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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  Simply the best! - 2005 Hyundai XG350
  By Warren Davis - March 23 - 2:00 am

  Have put on 80,000 miles cross country driving - oil changes, gas and new tires our only expense. Comfortable, fast, great handling/cornering, totally reliable. We have averaged 24 MPG (US gallons). I have been driving 45 years and owned many cars in all price ranges. This is the best. The climate control does have a mind of its own sometimes but not a major issue.

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  Economical Luxury - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By jaykay - March 22 - 8:40 pm

  Bought a 4 cylinder due to gas prices, and yet, performance certainly does not disappoint for the size of the car. Not only is it comfortable to sit in, the ride itself feels like a full-size luxury car on the road. Interior styling is great, specifically the gauges and such. Exterior styling is obviously top-notch when compared to cars of the same price range.

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  It Keeps On Surprising Me - 1998 Hyundai Sonata
  By alliknow4 - March 21 - 2:00 am

  One day some friends of of mind gave ride in this car they had rented, it was 98 Hyundai Sonata I new nothing about them, but I remember getting out of it after they had dropped me off, thinking damn that car really feels good, it good to, it was Mid Night Blue with leather seat V6 in order word Heaven. I now own that same car, I bought it from the rental company that owned it, its been over a year and as I said it just keeps on getting better. I hear the critics say it cheap, unreliable, and all of that well I dont know what they are talk about...I feel like king in such a beatiful car. Driving really is Believing!

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  Still Happy After 4+ Years - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Corey - March 20 - 10:33 am

  The 2.0L GL is my wifes daily driver for the past 4+ yrs. Other than regular maintenance, no major issues. Weve put 85,000km on the car, incl. a couple of big road trips to the east coast. Gas mileage? 20/25 city/hwy is respectable for this class. For the price? This car has turned out to be great value.

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  Hot Car Inside and Out - 2004 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Christi365 - March 19 - 2:00 am

  I love my Tibby. I have gotten so many great comments on it. I did have a lot of trouble with the power windows, but I think it had more to do with the certain dealership I had been taking it to. Overall, I love my car, especially the body style. Its so fun to drive, and I feel like a million bucks while Im in it.

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  Cheap to Buy, Expensive to Fix - 1997 Hyundai Elantra
  By autumn - March 18 - 2:00 am

  Car is comfortable and responsive, rides well, and looks good, but when it got to 70K it seemed to start falling apart piece by piece. Trans was replaced at 8,000 miles, then rebuilt at 83K. New battery: 68K. Starter replaced at 70K. Door handle replaced at 75K. Put on new tires after old ones wore out after 30,000 miles, new ignition cylinder at 85K. Speedometer cable and assembly now need replacing, too. Also, the trim surrounding the rear window is starting to fall off. I have been very diligent about maintaining this car as required, yet it still seems to need excessive repairs. I should have bought the manual trans version.

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  Frustrated - 2008 Hyundai Sonata
  By Ann - March 13 - 9:33 pm

  The car has a drone around 38-43 mph. It is very annoying since most of my driving seems to be near that speed. A friends 07 impressed me. I was told there were no changes to the 08. NOT TRUE- he didnt have this problem. I was told it is a torque converter clutch chuggle (what?) and it would need a software change to fix it. I called corporate in Oct. and still no promised call back. The heat/AC mode is dangerous since you have to keep looking down to see what mode its in.

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  great car! - 2010 Hyundai Elantra Touring
  By Les - March 12 - 3:00 pm

  This is a fun car to drive. Lots of pickup, great maneuverability. We have a 2004 Santa Fe that has 120,000 miles and still runs great. Our Elantra Touring actually has a bit more interior room than the Santa Fe. Suspension is a bit stiff. Good gas mileage 26 mpg. Sound system is great.

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  Great little car! - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By stl21boi - March 12 - 10:00 am

  I wasnt sure I wanted to buy a Hyundai. But after having almost a year now, I love the car. Havent had a single problem with it.

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  1st new car - 2000 Hyundai Sonata
  By newmom - March 12 - 2:00 am

  When we bought this car we wanted something more roomy than a compact yet still somewhat economical. We were impressed with the ride, handling and especially the warranty. The only regret (besides buying new) was selecting the 4cyl, 5 spd combo. While the manual is fun to drive, it gets old in town. The car has pep for a 4 cyl, but not quite enough to gamble with. The combination of the two proved almost deadly on one occasion. My advice to anybody buying a new Sonata, Get exactly what you want first time around because youll lose tons of money trying to trade it in. Maybe someday Hyundai will have a better trade in value. Its a good car to KEEP.