This SUV was picked out by my kids and I m glad they did. It is comfortable and roomy. So far no problems

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  2011 Sonata - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By steelersfan2 - June 21 - 11:03 am

  We love the 2011 sonata it drives like a BMW. It has plenty of power but yet the elegance of a luxury car. Everybody we know keeps asking us what kind of car we got and how we could afford something that nice they all think it is a BMW or something expensive. This is by far the nicest car we have ever owned.

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  25,000 Mile Update - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By L Hyland - June 21 - 9:28 am

  With 25,000 miles on the odo and two years of smashing potholes on the streets of Mobile, Alabama we are still impressed and satisfied with our Sonata. Only two (2) minor maintenance issues--a defective seat belt sensor and a bad tilt switch on the drivers seat, both corrected by the dealership in about 20 minutes. In June of 2008 we traveled to the Midwest getting 30.3 mpg along the coast and 28.8 mpg in the hills of east Texas. In town mileage is about 19 mpg with the V-6 but you can improve on this about 2 mpg if you manually shift and keep RPMs in the 2,000+ range. Totally satisfied. Waiting for the Sonata Hybrid !!!