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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  Great for a lil beater - 2000 Hyundai Elantra
  By NYSchenkel - February 4 - 9:00 am

  I bought this car to commute to work .. I live in upstate NY and commute to westchester, NYC and Long Island for work depending on the day. This car is great. Shifts smooth [ I got the 5spd ] I have 232,789 miles on it and it runs like it is brand new .. Everything works [ pw, pl, and mechanical ]. I would definitely recommend this car to anyone. Fun little car to drive. Although it could be easier on the eyes.

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  Practical yet Charming - 2008 Hyundai Accent
  By thesouthernaccent - February 4 - 1:03 am

  The Accent drives quite smoothly and in that way, it fits my driving style quite well. The most pressing complaint I have is its long shift time, which makes the GLS 4-speed automatic feel kind of like a manual. The suspension is loose too, which makes curves a little wobbly. However, it returns good real world MPG figures, and is very economical in other categories. Accent offers plenty of trunk room, passenger area and leg room, rear head rests, height adjustable seat belts, and many other features I probably still havent discovered. For what it is, Accent is an excellent car.

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  Best Car Purchase Yet - 2008 Hyundai Elantra
  By Andy @ Dallas - February 3 - 5:16 pm

  We purchased our little "Hunni" in December and absolutely love this car. Its quiet on the highway (very little "4-cylinder engine noise" - if youve owned a 4-cylinder you know what I mean), hugs the road, great turning radius, etc. It is the nicest "small car" weve owned or even driven to date (were well into our 40s so have been around a few blocks!). We test drove this gem and both fell in love with it.

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  Thrilled with this new car! - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Kymmee - February 3 - 11:26 am

  Ive only had this car a week, so my review at this point is limited. However, it truly is a joy to drive. Smooth, solid feeling, responsive, comfortable, FUN! I have the loaded model, and so far no complaints. Ive also had several people tell me what a great looking car it is. The quality and value for the price is amazing, and anyone shopping around should definitely go try this car before they decide!

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  Hyundai - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By Marc - February 3 - 8:13 am

  I like the car a lot. I really enjoy driving it

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  AWESOME CAR!!! - 2001 Hyundai Sonata
  By Michelle R. - February 2 - 4:59 pm

  I really love this car. My Fiancee bought me the car as a present to replace my old Nissan Altima. It has plenty of room for our kids. Is great on mileage and the sun roof is a lot of fun on sunny days in Florida. I would recommend the car to anyone!

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  Good choice - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By VadimZ - February 2 - 10:00 am

  We love our Santa Fe. We owned for a year and are very happy about it. Its roomy, its stylish, its very cozy with all those pockets, cupholders and such. It works out nicely if you have a kid or two. They love it because they can actually see whats going on around. Control panel is convenient as well as the Shiftronic thing. Brakes are excellent, it handles pretty nicely.

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  A great car!!! - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Candra - February 2 - 10:00 am

  I love my Tiburon, it wasnt made for big people to sit in the back but its fun to drive and I love the exterior design!!! I have bno complaints about my car!!!

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  four and counting - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By redswd - February 2 - 5:23 am

  This is my fourth Hyundai and my third Sonata and they just keep getting better and better. the new 4 cyl. has plenty of power but does its business without harshness or excessive noise. Ride quality has improved noticeably and road and wind noise levels have improved. Havent had it long enough to log my mpg. Will come back when thats sorted out. The exterior changes this year are minimal and add only a little to the already pleasant design. This cars forte is the new interior. Beautiful, quiet, comfortable, spacious about sums it up. Kudos to whoever designs their interiors!

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  What a surprise! - 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Carol - February 2 - 3:26 am

  I live in NY. Fearing my husbands safety after 9-11, we bought this vehicle (a 2002)so he could commute the 120 miles each day to NYC. Driving the Brooklyn Queens Expressway and the Long Island Expressway everyday is test enough for any cars reliablity. With 100,007 miles (and going) we have never had one problem with this vehicle, not even a flat tire. We just change the oil every 3000 miles. It has all the extra features to keep you comfortable on a long commute. It is a great weekend get away car. You can fit most anything in the back. Its easy to park tight spaces and works well on our shopping trips in lower Manhattan. I recommend this car to everyone. I am planning to buy a new one.