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:

• 

  Bling bling w/out the sting - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By Bryan James - May 29 - 2:00 am

  I traded in my 01 Elantra for the 04 Sonata in search of more power,a better ride & a nicer look. I got all for far less than I could have buying new from the competition. My LX feels luxurious, looks expensive & offers good performance. I know there are other vehicles out there that offer more horses, or tighter handling or better amenities, but few have all of these & none can beat the price & industry leading waranty.

• 

  Not Impressed! - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By jime - May 29 - 2:00 am

  My significant other bought this vehicle. I can not drive it! The steering is stiff and hard to handle... seems like it has no power steering... I need that. I get back aches from the seats... seems like there is no lateral support for my back and bottom, as I slide side to side in the seats, and my back side is not small...

• 

  Pleasantly surprised - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By Tim - May 28 - 9:46 pm

  I test drove several competing vehicles before driving the Azera that I soon owned. The Azera has a great safety package, exceptional creature comforts, better handling than the Camry, excellent acceleration for those short freeway entrances, and is very quiet at posted highway speeds (and above). This roomy car was a great find and a pleasant surprise. I think the SE is a great value, especially with the 100,000 mile warranty! Put this one on your test drive list before you buy a Honda or a Toyota.

• 

  Very Dependable Vehicle - 2000 Hyundai Sonata
  By dependable vehicle - May 28 - 6:58 pm

  Ive had this vehicle for approximately 9 years and it has been a good value for the money. Ive never had any problems with it and will definitely buy another one when the time comes. The only drawback that I can think of is the manual shift, 4 cylinder doesnt have much power. Other than that, I love the car.

• 

  A Great Deal - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Gabby123 - May 28 - 10:00 am

  I bought this vehicle by researching it on the internet. I didnt know a Hyundai from a Yugo. After comparing every small to midsized SUV on the market I surmised that this one presented the best value. It has performed flawlessly. People come up to me all the time in parking lots and whatnot and ask me what kind of vehicle it is. It looks like a Lexus SUV, but 15 grand less.

• 

  1+ Year Report - 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By RBENTRIDER - May 28 - 10:00 am

  Bought the Santa Fe about 15 months ago for my wife. We considered just about everything including the Lexus RX300 and decided this was the best value. So far we havent been disappointed. In 18,000 miles there has been only one mechanical failure and that was a crankshaft sensor. Two weeks later Hyundai issued a recall on crankshft sensors so it must be a common problem.

• 

  In love with the shark - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Snidely - May 28 - 10:00 am

  I know the "professionals" dont like this car. But, Ive owned everything from Z cars to Porsches and Im telling you that for the money it doesnt get any better than this.

• 

  It was too good to be true! - 2002 Hyundai Accent
  By will buy again - May 28 - 10:00 am

  We enjoyed every mile we spent on the road with this small car. We are a family of four, and our 5ft. 7in. tall teenagers were very confortable on the back seat. We travelled 200 miles every winter week-end to our country home and to ski areas. Highway, icy winding mountain roads, bumpy dirt roads, it handled everything nicely. No windnoise or rattles, even at high speeds. Althought the trunk is on the small side, it took all of our gear with no problems. Unfortunately, it was stolen from our driveway a few weeks ago. We really miss it...

• 

  Couldnt believe it was a Hyundai - 2005 Hyundai XG350
  By Jan - May 28 - 2:50 am

  The first time I saw this car I remember thinking, Wow, nice looking car. So I checked into it and was surprised to learn it was a Hyundai. I test drove it and fell in love with it! One month later, I owned it! (I had to get past the Hyundai name first.) It handles so nice and is very comfortable. My clients make comments like; Is it a Lincoln? Feels like we are sitting in a BMW? This is a Hyundai?. It has only been in for maintenance, besides that no problems!

• 

  Ok car, but not a Toyota - 2004 Hyundai XG350
  By Freeagent35 - May 28 - 1:33 am

  I have now owned this vehicle for about 14 months. Overall, I am satisfied that I got what I paid for (having bought it used in good condition, cheap). It recently started running very rough. I went to dealership and they said plug wires rotted after 4 years is "common" for Hyundai. Hyundai calls this "wear and tear" and will not warranty. I had heard weak reviews on their actual execution on their so- called "Americas Best Warranty" and I now have first hand knowledge. If you can buy it cheap, and in good shape, not a bad ride. But I will not buy a new Hyundai as their warranty promises clearly are not kept, in my opinion and experience. Back to Toyota I go.