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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  New hyundai 3500 miles - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Rustic - May 27 - 6:00 pm

  Love it. The only problem I have is not getting the fuel economy I thought I would. Get 22 pretty consistently. Wanted 25 or more for highway. other than that, its been great for as little as Ive had it.

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  Genesis Coupe 6 spd Experience - 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe
  By Bob Cataldo - May 27 - 12:46 pm

  I have had my Genesis now for a little over a month. Bottom line is that it has a great sports car feel at a price of a "regular" car. I have owned Hondas and BMWs for years. Nothing drives like a BMW but very expensive when the warranty expires. Hondas are rock solid but a bit pricey. I compared the Genesis and Civic SI. Hyundai was unknown to me as I have never owned but the extra warranty (5yr,50K) and Assurance program really made me give it a shot. I am glad I did as I really enjoy driving the car. So far so good as the quality seems outstanding and nothing, even minor, to report. Time will tell. Good job Hyundai...the Coupe is great value & performance in one beautiful package!

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  Do NOT buy or patronize this Product - 2007 Hyundai Entourage
  By Shana - May 27 - 12:22 pm

  Its not good to say that I was cheap because I just happen to get my moneys worth paying less which is 10,000 to 15,000 dollars compared to Toyota Sienna or Honda Odyssey. We bought and wasted 31,000 dollars for this PIECE OF JUNK. After sales service is WORST. They always advertise how great their warranty is, but, its just an advertisement. Auto sliding doors are always jammed. Instrumentation panel is not reliable. Cruise control does not work properly. Sharp edge on the steering wheel.

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  Darn Good Car - 2008 Hyundai Sonata
  By John - May 26 - 10:15 am

  I bought my Sonata after renting a few on business trips and was very impressed with the car. The 6 has all kinds of get up and go and smooth... This car is very quiet at 70 mph and fairly nimble when doing evasive maneuvers. A lot of bang for the buck and even better reliability. Mine nw has 32000 miles at 15 months of age and has never been in the shop for repairs. I think it blows away the competition as far as price performance and comfort. Yeah, Id buy another one.

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  Tiburon WOW - 2005 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Tiburon - May 26 - 4:23 am

  Excellant quality and design. Fun to drive. Lots of standard features.

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  My Last Hyundai - 2011 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By fernellav - May 25 - 8:17 am

  Bought a 2011 on 01/15/2011 started experiencing transmission prob late 2011, Jan 2012 vehicle no longer wants to go into park or reverse need to turn off and turn on. only driver and 8000 miles. Customer service is non-existent everyone bouncing me around cannot provide me with a loaner to get around my sales rep tells me he is no mechanic the dealer where bought sends me to another dealer really? I traded it and got me an escape trust this works better at least I know their customer service is way better having had a ford before

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  Very good economic little car - 2002 Hyundai Accent
  By talisyn - May 24 - 11:10 am

  I bought this car used in Jan of 05 with 36,000 miles on it.I put an average of 20,000 miles on this car every year.I have very few problems with this car.Its low on fuel usage averaging 28-30 mpg(I dont know if this reflects "in town" driving as my day begins and ends with a 15 mile commute each day),and up to 38 mpg on a roadtrip with all the right conditions.Problems Ive had in the last 4 years:replaced the tires twice, warped rotors, burns oil and the guard underneath the car tore loose after rubbing up on too many curbs- the car has fairly low clearance (Ha, and bad judgement on my part!)Overall,this car has been a value beyond words!Too bad it is overly cramped with my family of 4!

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  Still loving my Azera - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By spel - May 24 - 10:46 am

  We have our Azera ltd for 2 months now and still get a thrill everytime we open the door and get in. The ride is so smooth, I worry I could fall asleep behind the wheel! We see so few on the road that when we do see one, it does not register immediately that the beautiful car in the next lane is the same one we are driving! Dont understand why Hyundai is not promoting it much. The only complaint we have is that the gas mileage is not great. But then again our last car, the Infiniti G35, was pretty poor on gas also. We have yet to take it on an extended trip where we can really get an accurate gas mileage measurement.

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  Nice Car for the Money! - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By Jack Simmon - May 24 - 2:00 am

  Great car was surprised how cheap it is and also the Dealer was able to better the offer very pleased.

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  One word - Awesome! - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By electriceye - May 24 - 1:53 am

  Traded in our 2004 Hyundai Sonata straight up for this 2006 SEV6. Have owned for just over 2 years now. The dealer replaced oil injector (pre- luber) and right front strut at 2 years.(Warranty, baby) Other than that, no other problems,period. May trade in for a 2009 if they can pry me away from this one. ) Biggest complaint is the road noise when driving on concrete surfaced roads, pavement isnt to bad. The stock 17" Michelin tires wear out quickly...will not buy those as replacements.