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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  Comfort & Intelligent Interior - 2008 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Country Girl - May 25 - 10:50 pm

  Quality interior & creature comforts sold me on this as well as a solid ride, not jittery like the Honda. Very well thought out! Front seat folds flat, several plugs for accessories such as dvd player, plenty of cubby holes, 6 cup holders, storage nets on back of both front seats. 4 adjustments for driver seat-very comfortable for a bad back. Great ride & handles nicely with tight turning radius. High quality materials. Very quiet & little windnoise. Very deceiving on power, feels like it is slower than it really is, power is adequate, about the same as a Ford Ranger & does great on the hills with it smooth shifting tranny. Can manual shift. Excellent mileage, 27 mpg in town.

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  Driving is believing - 2006 Hyundai Elantra
  By javax - May 24 - 9:20 pm

  I test drove Honda Civic and Nissan Sentra. And also looked at Toyota Corolla and 2 other domestic cars. Among those cars, Hyundai Elantra came up on top. It runs much quieter than other cars in its class and has more safety features for the prices. It also comes with a traction control system. I had a Honda Accord V6 EX before this one and I like Hyundai better than Accord. Although it lacks the horsepower like Honda Accord, for its lighter curb weight, it accelerates as fast as Accord. I hesitated to buy it in the beginning but I am so glad that I bought this quality car.

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  04 Santa Fe review - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Cyril - May 23 - 8:26 pm

  The most practical vehicle I ever owned. The first vehicle I had that didnt burn any oil. The 3.5L engine performance is great. Rides like a luxury car. Problems so far have been minor. Has lots of neat storage compartments. A nerds dream.

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  What A Vaule - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By ZeusCharles - May 23 - 5:50 pm

  Big car size. Comfortable Ride. Appealing Interior. Decent 4 cyclinder performance. Attractive Dash. Huge trunk. No matter how I worked the numbers I could not justify a Malibu, Accord, or Camry. At least it is assembled in America with 50% U.S. parts. Yes depreciation is tougher, but 60,000 bumper to bumper warranty and $3000 less all up front more than makes up for it since I drive cars to over 100,000.

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  my car - 2005 Hyundai Tiburon
  By J. Presley - May 23 - 12:20 am

  I love driving this car - lots of fun and lots of compliements.

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  Very happy - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Jaye - May 22 - 2:00 am

  I thouroughly enjoy this SUV...it was exactly what I wanted

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  I love it! - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By shezshells - May 22 - 2:00 am

  It is very comfortable and fun to drive. My only problem with it is that it doesnt have the power, the get up and go that I wish it did. I really do love the Santa Fe though, its probably the most comfortable and fun to drive of any vehicle Ive owned.

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  Elantra full of surprises - 2008 Hyundai Elantra
  By mike - May 21 - 11:13 pm

  Transmission seems odd at first, but it learns your habits and adjusts. Got better every day for 1st week. Much smoother transitions now. Feels like Im sitting still at 70mph. first tank of gas 33mpg almost all highway. Handles very well, corners very well. Does not float like a chevy - you feel the road and get responsive handling. It even looks/feels stylish inside.

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  Nice ride, but whats with the headlights - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By dave - May 21 - 10:40 pm

  I dont know if its just us, but in 45,000 miles we have replaced (3) foglamps and (5) low beam headlamps ... what is the problem ? otherwise, i have no complaints ... but it is a problem that needs to be resolved by Hyundai

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  Great Christmas Present!! - 2006 Hyundai TUCSON
  By MLP - May 21 - 10:06 pm

  We purchased this car on Dec. 18th and have had a lot of fun with it so far. It handles beautifully and is extremely comforatble on long drives. The engine is quiet, the ride is smooth and the interior is very roomy. Incredible standard equipment and the safety specs. were a huge selling point. The price was fair and the value, for what you get, is exceptional, not to mention the amazing warranty. Some would say that Hyundai gives that warranty because they expect the car to break down BUT we think they give it to you because it WONT!! We are extremely pleased with the car overall and hope to keep it for a LONG time!!