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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  Comfort & Reliability - 2001 Hyundai Elantra
  By Downy0622 - June 11 - 10:00 am

  This car was my life saver. I had previously owned klunker after klunker and finally decided to buy a newer car. The warranty was what primarily drew my attention. 100,000 miles or 5 years on a slightly used 2001 Hyundai Elantra. The car looked gorgeous and had plenty of room for a compact car. I drive long distance all the time and was happy to finally have a reliable car. No more braking down and having to call AAA. The car runs beautifully. And because I drive long distance, Ive had time to experience the comfort and roominess of the interior. Just recline the seat and relax. I love my Elantra!

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  2003 Hyundai Tiburon GT V6 - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Mike_man44 - June 11 - 10:00 am

  Great Car in a great package. I bought at 181bhp for 18grand customized to 245bhp for only 6 grand more. Best car i have drove in at least 10 years.

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  Nice - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By PB - June 11 - 10:00 am

  This is my second Elantra, I had a 1999 model, I am very please with the car, I would recommend to anyone. It is a very nice car, I feel this maker would eventually capture the US market based on warranty and quality.

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  Well worth it - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By dgh - June 11 - 10:00 am

  This car was a second car for our family (two kids 1&3) Wife has a MPV Van (hate it) and I replaced my 300ZX Conv. as my main car. Everyone fits well in this car--for a small car lots of room, car seats--toys and the trunk holds must haves on a weekend trip. I drive the car 40 miles a day to work and have had no problems. I enjoy this car...and dont get killed when I make a payment.

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  Why buy Honda or Toyota? - 2008 Hyundai Sonata
  By Mark C. - June 10 - 10:49 pm

  Short and simple... This car is outstanding. I may not have scored it very high in comparison to other reviews, but Im rating it on a scale in comparison to other cars Ive owned. I have highly recommended this car to others! I purchased it new for 6k less than a 4 cylinder accord ex-l. It is quieter than our acura tl and rides much more comfortable - especially on long trips. No rattles or issues whatsoever. The 4 cylinder is fairly slow but I bought it for the gas mileage. I can get right at 30 mpg if I keep it under 70 mph. I drive mostly interstate commute. (I check it at the pump and not just by the computer.)

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  2006 Hyundai Sonata LX Review - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By VVI - June 10 - 4:51 pm

  This car is truly remarkable. All I have been doing is regular oil changes and the Hyundai recommended services and this car has ran awesome. No problems whatsoever. Knock on wood! I guess, I m now a loyal Hyundai owner and would probably not think about switching to other car makers. My Maintenance cost till date has been $751.18 and this includes regular car washes, oil changes and the 7.5K, 15K, 39K and 37.5K hyundai recommended maintenance. I used to own a Japanese made car as well as a German made car before. I thought the Japanese cars were maintenance effective compared to German car, but I got to admit that Hyundai beat the Japanese car I had. Good car to own and operate!

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  Engineered - Built Great / Gas Mileage Sucks - 2013 Hyundai Sonata
  By Harry Ridge - June 9 - 9:37 pm

  Love the car, however, my heavy mini-van with a V6 gets almost as much mileage. Only other complaint - I have been trying unsuccessfully to get the dealer to repair the AC.

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  After 80,000 mi. Its still like new - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By BILL IN SO. CALIF - June 9 - 5:45 pm

  I drive a lot, and at 6,4" it fits me great. I appreciate the power, standard features, and quality of the bodywork and paint. Im going to keep it until it falls apart, then get another one. After having a Toyota Avalon, and comparing both, I went with the azera. Dealer has been great.

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  Engine rebuild at 85,000 miles - 2010 Hyundai Elantra Touring
  By Matthew P. - June 9 - 4:45 pm

  Oil seal failed at the right-hand side of the engine (accessory side, not transmission side). Found the cause to be worn main bearings allowing the crankshaft to move within the engine block, which pushed the oil seal out. $3700 to have the engine removed, rebuilt and reinstalled. Though the car has been in our family since new the Title was transferred from husband to wife, then to mother so Hyundai sees it as having changed ownership 3 times and would not honor the 100,000 mile power-train warranty. **update** Since original post the engine came out again at 90,000 miles. Unable to locate a new crankshaft, the shop that rebuilt the engine performed a weld repair on the crankshaft which failed resulting in a ticking noise. The repair shop honored their warranty and repaired the engine at no charge, but we were down a car for 5 weeks. Car just passed 101,000 miles yesterday and the engine light came on. To be continued . . .

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  Bought another one! - 2000 Hyundai Accent
  By Judy - June 9 - 12:35 pm

  I bought my Accent new for a 36 mile each way commute to work outside the city and it never let me down in 5 years. When the transmission started making an odd sound at 80,000 miles, the dealer replaced it in 2 days without a quibble. I drove it in all weather conditions at freeway speeds daily. I enjoyed it so much we just bought a brand new Sonata and my husband inherited the Accent for a work car. It has over 100,000 miles and is still running fine.