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 so satisfied customer - 2002 Hyundai Sonata
  By Nevets - July 5 - 2:00 am

  Ive had two problems already with my Sonata. The first was the engine seized upon acceleration as I was leaving work. They claimed it was due to engine cylinders breaking up - they found some parts in the oil pan. Now I have a problem with the computer it seems. The engine wont cruise with or without cruise control - the RPMs go up and down, acceleration is shotty on automatic (little better when I use the shift-tronic).

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  Santa Fe regrets... - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By garbal - July 1 - 9:50 am

  Until recently I loved the Santa Fe, great gas mileage, great looking, good performance... until last year... things started failing, the axles broke... yes broke, within the axle boot, something let go, vehicle wouldnt move. 1 month later, the wheel bearing went, most recently the engine failed... everything within the engine, there wasnt much left of the engine, the service guy said it "grenaded". This left us stranded in the middle of nowhere without a warning. No strange noises, no tell tale warning signs of impending failure... nothing. Shut it off normally then went out to start it and nothing... this thing was seized up, the engine would not turn at all... Now it sits in the shop..

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  Almost a 10 - 2012 Hyundai Veloster
  By j_denny - June 30 - 3:44 am

  I bought the Turbo, it is quick, handles well, has all the features I was looking for and is fun to drive. The seats are comfortable, even after driving for hours. I tend to drive fast and this car still gives me good gas mileage even when exceeding the speed limit for long stretches. Ive had it to 120 a couple of times, still plenty of throttle to go. Ive had it for a few months now and have put 6,000 miles on it, The car is cold natured - it doesnt perform well until the motor is warm. And getting it into 1st gear sometimes is a battle. Shifting up or down is easy - except for 1st gear.

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  Great Value Car! - 1997 Hyundai Accent
  By nevadahorn - June 30 - 2:00 am

  Plain and Simple. This is a point A to point B car. No frills... but its reliability has been tremendous. I have put 76K miles on my Hyundai in 6 years - and I have never had one mechanical problem with the car yet (knock on wood.) While friends have struggled at times with pricier and nicer cars, my Accent just goes and goes. And when you factor in that I paid 8K for it, its been a great value.

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  Loved it, but worried now - 2000 Hyundai Elantra
  By cirrus - June 30 - 2:00 am

  This was my 1st new car. I loved it. I never had a single problem until I had the 30000 mile service done. 2 days later the transmission starting sticking in 2nd. They replaced an automatic device that had burned out, I had it back in 2 hours but it still makes a noise or hesitates about once every 3 days, and is in the shop again. Im really upset about this because I love this car, there isnt another one I want. I think the newer Elantras are ugly. Mine came w/michelin tires & they are still good at 30000 miles. This car has great pick up but mpg is average. I get lower 20s city/30 highway. I drive my moms toyota camry often & I much prefer my elantra!

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  Great car with small issues - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By pdlenter - June 29 - 5:30 pm

  Ive owned this car for about 1 1/2 years, so its a fair time to pass judgment. On the highway its a blast, and rides like a larger car. People constantly mistake it for a more expensive sports car. My complaints are with little things. One of the rear seat belts seldomly works, and the passenger side window generally works only after you bang the side of the door with your hand. The paint job is mediocre at best. I didnt notice how bad it was when I bought the car because it was raining at the time. I would probably buy another Hyundai, because the alternative is a much higher priced Toyota or Honda, with possibly better quality, but far more arrogant dealerships.

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  Great car for the $ - 2002 Hyundai Sonata
  By curtinator - June 29 - 2:00 am

  I have had only minor problems with the vehicle. Power antenna sticks. Cd Player problems. Once I approached 30,000 miles, engine squeks.The transmission has a had time finding the right gear.

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  Great for the price! - 2004 Hyundai XG350
  By xg350l - June 28 - 6:16 pm

  I bought this car 1- year ago, still no problems , Big car for Little price!! Brought car back for minor brake problem, rotors were out of spec, straight from the factory & tires weren`t balanced correctly also. Other than that, great car! My 3rd Hyndaui.

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  A GOOD AUTO - 2000 Hyundai Sonata
  By PP - June 28 - 2:00 am

  GOOD RELIABLE TRANSPORTATION - EASY ON GAS - HVAC FLAWLESS - LEANS A BIT ON TIGHT CURVES - STYLING IS COMMENTED ON BY STRANGERS, THIS STYLE SEEMS TO BE PREFERRED BY FRIENDS RATHER THAN THE UPDATED STYLING THAT TENDS TO BE TOO SQUARE - -

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  cant beat it for the price - 2002 Hyundai Accent
  By gnx - June 28 - 2:00 am

  i bought my accent used with 8900 miles on it,its a 2002,really like the car alot.only prob, so far was window washer failed.dealer was great in fixing the problem.would reccomend this car to anyone.