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 Value - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By westsidecouple - October 3 - 2:00 am

  Finally a small car that is a blast to drive. This car (2003 Elantra GT 5 spd) bridges the gap between $20,000 plus smal sport car and value oriented customers. We purchased the car below Edmunds TMV price. The car is loaded. We couldnt be happier. We dont feel like we had to settle to get a car in the price range we were looking for. We feel like we got a better value than we were looking for.

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  The Best - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Sue Smith - October 2 - 8:10 pm

  This auto gave on the average 23 mpg and many times 28 mpg. The comfort and, performance was great for a 6 cyl. vehicle. Will be buying another within 1-2 years!

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  Wow What a Car - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By stephr74 - October 2 - 7:50 pm

  Just bought the 2009 Hyundai Sonata 2 weeks ago after owning a 1996 Camry for 10 years. I cant say enough about this car. I recently went on a road trip and was getting 35 MPG at 80 MPH. The exterior looks like a more expensive model and the interior is nice too. Wish I had upgraded to the sunroof though.

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  People Keep Asking - 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe
  By Karen - October 2 - 1:06 pm

  People keep asking me about this car and commenting on how great it looks. I get a lot of "thumbs up" when driving down the road. I was hesitant to give up my Saab 93 convertible but am glad I picked this car when the market fell out from under Saab.

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  Love This Vehicle - 2008 Hyundai Azera
  By Gary - October 2 - 5:57 am

  Great value. Im not sure why, but I was able to buy this vehicle for about $3,000 below dealer cost. Ive never driven a new car off the lot and have the ability to go trade it in for a profit. That aside, what a find. Great power, smooth ride, awesome sound system, sunroof, navigation. My wife drives a BMW X3 and I prefer to drive this vehicle. That pretty much sums it up.

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  Really great luxury van - 2008 Hyundai Entourage
  By Stacy H - October 1 - 7:38 pm

  I purchased my Hyundai van 2 months ago and have been very happy with the way it drives. It is very comfortable inside as well. I love the automatic side doors and the automatic back hatch door. It has a very smooth ride and great pick-up-and-go. But, the gas mileage is terrible. I expected to get at least 15mpg as advertised, but I only get at best 12.5mpg around town. Apparently that is what most owners are learning. Overall I am extremely satisfied with the Entourage. I hope Hyundai is able to improve the gas mileage in the future.

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  Problem-free at 100k - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By Ian - October 1 - 12:54 pm

  Purchased for $6900 with 35k miles on it. Good condition. Manual. Handled well, peppy for an economy car. I have only had the following problems: A leaking radiator hose Suspension squeaks and creaks I get regular oil changes, replaced the timing belt at 90k miles and had it tuned up, and have replaced the tires once. Very low maintenance costs overall. At this point, the performance is suffering a little (diminished torque at high rpms), but Ive driven this car hard for about 70k miles now. Still extremely reliable, and I wouldnt think twice about driving it cross country. I had a 99 Elantra before, and my friend is still driving it in San Diego at over 160k miles.

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  Camry Killer This Car Stops - 2010 Hyundai Sonata
  By roadturtle - September 30 - 3:16 am

  I drove the Toyotas Camry. However it cost $ 6000 more, and its reputation has taken a lot of hits lately.. This is the first time in a long time I walked away without buying a Camry. This car has truly surpassed Camry. It has Every safety feature, air bags, traction controls, side airbags etc. I get 27 mpg around town. Great brakes. This car stops. Easy to get in and out of this car. Almost everything is standard. XM radio, comfortable seats, plenty of room, enormous trunk. We love this car. The best Sonata so far, and getting the car at dealer invoice, and a $ 2500 rebate just made it sweeter.

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  Cool Ride - 2008 Hyundai Accent
  By Michael Dellapenta - September 29 - 7:03 pm

  The automatic is sluggish, but have all the options. I put in a stereo with a sub, new front speakers, with a Rockford amp.

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  Best Bang for the Buck - 2008 Hyundai Accent
  By greginrichmond - September 29 - 6:05 pm

  I was looking at similar cars in the 16-17k range and just happened upon the Accent 2D SE. Handles like a sports car and sips gas like everyone else wishes their car would. The 5 speed is a must and the fit and finish of the SE is fantastic. Im very happy.