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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  new car 1000 miles no it - 2003 Hyundai Sonata
  By ronald1800 - September 12 - 10:00 am

  Interior noise could be a bit better. engine noise and rain water.NOT UNBEARABLE but could be a little better. BUT I must say we like the car.

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  OK Car - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By jaynow - September 12 - 10:00 am

  Nice car for the price. A little jittery at high speeds (65-80 mph). Interior cloth is nasty color. Midnight gray is ok, but a little too purple for me. Would like to sell in a few months.

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  My first Hydai - 2004 Hyundai Accent
  By Yolanda - September 11 - 2:00 am

  So far its been good

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  Love this one, but wouldnt buy another. - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By sweetjoann - September 11 - 2:00 am

  This cars pros outweight the cons, but one con is so important it cant be ignored. The hyundai sonata is a great car for people who can afford to buy it as a second car. The ride is smooth, the interior is better than average. it has a great sound system for the normal music buff,(hip-hop and hard rock folks would be dissatisfied). The gauges and knobs are in great positions to reach them without stress or confussion, the trunk space is great for easy access and room to load and unload. Now the cons are sensitive body to scrathes and dents, also a loud engine, and a unstable ride up to a certain mph. But the #1 con is a very poor resale value.

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  Love my Hyundai - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By MSmith3120 - September 11 - 2:00 am

  This vehicle is so much fun to drive. It makes me feel like a professional driver.

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  102K miles and still going strong - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By luvmelmuch - September 10 - 11:45 pm

  I bought my 2011 Hyundai Sonata off the showroom floor with 3 miles on it. I travel for a living so reliability and comfort were king. In addition the gas mileage on my model is still 36 MPG. I got 60k miles on the stock tires and put the second set of shoes on and it is a lot quieter. I have had no major or minor repair issues. I keep the oil changed and tires rotated and it has been great. I hope to hit 200K with no problems.

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  Could be better - 2007 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Bill - September 10 - 10:26 am

  We generally like the car. It has been reliable and the gas mileage not bad - around 30 mpg on a trip. The 4 cylinder is underpowered but adequate for around town and long trips providing you dont live in the mountains.

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  COOL RIDE I would recommend it - 2001 Hyundai Elantra
  By korrosive - September 8 - 2:00 am

  I bought my GT with 30k miles on it amidst frowns from my friends. It has been an awesome ride and I have taken 500mile trips a couple of times with no problems. My RR wheel hub assembly has been replaced twice in this year under warranty, my manifold was replaced during my timing belt replacement. My headlamps go out every 3 months, whenever I go through a car wash water seeps in the rear seats right above the trunk. I have a very aggressive driving habit, but the car just compels me to drive faster and harder because it handles extremely great.

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  Santa Fe - 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By mary - September 5 - 4:20 pm

  Great vehicle; was not sure about a compact SUV after two Durangos but this has met and exceeded my expectations. The reclining back seats and cargo areas are great ideas and convenient.

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  My Butt Hurts - 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe
  By bgenesis - September 5 - 9:54 am

  Comfort is lacking. This is my only main complaint. I had to keep changing my butt cheeks after 4hrs. Horrible side support are like rocks.Gas mileage is next. The best I could do was 28 full highway. When a V6 Accord or Camry can provide better performance in a straight line and achieve above 32 mpgs.....hmmmm. Not a very efficient motor from the Mitsu Evo group. Should have bought a v6 accord coupe. Thought it was quick until a Mini Cooper S was coming up on me at full throttle. Now it is just a daily commuting vehicle.