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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  Best Economy Car Ever! - 2007 Hyundai Elantra
  By techguy378 - May 19 - 3:32 am

  I bought my 2007 Hyundai Elantra to replace my 1997 Chevy Malibu LS car. My Elantras engine actually has more power than the 3.1 liter V6 engine in the Chevy Malibu regardless if Im doing city driving or highway driving. The 2007 Elantra has virtually no engine noise and absolutely no road or wind noise whatsoever even when traveling at highway speeds. The headrests on the front seats can be adjusted to provide neck support just like the 2008 Nissan Versas chair height front seats do. The horn sounds like one from a large semi truck. The trunk space is massive. I havent had the vehicle long enough to test reliability.

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  Overall very satisfied - 2013 Hyundai Elantra GT
  By docthor - May 18 - 10:31 pm

  Purchased vehicle almost 6 weeks ago, and have already put just over 6K miles on it (purchased in Florida and driven to California) Automatic with Style Package. It is being used as daily driver to work, about 42 miles each way, mostly highway, some city. Incredibly happy with vehicle. It handles great, the styling is modern, sporty and attractive. The interior looks and feels like inside a much pricier car. I am 63 ft and I have no issues with head/legroom up front or in the back, although my head is close to ceiling interior because of sunroof. It is not superfast, but has enough power for anything you may encounter in day to day driving. Suspension feels firm but not too hard.

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  Definitly worth the money - 2007 Hyundai Tiburon
  By truckinnines - May 18 - 11:00 am

  Ive owned the car for over 7 months now and barely have a complaint about it. Fuel economy is great for the V6 power. I get 26 mpg city and almost 30 highway. 6 speed is tons of fun, zippy but could use more power. Interior is very sexy(2 tone leather) and i cant get enough compliments about it. It definitely needs a remote truck release but thats just about it. You would not be disappointed going with this car, I will own this until the tires fall off.

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  Awesome! - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By wei - May 18 - 12:58 am

  I brought this used car as my first car in US. It drives very great even it have 83000 miles on it. Never have any problem.

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  I [heart] my Hyundai! - 2000 Hyundai Elantra
  By Petrina - May 17 - 6:14 pm

  This is the second Hyundai Ive owned (first was an Excel). Bought it used 6 years ago and havent had a major issue, just routine maintenance. The one thing that I would note with Hyundais is that some minor issues do crop up-- like, the drivers side power window is out of alignment, the lid to the storage compartment b/w the seats broke off, the front passenger door is a little tough to open no matter how much its lubricated. Like I said, all MINOR issues. Its a VERY reliable vehicle and I would DEFINITELY buy an Elantra again.

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  Great Value - 2015 Hyundai Sonata
  By TBM - May 17 - 12:49 pm

  These cars are a great option at their curent price range

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  4 GINGER - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By G1NGER757 - May 17 - 10:00 am

  GREAT RIDE! I LOVE THE WAY IT HANDLES AND THE BODY STYLE IS AWESOME. ITS AN EYE CATCHER.

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  A Mirror of the Past - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Donna Castellanos - May 17 - 10:00 am

  The first thing that appealed to me was it reminded me of the 1986, 300 Z I once owned. Then, after I drove it time stopped. It drives like a dream, slipping in and out of traffic and giving me the power I need. No longer do I feel I need to buy a $30,000 car to be satisfied. The dealership I bought it from is great and all the employees are very helpful. And you cant beat the warranty! When I first got the car, not a week went by when I would be stopped and asked, "What kind of car is that"? People would pull up beside me and just stare! Even my 20 year old son thinks it looks cool. Love the car and would not hesitate purchasing another one in the future.

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  Santa Fe - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Lauren309830983098 - May 17 - 10:00 am

  Its an excellent car! I recommend it to anyone!

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  Excellent Vehicle - 2010 Hyundai Veracruz
  By George H. Budnik - May 16 - 3:43 pm

  Best vehicle we have ever owned. Performance is great, styling is fabulous,features are exceptional. WE know the reliability will be excellent as we have owned Hyundais in the past as our family has also.