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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  True Hyundai Review - 2002 Hyundai Accent
  By J - December 5 - 1:14 pm

  Purchased new and drove 90000 miles. Most of the issues occurred in ownership year 3 or 4. Exterior: perfect with the exception of peeling hubcaps and rusty wiper arms, interior the lights in the heater area would go on and off. 2 Warranty issues. Codes Check engine required sensors and through-out bearing replaced the whole transmission under warranty. Great car low cost to maintain, insure, fuel.

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  Great Car - 2006 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Bros - December 5 - 8:06 am

  I owned first generation Tiburon when it came out in 97 and I still own it. I now have the 2006 Tiburon GS model and love it even more everything about it, is great.

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  Not Happy - 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By John - December 5 - 7:26 am

  Just wanted to let anyone interested in buying a 2010 Santa Fe Limited to know the problems that we have had. The first problem was a hard shift from a slow start. The dealership tried to tell us that it was because of a new electronic transmission and that we would get used to it. Well, it became so bad and after taking it in several times they replaced the transmission. Big surprise the problem went away. Next, the A/C went out and their service department said they could find anything wrong and it miraculously started working again. The latest is the satellite radio, it has stopped working and they will now have to replace it as well. Never again will we buy a Hyundai vehicle.

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  Problems from Day ONE!! - 2007 Hyundai Accent
  By JHoffman3746 - December 4 - 4:48 pm

  I bought this car for the gas mileage. About a week after I bought it, I noticed the Tach doesnt work when its cold. The dealership cannot find anything wrong with the tach. About a year after I had it the AIR BAG light came on, and I had the module replaced, now I have around 23000 miles on it, and the battery is shot. Gas mileage right now is around 23MPGs. When the brake fluid is cold, dont touch the brakes. They get really touchy, and can cause whiplash!! It is sluggish going up hills of any size or when more than one person is in the car. I would recommend to everyone not to buy this vehicle!! As soon as I can get rid of it, I am!

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  Awesome SUV - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Philippe - December 4 - 1:20 am

  I had the Tucson 4WD V6 for about a month now. It is currently the best value for an SUV. I tested the ESP system in the snow and its almost impossible to make the vehicle slide or to lose control. The V6 offers a good amount of power but a little more would be nice. The back seats are very roomy. Im 61 and I can sit there without any problem. Engines around 2800 RPM at 100 km/h (62 mph) so its very quiet. SportShift works really well and its a nice feature, I cant live without it now ! Radio can play MP3 ! More powerful and quieter than RAV4 and CR-V. Cheaper than Ford Escape for a lot more features. Thats a deal !

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  my first new car.....for a long time!! - 2008 Hyundai Accent
  By Beth Ann - December 3 - 10:30 am

  I looked around for a car for almost 6months then I found my Accent! The price the payments and the insurance all fit perfect! Im 20, live on my own and work full time and go to school! So money is tight but I never stop moving. I needed something cheaper, dependable, and good on gas. My little car is perfect! I can park anywhere and I love my XM. Oh and I had it out in the country for the first time the other day and it handle the gravel roads and bumps great.

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  tiburons - 2000 Hyundai Tiburon
  By caleb m - December 3 - 2:00 am

  Overall i like the car. I like the bubble look on the outside. The headlights need replaced all the time, the battery had to be replaced at 30k, and the transmission had to be replaced at 55k.

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  I AM AMAZED!! - 2004 Hyundai XG350
  By KEN J - December 3 - 2:00 am

  WHAT A BEAUTIFUL AND AMAZING CAR..I HAVE THE LOADED BLACK L CLASS..NO ONE BELIEVES ITS A KOREAN HYUNDAI!!..I WOULD HAVE ENJOYED A MORE "PLUSH" DRIVERS SEAT AND A COMPASS..ALSO--IT SHOULD HAVE A WARNING BELL WHEN THE PARKING BRAKE IS ENGAGED!!..THE CAR IS AN "AUTO SECRET" THAT SOON---EVERYONE WILL KNOW ABOUT!!...A VERY FINE AUTO!!..I FINALLY RECIEVED A SMALL 2ND MANUEL EXPALINING HOW TO USE SOME OF THE COMPLICATED FEATURES!!...ALMOST THERE!!..BUT GREAT!!

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  Erics review of 2004 Hyundai Elantra GT - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By Eric Schmidling - December 3 - 2:00 am

  Handles very well, very responsive to drivers commands. Decent gas mileage. Awesome sticker price after rebates. Only 140 hp, but because the car is so light, it accelerates quickly. Very comfortable interior with perforated leather being standard. Lots of goodies installed. Fun to drive!

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  Luxury look - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By Jag wanna be - December 3 - 2:00 am

  Im very happy with my car choice. The Sonata looks good, drives well, has plenty of basic features, more pick up an go for a 4cyl than I thought and great rain run off on the large, great designed trunk!