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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  2000 Sonata - 2000 Hyundai Sonata
  By dbakerskip - December 21 - 2:00 am

  Only problem is the right rear window motor has gone out a few times. Extremely reliable vehicle.

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  Underestimated at the Lights - 2005 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Bored - December 17 - 5:20 pm

  Why pay 7 or 8 grand more for less was the conclusion I came to 3 years ago when I purchased my new Tiburon. At the time I was also considering the Celica and RSX which were more pricey and were base models. My Hyundai is fully loaded and unlike the others, has leather, power sunroof, full power group, nice rims, dual exhaust and quite simply is very easy on the eyes. Since then, my gf has bought a new RSX Premium(9000 more) and I still say, my Tiburon is better. I have had zero problems and even if I did, Hyundais warranty is amazing anyways. I drive it hard and it produces great performance and handling that is out of the league of other cars in its price range. Great car!!!

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  Little Car For Little Trips - 2002 Hyundai Accent
  By amapmaker - December 17 - 2:00 am

  This car has been a good investment for our family. Needing a small car for commuting to work, yet saving pennies is a high priority. The car was priced right for our budget and we could not have gotten a better car without paying a lot more. I would not use this car for long distance driving because the seats are hard as a rock. Very basic interior even with a GL model but you pay for what you get.

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  Great vehicle - 2011 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By captk321 - December 14 - 8:15 am

  Nearing 3,000 miles and am still impressed with the Santa Fe. The V6 performs well. Mileage has been averaging 22 around town. Nice leather with the Limited pkg. Infinity sound system sounds good but nothing special. No road trip yet but am looking forward to one soon.

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  Most bang for your buck - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By Jay Balsam - December 13 - 10:00 am

  This is my second hyundai sonata, so I received the owner loyalty discount, making this this car about 5000 dollars cheaper than an accord or camry. It has a beautiful modern looking exterior and a very comfortable interior. The standard features were all I needed, and the automatic transmission has an optional manual shift which helps when getting onto the highway. If you want a solid, comfortable car for a much lower price than other midsize sedans, this is worth a look.

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  Great Commuter Car - 2004 Hyundai Accent
  By Lisa in AZ - December 13 - 2:00 am

  Got the car to use for driving to/from work (75 mi. RT)through Southeastern Arizonas bumpy and dusty roads. This is my second Hyundai Accent (the other was a 4-door). Love the value and mileage, but would never buy another 2-door. Too cramped. If I added one thing, it would be a tilt wheel. My son is 61" and can only sit in the front since the back is so cramped. Ill drive this car until my warranty is up, and will definitely buy another Hyundai. As a single mother, it gives me peace of mind knowing its under warranty should anything go wrong. Ive never had to do anything more than minor repairs, for either of my Hyundais.

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  ITS THE BODY ............. - 2004 Hyundai Accent
  By JON WARCUP - December 13 - 2:00 am

  WHAT I FEEL IS THAT YOU SHOULD OF MADE THE BODY IN A LOW PROFILE AS IN LOW AND LONG . LIKE THE 70S WERE .

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  Nice car, terrible mileage - 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By susanjb1 - December 12 - 2:12 pm

  I got this car in March 2010. It is extremely comfortable and has great standard features like heated leather seats. Looks like a much more expensive car on the inside. I have had several minor mechanical problems that needed fixing, which is annoying but not fatal. The worst thing about the car is the terrible mileage it gets. It says 20/28 - I have never even come close to 28 on the highway even with total highway driving and driving conservatively. The best you can hope for is about 18/21 and thats driving conservatively. How they got the EPA rating they have on this car is a mystery.

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  very good bang for the buck - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By joe 6 pack - December 12 - 2:10 pm

  Given the $3000 Hyundai rebate, Sonata was a deal too good to pass. You can get the same features and performance for thousands less than on a Camry or Accord.

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  After 13,000 miles - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By YPSIJO - December 11 - 10:00 am

  Pros: Nice design overall with lots of interior room. Nice hp for a 4 cyl engine with good gas mileage. Cons: Ive had to take the car in twice for hood alignment and minor detail mistakes. A lot of plastic parts are rattling and cracking inside.