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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  Not all its cracked up to be. - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By kherbert - April 27 - 12:33 pm

  I bought the Hyundai Elantra after what i thought was sufficient research. The dealer and Hyundai billed it as comparable in quality to Toyota & Honda. That is a joke. I had rust on the rear vent windows and other places pretty quick. I take pretty good care of my cars too. I dont spoil them but I dont neglect routine maintenance and cleaning. Ive had no end of issues with the headlights burning out. Ive had to replace them both 4 times now (8 new headlights) and you cant do it yourself unless youve already got the tools. Its a pain.

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  Champagne taste on a beer budget ! - 2004 Hyundai XG350
  By Joe 6 pack - April 27 - 4:23 am

  Beautiful to look at, a joy to drive. Power is adequate, ride smooth and handling very good for a mid-sized $25- $30k luxury sedan. Excellent brakes and other up to date safety features included in a long standard equipment list. It makes me smile everytime I open the door and see the interior. I keep smiling as I drive it away thinking of the superb car I got for so little money. Has the look and feel of a much more expensive car. Warranty is $1000 better than most factory warranties. The car is a good buy at a $26594 MSRP. Our new 2005 XG350L is absolutely amazing for under $19k + ttl price paid. For that kind of $, its a perfect 10! Drive and compare, youll buy too.

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  Sweet Ride - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Jason Edwards - April 26 - 12:36 pm

  I traded in my 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer OZ Rally for this car because my Lancer was very underpowered. I looked at this and said wow this is sweet!!! I love this car!!! Props to Hyundai for making such a stylish vehicle. I got nearly everything for $15039 after the trade in!

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  Three Plus Years and Counting - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By hitektex - April 24 - 1:46 pm

  Bought my Hyundai Sonata because of the price, warranty, and features. Have owned it more than three years. Dealer replaced dead windshield washer pump at three years. No major problems in three years. Would and will buy more Hyundai products. My biggest complaint is the road noise when driving on the interstate. Those ole boys (and girls) in Alabama build a GREAT car for the money!

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  Car of the year! - 2008 Hyundai Elantra
  By Anita - April 24 - 12:43 pm

  I bought this vehicle last year and due to the affordability I got the features that I wanted like a sunroof. Its great on gas getting 35MPG. I work at a Hyundai dealership and am proud to be selling such an economical vehicle.

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  2004 Hyundai Santa Fe Review - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By DG - April 24 - 12:33 am

  Very well built. Good performance from 2.7 litre V6 engine.

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  Great Vehicle - 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By PaPa Steve - April 23 - 10:43 am

  Checked out everything else prior, and I mean everything. Wife suggested Santa Fe and I reluctantly added it to the mix. (What can the Koreans possibly have to offer?) What a pleasant surprise. Fit, finish, comfort, performance, price & just plain fun to drive. Only major downside: My wife wont let me drive it, I have to take the Lexus to work!

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  Luxury at a Low Price - 2002 Hyundai XG350
  By JayMagic - April 23 - 10:00 am

  I love everything about the luxury at the low price everyone else has mentioned. I am adding this review, because after 26,000 miles, I am seeing much better gas mileage than I did when the car was new. I am getting close to 26 MPG on the highway and never under 22 in the city, even though I drive it fairly hard.

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  Good - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By perfect - April 23 - 10:00 am

  Real Good Drive, very reliable, I will continue to purchase Hyundais.

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  hyundai senatra - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By merrilie@adelphia.co - April 23 - 10:00 am

  the car,bought in sept of 2000,has been a surprise.it has been driven up to 88mph steers great,handles great at all speeds,delivers 24 mpg.believe it or not it is a marvelous car for very little. i rec.it without reservation. i loved my hyundai. my other car is a mercedes. the hyundai with greater milage has never needed a repair.the mercedes has,in less milage, needed about four repairs.is the mercedes as good as thought of? no. the hyundai is better then thought of. i do not make any money from hyundai at all. really it is just a damned good car.watch-out GM.f for 12,00