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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  my review - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
  By lawrence byrne - December 20 - 6:36 am

  had 3 in the last 3 years, no major mechanical problems

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  Surprised! - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By ptspitz - December 19 - 10:00 am

  This car was purchased to replace a 2003 Honda Civic that was totaled ($13000 damage) in a 25 mph accident. I was disappointed that the Honda suffered so much damage at such a low speed when my son hit a Ford Explorer. We looked at another Civic, the Ford Focus, Mazda 3 and the Elantra. The Elantra was by far the best deal for the money. Got it for just under $14000. Its nice to drive; MUCH quieter and smoother than the Civic with more engine power. The MPG is around 25 in city commuter driving, very respectable. So far Im very pleased.

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  2003 GT Sedan (5-speed) - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By jabphd - December 19 - 10:00 am

  Positives: very peppy engine; smooth 5- speed; most passenger leg room for its class; attractive styling; fun to drive. Negatives: Flat spot at 4000rpm; noticeable body lean in tight turns; poor paint job; trunk lid rises to exact position for head-whacking of the unaware; fold-down rear seats provide only a small, semi-circular access between trunk and passenger area.

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  fun car great price - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By transformed - December 19 - 2:00 am

  the gt 5 door in my area was very difficult to find,northtown dealership found one dealership reallies cares about the customer had one small defect which they fix immediately great dealership to work with

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  Used 2003 GLS AWD 2.7L - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Sayer - December 19 - 2:00 am

  I bought the car three weeks ago. It was a lease trade-in with 16,000 miles on it and I absolutely love it. Its roomy and it went through the snow without a problem. I cannot stop telling people how great this car has been so far. My only issues: the back windshield wiper only wipes half of the window. I need to take it back to the dealer to have it fixed (under warranty), which is bothersome. Also the drivers side door lock paint is peeling in a small spot.

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  Fun Car/Reliable - 1998 Hyundai Elantra
  By vinney - December 18 - 2:00 am

  I bought this car new in 1998 and my wife loves it. She would rather keep it than give it up. This car has the 5 speed that gives it some extra pep. I enjoy driving it so I can race some of the teenagers that think there civics are fast. I usually blow there doors off and I have nothing but stock.. The only issue that I had was regular maintanance. Battery, brakes, wipers and tires.

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  Love this car. - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Demetrius Smith - December 16 - 10:00 am

  No mater what I gave it for marks, Ilove this car. The looks are beautiful, the engine is smooth and it hauls ass for a little 6 cyl. This is my third Hyundai since 1992 and I must say that the Hyundai has come a long way in 10 years. For longs trips this car is very comfortable and unlike the Acuras I can tow things(like my motorcycle)with this car.

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  Sonata Great - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By Don Segel - December 13 - 10:00 am

  Have owned the car since February and find no faults except that the mileageI am getting is less than anticipated.

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  2009 Sonata - great car - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By Mike - December 10 - 4:26 pm

  Just got my 09 sonata. 4 cyl with popular eqip. #2. Interior is very classy, Lexus-like. Wood grain is awesome. Dealer said I got the only cocoa metallic in pa. Still on my first tank of gas. Getting 35 on highway @ 65 mph. I did little city driving, but that seems to be around 30 mpg I am a big guy and I fit comfortabally. I test drove a 09 corolla. No comparison. Toyota dealer acted as if I would be doingthem a favor buying their precious Toyota. They seemed shocked I even wanted to test drive it and could not figure out why I needed to take it on the hiway for higher speed driving. This is my 2nd Hyundai, traded a 2003 Santa Fe with 100k on it.

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  Problems - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By margie weber - December 7 - 8:53 am

  Even though my son was very good about all of its maintenance checks and oil changes, etc. Hyundai was not good about the warranty coverage and making sure that a certain problem should be taken care of immediately. Now at 53,000, the engine was shot, and it took the extended warranty company Zurich 6 weeks to have it replaced. Now I have a gas line problem which was also noted back in 2005, that was not taken care of and again I have been without my vehicle for two weeks.