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 car for the price - 2004 Hyundai XG350
  By BillK - August 30 - 2:00 am

  This is a very nice car for a great price.

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  Excellent Buy! - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By Mike K - August 30 - 2:00 am

  I love this car. It has an elegant look and great style. It runs like a top and has been very dependable so far. I like the shift-tronic feature. Great car graet price.

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  Sonata - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By hisliving - August 30 - 2:00 am

  Great bodystyle, 6 cyl moves out quite well, Everything seems tight fitting and good attention to detail. Only negatives..no cupholders for children in the rear on the std. model. TERRIBLE dealer experience-very unprofessional.

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  Realistic & previous Hyundai Owner - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Feegs - August 30 - 2:00 am

  Great Value!!! Smooth Ride!!! Limited space for Big Driver & Passenger in front due to center console which constains leg room toward console. Thats the only beef, otherwise, a fantastic, fun ride with the best warranty in the market! Im over 300 lbs and I love it!

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  fun - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By adriana - August 30 - 2:00 am

  I like it, think is a lot for that money

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  Overall good car for a small family - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
  By Joseph Teague - August 29 - 8:03 am

  We have owned Hyundias for several years and enjoy the cost free driving and the small car look. They have great room inside and trunk space. If youre looking for a low priced, good quality car with great coverage and low insurance payments this is the car for your family!

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  Improving, but needs more - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By dncb - August 28 - 6:16 pm

  While I only have 1400 miles on my 07 leather limited V6, overall it is a nice car on par with Camry & Accord but choose it because of better features for the buck than either. Minor, but nice styling changes since 06. A personal choice: I had them change out the 17" wheels for 16s for better ride with taller sidewalls since this is not a Corvette I plan to be pulling 6G corners with. The engine design is old school and the fuel mileage shows it. Hyundai needs to follow Hondas edge here in engine tech. Also, Hyundai needs to get into the hybrid market with a peppy Sonata hybrid in the 30-40 mpg range.

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  A very nice car at a fantastic price! - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By AALSHERRI - August 27 - 3:10 pm

  I tested the Toyota Yaris and the Camry before I purchased a 2007 GLS I4 Auto. The I4 is easy to maintain and service (change parts/spark plugs, etc.). It will save you money over the V6 in the long run. The I4 is powerful and economical. The engine compartment is well organized and the quality is high. Quiet at 70+mph on "a smooth" pavement. During my last trip, I got 37 MPG (over 90 miles, speed 60-65 MPH). This is great for an engine during the break-in period (70+mph expect 34+mpg. Mixed expect 30+mpg). 800+ miles with no problems or strange sounds.

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  GREAT car for the price - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Tony in Northeast PA - August 23 - 10:00 am

  Ive only owned Honda cars in the past, but I decided to take a chance on the "new and improved" Hydundai back by the great warrantly. Im glad I did. This is a great car, especially for the price. Lots of room for the family, lots of features. I had to take it back to have some chipped paint fixed and Hyundai fixed it right away for free. If the car continues to run well and the warranty is as good as it sounds, I may be a convert from Honda to Hyundai!

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  2007 Santa Fe SE AWD - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Ralph - August 23 - 4:30 am

  So far so good. Compared to Rav-4, but felt the Santa Fe had better ride and more room for less money. Own a CR-V, but dont like the new styling of the CR-V. Hope the reliability is good, but the quality of construction seems excellent and the ride/handling are very good.