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:

• 

  Great Vehicle*** Few Small Issues - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Honi - January 1 - 6:53 pm

  I am very happy with my 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe Limited. I do wish I had waited until it had been out longer so I could have gotten the included XM radio and so my husband could have gotten automatic map lights (the lack of which drives him crazy; me, not so much). I have noticed that the wind noise is greatly increased since my test drive, otherwise the ride is great. Also, the leather seats are too hard for most people. My hubby hates them and even my 11-year-old little sister commented on them as soon as she got in the vehicle. However, when you drive the vehicle everyday, the seats are fine. Just depends on what youre used to.

• 

  This is not a good stepdown for a SUV - 2009 Hyundai Elantra Touring
  By SUV step down? - December 30 - 7:16 pm

  This is not a step down vehicle from a SUV or minivan as i was told and as i reviewed for several reasons. Do not get me wrong It is a good vehicle but it is not a step down vehicle as there are several flaws for it to be that. See below. also the hatch area is flimsy at best and do suggest getting a heavy floor mat as a jug of milk that hit the side actually dented the built in felt mat. Towing capacity is less then smaller cars I was looking at and so is usable space. No roof rack or attachments to put your own.all in all dont get a touring get the base model pick your own trim level. Get to another vehicle if you need any storage space over what a trunk will hold. This is disappointment.

• 

  GPS 2005 era - 2009 Hyundai Genesis
  By Ken - December 29 - 5:13 am

  I have owned this Car for about 2 weeks and what a pleasure to drive. This Car I like very much but have only driven it 600 miles. It seems to equal everything my BMW 540i did. My first tank of gas averaged 27.4 mpg now that I like. Of course its not a V-8 but we have to give a little somewhere.

• 

  Great until you break - 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By thrddgreeburns - December 28 - 8:06 pm

  The Santa Fe is a woderful vehicle until you want to break; mainly when its raining, snowing or youre going down a hill. It keeps on going when you want to stop. Im surprised I havent gotten into an accident yet (knock on wood). When I told the mechanic at Sussman, he said that it was a safety feature and I shouldnt worry about it. How can I not worry about potentially running into another car is beyond me. Other than that, the SUV rides really well. I was skeptical because of their rep. in the past but theyve made a believer out of me. Hyundai is a good vehicle thats great on gas. Thanks for listening.

• 

  A good value - 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Uncle Gonzo - December 27 - 1:46 pm

  We looked pretty closely at 2 other vehicles in this class before buying the Santa Fe. The Subaru Forester didnt offer a V6 and was not as visually appealing. Still with just a 4 cylinder and the options we wanted, it was about $2000 more than the Santa Fe. We liked how the Toyota Rav4 looks, and liked how the V6 handled. But to get the same options as our SE Santa Fe, we would have had to get a Limited Rav4. That was almost $6000 more. Since this was tied with the Rav4 for consumer satisfaction in Consumer Reports, it seemed a no brainer to get this.

• 

  Fun to Drive - 2003 Hyundai XG350
  By John Rivkees - December 23 - 2:00 am

  I travel around 2000 miles per month. The XG350L is comfortable and a well handling car on the open road or the highway. This car gets lots of attention from owners of the name brand mid-size car.

• 

  Tiburon Exceeded Expectations - 2008 Hyundai Tiburon
  By David Westwood - December 19 - 2:30 pm

  From the moment I test drove this vehicle, I was pleasantly surprised with how sporty and fun it is to drive. It has plenty of pep in the motor and the handling is nimble enough to qualify as a legitimate sport coupe. For the price and performance, I think the Tiburon is a diamond in the rough.

• 

  Hyuandai Sonata - 2003 Hyundai Sonata
  By Roslyn - December 17 - 10:00 am

  I love the standard features that are included with purchase.

• 

  hyundia sante fe,new york - 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By harley - December 14 - 6:20 am

  I bought the car/truck in nov 09 since the Ive drove 20k miles. I really like the overall drive and layout of the Santa Fe. The seats are a little stiff and if you drive with the rear Windows partially down they howl and vibrate a lot. The 08 dont have the ipod connection that I miss. Ive had a clunk in the front end going over bumps. I took it to dealer and was told it was a bushing problem. The didnt seem to have a fix for it. While annoying its not so much that I wouldnt buy another on but hope they fix the problem. Fuel mileage adv 22.5 mpg for me.

• 

  road living - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By yoda45 - December 13 - 8:20 pm

  Love the long warranty! i am meticulous about maintanence because i must drive so much. with michelin and bridgestone tires excelent in bad driving conditions and roo for the long trips eaternoh to central missouri. little glitches is check engine lite for vacuum mostly and emission control stuff and small creatures like to chew wiring but service dept has been great.