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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  Clutch problems - 2004 Hyundai Tiburon
  By JEER - April 13 - 2:00 am

  I bought a Tib 2003 on Nov 30th 2002, (sunroof, abs, v6, 5 speed, 18250 on the road) I have the hell of the time with the car, until I started to have problems with the clutch after only 8000 miles. I took it three times to dealer to get it fix, finally they replaced the whole part, but it was too late for me. I trade it on Dec 2003.

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  My first Hyundai - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By Merb - April 12 - 2:00 am

  I have owned Hondas and Toyotas and never thought I would ever own a Hyundai (remember the Pony). But the quality is every bit as good. It will soon be 3 years old with very little in repairs required. Gas mileage is OK for a car with 140 HP, I get 40 Hwy and 30 City. It has a lot of extra features for the money.

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  I should have kept my Lada - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By Inolikeit - April 11 - 10:00 am

  Lots of useless bells & whistles. If you wear fake Rolex youll probably love a Hyundai. Scheduled maintenance expensive. MPG no better than my 20 y.o. VW. Couldnt get a comfortable seat position. No comfortable place for arm rests. Shoulder belt uncomfortable. Steering wheel only adjusts up and down not tilt. AC takes a long time to cool the car. Lots of road noise. I like my old car better. Great car when compared to a Yugo.

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  Cabin Noise - 2017 Hyundai Elantra
  By Jaspinder - April 11 - 8:59 am

  While driving on freeway, too much noise inside car for new vehicle.

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  comfort & safety - 2016 Hyundai Azera
  By Bernard Wohl - April 10 - 9:08 pm

  The car is comfortable, very roomy. The technology & electronic features are over whelming..Not easy to set up.

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  Very good starter car - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By crazyutty - April 9 - 10:00 am

  Ive had this car for more than a year now and Ive had NO problems with it! Its slower with the pickup than Im used to, but it keeps up with traffic pretty well! Its got awesome handling and has saved me from quite a few accidents (DC traffic can be lethal!) The ABS brakes have also come in handy a couple times in the rain and snow! I dont think the stereo is as amazing as people say it is, but for a factory system, its not bad!

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  Not happy - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Someone123 - April 9 - 10:00 am

  I have had a very bad experience. I have owned my vehicle for not even 2 months and it has been in the shop twice. Ive had parts go bad already and warning lights have come on. Personally, I will not buy a this make and model again.

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  Good-looking, comfy road car - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By Dian Norby - April 3 - 2:44 pm

  Other than a bit too much road noise, doors that are heavy and seem hard to keep open to exit, this has been a great road car: very dependable, comfortable on long trips, holds LOTS of luggage (I moved my elderly mother from her home in the country to an apartment in town and couldnt believe how much I could get in this car with the seat backs down in back), good speakers, handy front-seat storage, and enough power to go over the mountains, yet maintain a decent mileage.

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  SE model has European feel - 2011 Hyundai Elantra Touring
  By obx2003 - April 3 - 3:30 am

  I bought this car when it was 33 months old with 31K miles from a Honda dealer. After a year I can say Im quite happy with the car. Sporty handling and a decent combo of power and economy. Im a DIYer so I was happy to see oil & filter changes are a breeze. Engine uses no oil between oil changes. The hatchback practicality is great. A golf club bag fits neatly across the back. I had narrowed my decision down to this car or a Toyota Matrix. Im happy with my selection. I average over 30 mpg in mixed driving and about 34 highway mpg

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  First Impressions - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Dexi - April 1 - 1:53 pm

  We bought our new Tucson about a month ago. The performance of this car is about average. It seems that something is holding it back, the ride is not smooth at all. Engine noise is prohibitive, maybe its just our car but at slow speed engine is whinning (reminds me of famous German planes Stuka during WWII). Gas mileage is awful barely 20 mpg mostly hihgway. This is 2.0L engine for Gods sake!; my 15 year old Chevy was doing 24-25. Gas pedal is in wierd position for me, get tired very easily during long drives. Leg space for passenger is OK. Overall, this is "you get what you paid for vehicle". For the money (we paid 16,250 before tax) its OK buy, dont expect great things out of it.