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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  wow..fun to drive - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By easygoing_f - July 6 - 10:00 am

  this has been the best car i have ever owned..from nissan pathfinder to blazer to chev camaro...this is a fun car...smooth good cornering..and fantastic sound system...great mileage..and fantastic room in hatchback.

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  im lovin my sonata - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By linda s. - July 6 - 10:00 am

  after having different cars this is the one for me. it not only has class and is truley affordable but it rides like a dream.. you would think your in a quite luxury car no noise at all..its affordable classy (my own little jag) and i just cant say enough good things about it.. except try it you*ll love it.. i sure do and now my two daughters bought new ones too.. !! im lovin it.

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  MY NEW SONATA - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By BJGUSSIN - July 6 - 10:00 am

  IN TWO MONTHS AND 3600 MILES I HAVE EXPERIENCED TOTAL COMFORT, AND 33 MILES TO THE GALLON, ON THE HIGHWAY. THE INTERIOR IS SIMPLE AND CONVENIENT TO REACH. THE CLOTH SEATS ARE A PLUS IN THE DESERT I LIVE IN, STANDARD.

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  Excellent - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By buddy - July 5 - 11:23 am

  This is the best car I have ever had. I also have the hyundai sonata.

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  Great Car for the Value - 2006 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Ron - July 4 - 9:53 pm

  Im very happy with my purchase. Im not really a "car" guy, I see it mostly as transportation nothing else. When I saw this car I loved the look immediatly and the GT Limited leater interior is great looking. Performance wise its all I could want and need. Gas mileage isnt as good as many smaller cars but I knew that going in. Friends will always tell you its a nice car, but strangers come up to me commenting on what a great looking car it is and I can see it gets a lot of attention when Im going down the road. Great color (electric red) with a great design makes this car look at feel as good as the mor expensive sports cars. I love it.

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  Just like riding in a boad - 2013 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid
  By elias7 - July 4 - 6:38 pm

  Bought brand new 2013 sonata hybrid ltd and been driving it for 18 months. Drove many different brands in the past, (BMW, Mercedes, Honda, Toyota, GM, Nissan, Ford). This car has very poor driving dynamics, it rocks back and forth, nose dives too much on road imperfections and during braking. Gas pedal is very irresponsive, almost dangerous when youre trying to clear an intersection at orange lights. Braking is too harsh when you first touch the pedal then fades to very poor when pressed hard. Panoramic room creaks, even after 3 attempts from dealer to fix. Seats are very uncomfortable on trips longer than 2 hours. needs alignment every 20k. Not that good on gas. car makes you dizzy.

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  New Owner! - 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Amanda - July 4 - 10:26 am

  Ive wanted a Santa Fe since they debuted. Im a previous Hyundai owner & adore the warrenty. I never had a problem that wasnt covered by the bumper-to-bumper warranty & when it expired, the cost was pretty minimal for the add. 15k miles that I drove it. I did my research & waited until my finances allowed for a new car payment. I did all of my price negotiating via email with three different dealers. This is difficult, but Im email savvy & was persistent/firm (but courteous) with the sales people. Using the quotes (everything in writing), I was able to negotiate $3000 below invoice. Do your research, get everything in writing, be firm & know what you want to spend (down & monthly).

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  Work that warranty - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Disgruntled - July 4 - 10:00 am

  I have had nothing but trouble with my new Santa Fe. Oil leak at rear engine seal. Vibrations and wheel shaking above 60 mph. Poor voltage regualtion under load. High pitched whining noise between 40-45 mph. 4 trips to the dealer with less than 5K miles. Going to test the Lemon Law in my state.

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  GT-Moonroof w/ ABS - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By JoeBeana - July 4 - 10:00 am

  Car rides really smooth, handles sharp, and comes with every option you could possibly want, plus looks better than any other car in its price range. If you compare this car to any other one in its class, it will win by a landslide, no contest.

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  Love it - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By DustinD - July 4 - 10:00 am

  I test drove this car for about 100 miles (I know the salesperson) and it was great, the Toyota Corolla seat comfort sucked, and the leather in this thing was a little sticky, but other than that, it was great, I live in Sacramento and the A/C kept me nice and cool (so much for my current camry, new a/c system and STILL warm) Im buying this car in November 2002, I fell in love with it. I love the Saab rear end look and the purple gauges.