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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  "Well Sorted" Red SE 5 speed - 2010 Hyundai Elantra Touring
  By Fred - February 10 - 5:13 am

  A really fine car - great driving dynamics. Superior design, finish, and assembly using average materials to control cost. Very obviously well engineered - check the engine well layout. Zero rattles/extraneous noise in my car. Comments on issues others have mentioned: "dead steering" - not really, just sort of a "notch" at top dead center which helps give this car great tracking at speed on the highway - on 2 lane twisties, not an issue rough ride: firm suspension, beefy roll bars, and 45 profile tires do not give you a Bentley - get the GLS or get the SE and replace the 17" rims with 16" or 15" (I am considering this - but the cornering sure is fun as is) ugly: no - just restrained..

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  Too early to tell - 2004 Hyundai Tiburon
  By jonruiz330 - February 10 - 1:40 am

  I just bought my Tibby about a month and a half ago. It really is a nice car. The one and only problem Im having with it is shifting. One day it shifts like it were brand new and then another day I have to force the shifting. It seems to fix itself but I know one day ill have to drop the big bucks. Other then that, if your 6ft+ expect to roll into the car. I love the design, inside and out. Its not as fast as I thought it would be but from 60-100 mph is fine by me. If youre looking to buy, test drive it and make should to test all gears. If gear shifting is hard, I wouldnt rick it. Overall though, Im happy with my choice (so far).

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  throttle and tranny problems - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By Ned - February 8 - 10:16 pm

  I have 30,000mi. Since about 5,000mi. the transmission sometimes kicks down two gears when lightly applying the brakes. results in a startling heavy thump & deceleration. the throttle has stuck open both on the open highway and in town resulting in scary moments. Had to throw it in neutral and shut the key off then turn the key back on without using the starter, throw it back into drive . engine started back up like nothing ever happened. Doesnt happen often but when it does WOW! dealership has no clue to the cause. said no one else has reported that problem. Wish it had outside temp info. other then this, what a great car ! handles like a sports car, gets 31mpg in cruise from a V6 250 hp

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  A Bit of a Rough Ride - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By Frank - February 6 - 9:16 pm

  Bought it last month ... put 1500 miles on it with two out of state trips + local driving. MPG=20/30 ... I traded up from a 2000 Elanta ... the bored out 2.0 engine is needed for this car because its 550lbs more than the Elantra. Thats only .1L more on each cylinder to give it 2.4L. It works as a wanabe 6cyl. I like the car even though it rides a bit stiff and takes the bumps & cracks a bit rough ... accentuates the pot holes ... OUCH!... needs a bit softer suspension ... I had the Michaelin tires on the Elantra also ... they stunk & wore out in less than a year ... maybe changing them would also help the ride! Would have been nice if they threw in some rear splash shields. Great Deal !

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  OK, but - 2006 Hyundai TUCSON
  By tyron - February 6 - 7:43 pm

  the SUV does not even get close to the est. milage. It would be better if they changed the gear ratios or make it a 4 speed trans. Other then that it is fun to drive. I had a 4cyl. and traded up to the 6 after a road trip. The 4 gets better milage but does not go up hill and was very loud when going 65mph. I purchased because of safety features and the warrenty. My other Suv was 2 years old,

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  A Great Value - 2004 Hyundai XG350
  By socalguy1 - February 6 - 5:56 pm

  Did not know about this car before going to the dealer. Was impressed with interior comfort, decent power in V-6, long list of included options on L model (leather, etc.) and most of all - the value. Got this great car for almost $7k below sticker with the mnfr rebate. To get the same options on a Honda or Nissan youll have to pay around $7k more than what we paid. Its not sexy, but its a great car and if you can get past the Hyundai stigma youll feel the same way.

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  Nice car - 2003 Hyundai XG350
  By Chazz - February 3 - 2:00 am

  Nice look inside and out with quality finish. Has good safety features. Long list of standard features. Good performance.

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  WOW..BUT!!!! - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By njspeedo - February 3 - 2:00 am

  I FEEL THIS SHOULD BE SUV OF THE YEAR.GET ALL YOU WANT AND MORE FOR AT LEAST $10,000 LESS THAN SOME COMPETITION. THIS IS ONE OF THE FEW CARS NOW THAT ARE IN DEMAND. WHY NOT WITH ALL YOU GET. BUT IM AVERAGING LESS THAN 17MPG AVERAGE??????( ANY OTHERS HAVING THIS PROBLEM?)

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  Great van - 2007 Hyundai Entourage
  By Glenn R. Gish - February 1 - 5:40 pm

  Few problems. Brake light staying on and hard to turn off. Been in the shop on a recall, but problen is intermittent. Fails with me but worked OK at shop. Some engine noise, but all in all, a great Van. Should have GPS

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  first time buyer - 2005 Hyundai XG350
  By Sam - January 25 - 12:26 am

  very pleased with this vehicle,owned 1990 acura legend prior and it compares very well with this auto,but service is more economical.