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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  Unsatisfied - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By Unsatisfied - January 7 - 3:06 pm

  I keep up with my cars maintenance as I should yet I have had multiple problems and my car is only at 60,000 miles. At 30 my power steering pump blew. At 40 my driver door sensor broke. At 50 my radiator and my thermostat blew literally. Despite the readings of my coolant level. It was perfect and all of a sudden smoke was coming from my hood. I do admit that the handling is good yet I had a Toyota and didnt have my first problem until I was at 120,000. Plus the problems I have had are pretty irregular, my mechanics at the dealership even were to admit. Plus Hyundai put a lock on the oil filter so that only they are able to change your oil filter. They say its to protect me but we know why.

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  Great car for those on a budget - 2008 Hyundai Elantra
  By Anthony - January 7 - 2:18 pm

  I was looking for a car to drive back and forth to school going to college and all. I was really satisfied with the interior design of the Elantra, except for some of the cheap plastics. The car is a nice smooth ride, and is reliable, but it gets boring driving it after a while and it could use a little more power.

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  Good Value - 2001 Hyundai Elantra
  By laura - January 7 - 12:17 pm

  I purchased my 01 Elantra in early 2002. To date, Ive had no significant repairs, and have sunk very little money into the car. Its not the fastest, greenest, most luxurious, or best performing car on the block. But it is very reliable, and has just enough comfort, safety, mpg, and performance to make it passable. If youre looking for a great value, and reliability in a commuter car, this is it. Nothing fancy, but it does the job, without time in the shop. ( Which can be a huge deal if your husband needs to borrow your car all the time because his Saab is in the shop every week!)

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  Best car ever - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By Angry Bald Man - January 6 - 3:17 pm

  Bought this as my first brand new vehicle, had plenty of used ones. This car was the bargain of the century. I got the loaded GT hatch in black and the ONLY complaint I have is that the paint wasnt the absolute best, but I never has any rust or paint loss. With plenty of pep I could pass at 60MPH with the AC on no problem. Tons and Tons of cargo space with the seats folded flat. I drove this car freaking everywhere in every climate at every altitude this country has to offer and had zero problems with performance or build quality. Anyone complaining about this vehicle either bought it used from someone who didnt care for it, or bought it high mileage. BEST.CAR.EVER.

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  Everyone needs a Hyundai - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Kendra - January 6 - 4:53 am

  I am a college student and my Hyundai is good on fuel and the price is not so bad. I can have a comfortable and nice SUV and still have a little money left for tuition.

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  Honda who? - 2016 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Titan415@hotmail.com - January 5 - 7:16 pm

  My wife had her 2007 Honda CR-V for almost 10 years and 140,000 miles and loved it. It never gave us a day of trouble--not one--and she didnt even mind that it was loud and rough and crude. Based on this, I assumed that when it was time to upgrade, shed go with the car she felt comfortable with. Nope. She drove a new 2016 CR-V and was pretty surprised that it hadnt evolved at all. In a field of competitors, Honda had done nearly nothing to improve on a car that has fallen further and further behind. Im shocked that it remains a top pick for small SUVs. I chose a few cars for her to sample. She really liked the Subaru Outback and the Hyundai Santa Fe, but then she drove this and fell in love. Its got a taut but smooth ride, a comfortable and quiet ride, great safety features, easy-to-use technology, and its kind of gorgeous. Theres a LOT here to love. My only complaint (it doesnt bother her at all) is that transmission everyone is talking about. By all accounts the problem is much worse on the base model, but even here on the top-line Limited its odd. The transmission doesnt know what to do in certain circumstances, and feels unsettled until it gets it legs under it. It does concern me, but the 100k warranty soothes my brow a bit. All in all, its a pretty great if imperfect car, and I was unable to find a better value anywhere.

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  Whats not to love... - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By Ken - January 5 - 1:03 pm

  Spent 3 weeks reading reviews and shopping before I decided this was the right car for our needs. Were both tall (Im 64"), and this car had plenty of room, all the right options and the price was certainly more attractive than the Avalon Limited wed previously decided on. Ok, so theres no NAV, and no ventilated seats. Ive lived without them, and they arent worth the extra $10K Toyota wanted to include them.

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  Love It!!!!! - 2001 Hyundai Sonata
  By Cmt4lif02 - January 5 - 11:30 am

  Ive had my car for a year now and it has been the best thing ever. It has gotten me back and forward to school, and the gas mileage is good. The car also has great handling and control. Ive had minimal problems with the car. It holds up well when something is wrong though. I would suggest this car for any young driver.

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  Looking good reliable Luxury Sedan - 2004 Hyundai XG350
  By JB Kang - January 5 - 10:00 am

  Quite engine Lots of toys = comfortable Best Warranty Plan

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  Sonata over Prius - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Doc5thMech - January 5 - 1:03 am

  The Hyundai dealer in my area is staffed by knowledgeable sales people. Customer service is friendly, prompt and consumer oriented, complete with a fleet of loaners. They separate issues from people and are thus able to give exemplary service while correcting problems. Ive not had a major problem yet (one week). I also test-drove the Prius, and it is NOT made for Chicago (the wind drives the car more than the steering wheel!)