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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  Thank you Hyundai! - 2001 Hyundai Elantra
  By johnny marshall - May 22 - 8:44 am

  My other gas guzzling vehicles sit while I drive this dependable gem everywhere. It has everything a I need, moonroof, cd, cassette, a/c, power locks, Windows & everything has worked from the beginning. Great gas mileage approx 34 hwy. My wife calls it her "little beamer". Reliability is a vast understatement. Its 7 years old and I still have 3 years left on the drivetrain warranty that I didnt have to pay extra for. What puzzles me is other auto makers claim to make better cars but charge you extra for an extended warranty. Hyundai has the guts to back up their product and I love it! They hit a grand slam!

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  Great Van - 2007 Hyundai Entourage
  By Alman - May 21 - 11:33 pm

  I am a used car dealer and just replaced my wifes Dodge Caravan with this used Entourage Limited with 13,000 miles. Lets just say that she is much happier with this than with the Dodge. Its not that I had problems with the Dodge, its just the package as a whole she likes better. With all the amenities that this van has, its perfect. Its a much better value than the Toyota or Honda. Your dollar definitely goes further.

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  Lives up to all of the hype. - 2007 Hyundai Azera
  By Happy in Arkansas - May 21 - 7:28 pm

  I have had my Limited with the Ultimate package for just over a year now. Everyone who first sees it always asks what the car is. I got tired of explaining its a Hyundai Azera, so now I just tell everyone its an Infiniti. The car has been getting better and better gas mileage as the engine ages and since I put in a K&N air filter. I get between 28 and 32 MPG running 75 to 80 MPH now, where I used to get 24 to 28 for the first 10,000 to 15,000 miles at those speeds. I love the LCD tail lights and the overall look of the vehicle.

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  Excellent Car For Price! - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Las Vegas Len - May 21 - 6:23 am

  An excellent car for the price and a very good car in its class. I now have 5500 miles on my 2006 GL (four- cylinder, four-speed) and am quite pleased. City MPG is at or above the 24 advertised, but highway MPG is above the advertised 33 at about 65 MPH on cruise. Acceleration is what one should expect for a 4.2L mill; get the V-6 if you want quicker performance. Ride is quiet and comfortable with very good road and engine noise shielding. The four- speed is smooth, and the manual override is practical, fun and effective when needed! Drivers visibility is very good to excellent, and my 6-4" frame fits ok. Adjustable-height seatbelts assure a comfortable torso fit. I like this car!

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  4.6 is very good - 2009 Hyundai Genesis
  By jeff - May 20 - 11:06 pm

  Just picked up 4.6 w/ tech pack. We were also considering BMW 550 and MB E500 and have owned two new 530s and Lexus LS. BMWs are great cars but expensive to maintain and repair out of warranty. Drove the 3.8 and was impressed w/ quality and drive. The 4.6 is the ticket though, smooth V8, powerful, great stereo. I would swear this was Lexus if this car were un- badged only because the seats feel more Lexusee than German. Hyundai, very well done!

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  Still going strong after 210,000 miles - 2000 Hyundai Elantra
  By Bought new - May 20 - 4:14 pm

  Upon deciding if I wanted a new car or not, my thought was basically this: Invest 1,200 dollars into an 8 year old car with 209,000 miles, and drive it for 2 more years, or buy a new one and have a 500 a month car payment for 3 years. I no longer drive 35,000 miles a year, so the deciding factor for me was doing a compression test on the engine. It was still well within factory specs., and it uses NO oil between oil changes. The body is still in good shape, everything still works fine. Why buy a new one? I will say I have changed the oil every 3k miles with fully synthetic oil, Slick 50 every 50,000 miles, timing belt with exterior belts every 60k, and regular tune-ups.

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  Great on Gas - 2001 Hyundai Accent
  By Laura - May 20 - 2:01 pm

  I didnt know about the belts needing to be replaced after 60,000 miles and I drove it to 85,000 before finding out the hard way. I had to put a new head gasket on, because it bent a couple of pistons. But what couldve been a $200 job, turned into $2,000 (my fault). But other than that, I have put over 100,000 miles on it (while only changing the oil every 3,000) and NOTHING has gone wrong with the engine or trans.! I especially love that it does great on gas.

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  I love my Santa Fe! - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Donna - May 20 - 11:16 am

  I purchased this vehicle brand new, and from the day I picked it up to this day, it has served me well. I recently had a 60,000 mile check-up, and although it was expensive, I had great feedback from the mechanic who did the work. I have never broken down anywhere, nor have I ever been afraid to take my car on trips. I feel safe in my car, especially being above most other vehicles. I recently replaced my brakes and tires after 60000 miles. Can you imagine that? Brakes that stop and tires that keep on running! When the day comes to retire this wonderful car, you can bet that I will turn right around and replace it with another Santa Fe. I love my Santa Fe! Donna in Sacramento

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  Great Value - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By Art S - May 20 - 7:50 am

  I needed cheap transportation but still like some comforts and the GT is a great bargain. My daughter loves to drive it when she is home and she has a new Beetle and loves it but talks about how much fun to drive the GT is. Personally I love the trip computer and that was what made the difference for me.

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  Great Hatchback - 2014 Hyundai Elantra GT
  By lorainelt - May 19 - 8:37 am

  I am leasing this car mostly because of the great deal that I got but more than likely will buy it out at the end of the lease. AWESOME gas mileage, I drive in the ECO mode all the time and consistanly get at least 36 mpg. I drive the speed limit but dont go over, so that make a big difference in the gas mileage. Also I dont rabbit start my car. The interior is roomy and very comfortable. Not a much space as my old 2005 Toyota Matrix but pretty close. LOVE the blue-tooth, I will never go without that option again. Car has plenty of speed and power, will be anxious to see how it does in the snow.