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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  Love This Car - 2009 Hyundai Accent
  By David - May 22 - 8:02 am

  Great car for your dollars! Not only does it look good but it is fun and easy to drive. Has most everything youll need and the automatic transmission is a nice change from having to shift in traffic. Corners easily, good performance all the way around. Plenty of room front and back. Controls easy to reach and operate. I cannot find anything that I dont like about this vehicle! I compared two other vehicles in the same class and in the end the Accent won out. The GS 2 door hatch back with the auto trans/ac package is a great buy. Compare it and youll see! Had a very minor issue with a rattle, and the dealer took care of it quickly.

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  Safety first - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By JASmith - May 22 - 6:13 am

  Bought it for the safety features, especially ESC. Limited was the first one to the dealership, so I bought it. Love the luxury features. Did not get 3rd row seats, did not want them. Extra storage is important. Gas mileage is not great yet, hope it will improve with miles run.

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  Compares well to two Maximas - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Fasteddie - May 22 - 3:53 am

  At 30K mi in 3 years, I have absolutely no complaints. The power/smoothness/quiet/comfortable ride & build quality have made the V6 Sonata a pleasure to own. The only repair so far has been the drivers sun visor, which was replaced under warranty, and Hyundai has a redesign that corrected the flaw. Hyundais 60K mi bumper to bumper warranty is much better than the competitions. The engine burns zero oil, and holds 6 quarts. I get 27-28 MPG hwy consistently, & 22.1 MPG on my 20 mi commute to work. My car is loaded, and a comparably equipped Camry would have cost me $36K. Mine was delivered for $19.2K. How can you beat the value? Id buy another Sonata in a heart beat!

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  incredible value; better than a minivan - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Happy Tucson Owner - May 22 - 2:00 am

  I had been driving a minivan for the last 17 years. From the first time I sat in the Tucson, I basically fell in love with it! I thought the Ford Aerostar was the best vehicle ever. However, I changed my mind within the first week of owning and driving the Tucson! Everything about it is just right. Not too big, not too small. Very comfortable. I also like all the safety features and the terrific warranty you get with the vehicle! Im hooked and look forward to many years of fun driving!!

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  A great buy in many ways - 2008 Hyundai Elantra
  By Leonard - May 22 - 1:26 am

  Hyundai was first on my list and this purchase did not disappoint. The features of this car surpass its cost. Highway MPG has been a consistent 35. Interior is so roomy and trunk space is surprisingly roomy as well. XM radio and MP3 ability means I can listen to old time radio programs whenever I wish. The ride is very comfortable and quiet. Handling is smooth and responsive. The car has a nice pickup for a 4 cylinder vehicle and the controls are well thought out and easy to reach. All in all, a great car that is a pleasure to own and drive. My family has driven it and all agree it is a wonderful car.

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  My Hburg Tucson - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Mike Z - May 21 - 10:23 pm

  We spent apporximately 2 month researching the purchase of a small SUV and everything kept pointing to the Hyundai Tucson. Purchase was based on price, appearance, and most of all safety. We compared this to the Subaru, Ford Escape, Mercury Mariner and several other types and ended up purchasing the Tucson, GLS V6 4X4. We love our Tucson and the way it handles and the comfort.

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  everything is great except mpg - 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By joemoose - May 21 - 8:10 pm

  engine is very quiet...cabin is also extremely quiet...handles great...windows and doors close nice and tight...plenty of leg room and 2nd row seat backs recline for added comfort...sound system more than adequate...so far my only complaint is city mpg, about 11 mpg,I can only hope this improves with initial break in period...I haven;t been on a road trip yet to see an overall average

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  Turned It In - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By jenks - May 19 - 10:17 pm

  Ive never owned a car before that needed so many visits to the shop for things that shouldnt be going wrong. Ive had to replace the tires and rims at least 3 times because the rims arent sturdy enough to handle New England pot holes. Its been for parts falling out of the dashboard numerous times, the dashboard itself has been replaced, the recall on the passenger seat airbag, cracking in leather (dashboard again), issue with key ignition sticking when you start it. I think this car was built during a non pay week, just before a scheduled vacation!! Now the Santa fe we bought at the same time... the exact opposite, it has so far been a joy to own!

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  10 - 2009 Hyundai Accent
  By tonda - May 19 - 7:28 pm

  I was looking for a another good car I had a Hyundai before and I loved it so I went back for another and iam glad I did the hatchback is wonderful and I love the way it drives it handles very good. It has a lot of room the truck space and inside is big. I am very pleased with my car.

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  Love this car! - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By Mel - May 19 - 1:19 pm

  I bought this car used in 2005 with only 13000 miles on it. Now in 2009 with over 100K miles it still drives almost like new! I had to replace the brakes once... but thats it. I live in New England and this car has made it up hills in a foot of snow that Ive seen honda CRVs struggling in. This car was an awesome investment and I am most definitely going to be getting another elantra when I get a new car and Im secretly jealous of whoever gets my old used one!