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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  It looks good... - 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe
  By DaHazard - July 19 - 6:16 pm

  I have owned my new Genesis Coupe for just over a month now, and it turns heads! My co-workers and friends all want to know what its like to drive and are thrilled by its looks. Until last night I had only good things to say about it -- Apparently there was some road debris on the highway and some of it managed to find my right rear tire. I not only suffered a flat tire, but also a punctured rim, which makes me question the quality of the rims. Even the Service manager said he had never seen that before. So 33 days, and a $750 bill later, I hope I made the right choice by buying the Genesis Coupe...

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  Opinion of 2003 xg350L Hyundai - 2004 Hyundai XG350
  By stan getz - July 18 - 2:00 am

  I purchased xg350L in 11/03 at suggestion of my son. Its a super car...with most, if not all, extras.

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  Just the car I wanted - 2015 Hyundai Elantra GT
  By thedamned475 - July 17 - 8:31 am

  I knew I wanted to buy a 5-door hatchback that could haul large field sampling gear while at the same time being quick, small, nimble and fuel-efficient. This car does all of that. Its agile, comfortable, and all-around smartly designed. I test-drove 16 different models before I settled on this car, and this was hands-down my favorite right from the get-go. I had no brand loyalty to Hyundai whatsoever, but now I think I might. Plus, I still kind of cant believe the price I paid for this car. They were giving a $3,000 rebate on the car, so I paid $2000 less for the car I liked the most than I would have paid for any other competing model. How cool is that?

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  Why the major depreciation - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By playadave - July 14 - 11:20 am

  I am extremely happy with my 06 LX Sonata except the depreciation. List on this was $23995 and now trade-in is $14900. WOW! I paid $19K but still a 21.5% in the first year. Never-the- less, plan on keeping. Ride is a little rough, performance is great, reliability is great, interior design well that has been beaten around the bush.

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  hyundai xg350l - 2003 Hyundai XG350
  By JIMC - July 14 - 10:00 am

  Very sound vehichle, good styling,good performance and handeling for every day driving. Very comfortable, quit ride.A long list of standard features normally not found on a vehicle of this price. The engine vibration could use some refinment, as well as the front suspension. Very pleased with the vehicle when considering value for the price.

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  the Accord of the new Millenium - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By dp10 - July 14 - 10:00 am

  My family bought this car this year upon my suggestion. Price, warranty, quality of the car and standard features combined to make a very compelling argument for the Sonata over the Camry, Accord, and others. JD Power rates it best in their IQS study. The Sonata is the best value in its class!

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  Good Value. Needs some tweaks. - 2010 Hyundai Veracruz
  By sagarian9 - July 11 - 7:26 am

  Good build quality. Not bad looking. Nice interior space. Great third row seat - adult size. Fuel economy OK - just as advertised. Seats are a little too firm. Blue digital display not easy to view. Smooth ride. Shifts too early in first, so no acceleration off the mark without flooring it. Tailgate release on key fob almost useless.

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  Its a excellent car - 2004 Hyundai XG350
  By Nexjake2005 - July 7 - 10:00 am

  Its been almost 3 months I had this car. I am very pleased with this car. It has a very nice handling system and interior is fantastic. The sond systems is totally awesome. My customer thinks this car should worth more than $35,000.

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  Bang for buck - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Taddar - July 6 - 2:56 am

  Overall its a great car, it has its short commings. Decent performance, supportive seats, takes regular gas, looks awesome. Handling is only so-so, big blind spots due to small rear windows, cargo area smallish. But cant beat the price and warranty you get this for. Fun to drive, but eventually it wears off. The handling just isnt there, it needs to lose a few 100 lbs. Better than a Scion tC.

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  2001 tiburon - 2001 Hyundai Tiburon
  By maria99f4 - July 5 - 5:51 am

  I bought my tiburon about 3 years ago it has yet to let me sit. however the only proublems i have had with the car is the breaks. i had to put a new master cylender new calipers all new break lines and hoses and a new break booster. other than that the car has been good to me it runs great and has 123000k miles on it. however i dont think i would see my sefl buying another one