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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  SpeedRules rates - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By SpeedRules2 - January 19 - 6:13 am

  The Elantra is a fantastic value for the money. There are other cars in this category that will do some things better. None of them offer the value or warranty that the Elantra offers. It has a spirited powertrain. The suspension could be geared more for sport and less for comfort.

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  No Hassles, Great Value, Happy Customer - 2000 Hyundai Elantra
  By djh10 - January 19 - 2:00 am

  I needed a reliable car that can haul a lot of bulky stuff. This thing is probably the best purchase decision I have ever made. This thing has been awesome. My only complaint is that the factory (Kumho)tires gave out pretty soon. I got every option possible and nothing has broken yet. (26700 mi.) Mileage has been a little disappointing in the city, but I make a lot of 0-2 mile trips with A/C on in Phoenix weather. Highway = 33-34 mpg. City 22- 24 mpg.

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  Poor Mans Porsche? - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By BlackSox - January 16 - 2:00 am

  I hate to use a cliche, but the Tiburon is really a great way to enjoy a nice sports car at a highly affordable price. There is a small exchange of comfort, but it is worth the trade for the eye-catching looks and above- average performance of the Tiburon.

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  Fun to start with, but just wait... - 1999 Hyundai Elantra
  By msmit4wm - January 15 - 2:00 am

  The cruise control was broken when I bought it. They fixed it under warranty after installing a new cruise switch and new cruise computer, after 3 trips to the dealer. List of things repaired/replaced so far (outside of normal wear and tear): front rotors resurfaced twice, replaced once, throttle position sensor, idle speed actuator motor, drivers side power window motor/track, exhaust manifold, fuel pressure regulator, both front interior door handles, rearview mirror, windshield, driver side window trim/gasket. The engine now idles so roughly that the steering wheel shakes violently...dealer claims there are no problems.

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  2004 Hyundai Santa Fe - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By ANDREW - January 12 - 3:16 pm

  My wife and I love this vehicle. Great value for the money. We got it new from factory only 6 miles on it. Great for traveling and long trips. We have auto transmission, as well as the space is great especially for a man who is bigger like me. It has some pep for a 4 cyl and gas mi is about what Id expect. It even comes with a 1st aid kit and full size spare is great. I get regular oil changes and have not had one major issue except for the common ones.. Tires, brakes etc. Would not trade my vehicle in for anything. Got extended warranty (value?) for 7/100.

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  Little Tug That Could - 1997 Hyundai Elantra
  By Kao - January 9 - 2:00 am

  Its second hand and WAS in great condition. Great value. I highly recommend Hyundais 1997+ Elantra and Tiburon- no experiences with their other cars. Even got 35mpg cruising at 75-80mph. The alignment was slightly off due to my brothers excellent driving into a truck. DEFINETLY NOT a mountain racer- sad to say, even my moms 1992 AUTOMATIC Corolla handles better overall! Ive tried emergency lane changes at 40mph. The rear kicks too hard damn physics and weight transfer! Now if the car was lowered 1.25" with stiffer springs and anti- sways, slap some 16"x7" wheels . . . Just a great car, really!

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  car - 1999 Hyundai Accent
  By klpzack - January 9 - 2:00 am

  Actually I was in an accident a few days ago and the insurance company wants to total out my car. I am having a hard time finding a good site to get an idea of a ballpark figure to accept as an offer. My car was very reliable. I had it serviced regularly. The tires are 4 months old. It was a fun little car. I have 2 small children and even being a compact, it was fairly convenient. I felt safer with the dual airbags.

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  Not a high quality car for road in Boston - 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By ambi - January 7 - 5:13 am

  I had this car from 35K mile to 65K mile. It was OK when I drove it in Texas with the smooth high ways. But it has been giving me problems since I moved to Boston. I need to replace the battery, ball joint, rear suspension, master brake cylinder. The CD player always turn it self on/off when Im driving on a bumpy road, which seems to be everywhere in Boston. I plan to sell this car now after driving in Boston for one year.

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  WHATS THAT SMELL!? - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By CARGUY - January 6 - 10:00 am

  SANTA ANA HYUNDAI: DONT GO THERE. LYING CHEATERS. THEY DONT EVEN OFFER FIRST OIL CHANGE FREE LIKE MOST OTHER DEALERS. I AM SAD ABOUT THE NEW CAR SMELL, SMELLS MORE LIKE A DEAD CAT. I CAN HARDLY WAIT FOR THE PLASTIC DOOR HANDLES TO BREAK. AND WHAT IS THAT HESITATION BETWEEN REVERSE AND DRIVE?

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  first owner - 1997 Hyundai Elantra
  By vivand - January 1 - 2:00 am

  This has been a good reliable car so far....definitely under valued in the market simply because it is new...