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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  The little Jag - 2003 Hyundai Sonata
  By lkletter - November 3 - 10:00 am

  I have not had my car for very long, but it is definately a great car for the money. I only keep cars for as long as the warranty, so hopefully with a great 5 year 60000 warranty I will keep this car for a while. A bit disappointed in the gas mileage it gets. Everyone says it looks like a Jaguar. At least it does not cost like one.

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  liquid force - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By tloftus - November 3 - 10:00 am

  i fell in love with my car! But it has turned into the biggest lemon EVER everything goes wrong with it, and i havent even had it a year it is fun to drive and attracts a lot of attention but i havent had it a week without it breaking down! i was promised a loaner car for covered repairs and never get one! the dealership treats me as if i am doing something wrong! i wouldnt recommend this car, unless its just to look at!

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  A Great Car - 2004 Hyundai XG350
  By Gkelt - November 3 - 10:00 am

  This is my first foreign car and I am very impressed. This car has so many extra features that you would expect in much more expensive cars. It rides and drives great.

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  Fuel-efficient and Nicely designed - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By Paul Arrow - November 3 - 2:43 am

  Very good. Almost same quality as Honda Civic but lower price. Happy to have bought this car

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  sonata gl 2.4 automatic - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By steve copland - November 3 - 12:20 am

  we traded our honda civic in and for the money we found the sonata could not be beat you get such a strong warranty; plus the added convenience of a 5 year unlimited milage roadside asst. 5 year 60k bumper to bumper, 10 year, 100k.great ride ,plenty of power great safety features all for under 20k. what a deal!!!!!!!!!!

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  Great economy car - 2004 Hyundai Accent
  By Stew - November 2 - 4:30 pm

  I bought my 04 Accent because I needed a very fuel efficient car. I bought it with 55K miles on it and have had very little problems with it, I replaced the timing belt myself at 60K miles per the maintenance schedule, the upstream O2 sensor went bad so I replaced that myself, and have been doing regular oil/filter changes. The airbag light did go on, took it to the dealer for a diagnostic but havent had it repaired yet. Its a 5-speed and I average between 42 and 43 MPG with 75% freeway driving. I bought this car because I needed a fuel efficient commuter car to rack up a bunch of miles and its fit the bill very well.

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  Never buy someone elses problems - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By gshokesr - November 2 - 2:22 pm

  Bought this car used when it had 66,532 miles on it. It now has 69,880 miles on it I cannot drive it due to a cracked high pressure power steering hose that can only be purchashed as a dealer part. Cost of hose is excessive (I priced them so far at 189.00 to 205.00 dollars) while at the mechanics that the car dealership I purchased the car at told me to take it they found 5 other things wrong with the evap system when they did a computer diagnostic (the check engine light came on just before the power steering hose blew) just 3 weeks before these problems occured I had to replace both headlamp bulbs just 3 days apart at a cost of $36.89. Overall I am very unhappy with this car so far.

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  Look no more! Here it is! - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By Denise - November 2 - 6:20 am

  Never owned or even considered buying a Hyundai, now Im hooked! 3 mos later and 1500 mi, still love it! Considered the Accord Coupe, Mazda 6 (No Match!) Getting 33 MPG mixed driving. Peppy for a 4 cyl! Roomy interior. At 510", I can drive comfortably w/ a 510" person behind me. All control knobs are firm, easy to read & well positioned for the driver. Windows slightly tinted so interior looks darker on black seats. Have had people circle parking lots just to see it. Unmatched looks and value!

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  Its been a ride! - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By kdavis77 - November 2 - 5:50 am

  I have enjoyed every one of the 127000 miles I have driven in my Santa Fe. It is spacious and comfortable. The car has worn extremely well. The only problems I have encountered are: watch the alignment - especially the rear wheels. Heavy loads may cause them to go out and you can ruin your tires. The cruise control works great, but when you go up a hill at high speeds, it may kick out. This is where the shiftronic transmission comes in handy! Only one major repair - (power steering hose blew). Still getting close to 27mpg on the highway and 19 in the city. We plan on keeping this car until it dies .

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  Hyundai Convert - 2008 Hyundai Sonata
  By Corey Glass - November 2 - 4:14 am

  For many years I wouldnt consider purchasing a Hyundai because they were Korean with no reputation other than lacking style quality and absolutely no resale value. In the last couple years Hyundai was finding its way onto top 10 lists. The Sonata is a pleasure to drive, quiet, safe and very attractive.