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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  alot of car for the money - 2004 Hyundai Tiburon
  By speachless90 - September 9 - 2:00 am

  i love my car, gets great mph, handles great, ill buy another one when my warranty is up

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  I love my Tiburon - 2004 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Karla111 - September 9 - 2:00 am

  The tiburon is a cute, reliable, and fun car. The inside is very small and may be a problem for a tall person. Im only 52", so its fine for me. The only thing that bugs me about the car is that the washer fluid does not spray high enough. Other than that I love it.

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  exceeded expectations - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By verne - September 9 - 2:00 am

  I previously owned a ford Taurus 1996 and lost two auto transmissions, and ford would not give any help even though the transmission had only 50,000 miles, i had a factory new transmission installed and it lasted one year and 18,000 miles, but waranty said one year. So i decided to try the Hundai Sonata, and have found no troubles and been extremely happy with this car.

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  I Love My Santa Fe - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Islandgrl84 - September 9 - 2:00 am

  I use to have a 2000 Mustang convertible and after having my Santa Fe for almost, oh my god I love it so much. Being only 19 thats really hard to do for a sports car to lose to an SUV, but man I love the fact of going off road a little and I still can open my moon roof for the great sun.There isnt much more that I can say but everyone should have one. They get great gas mileage.

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  Keeping this car forever - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By LM - September 8 - 11:05 pm

  I got this car when this was all I could afford. I have 94000 on it. Ive had some things go wrong with it. I had the transmission replaced, under warranty. The car is strange when I started it, it stutters for about 5-10 seconds when I press on the gas. Fixing the transmission has not fixed this. Other than that no problems whatsoever. Very reliable.

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  Outstanding value - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By John - September 8 - 11:56 am

  Bought this when our other car died. The interior and acceleration sold me and my wife. We have the 4 cylinder. No problem getting to highway speed off of ramp, and that speed is 70 mph. I make frequent 600 mile trips and check mileage. My last trip highway mileage was 31.5 , which is better than the sticker said. This was the last year for south Korean made sonatas. They are now made in Montgomery Alabama.

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  Looks like a Lexus for half the price - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By zaretroc - September 8 - 4:26 am

  I had walked into the dealer intent on purchasing a genesis coupe and drove out with the 2011 Sonata. Quiet smooth refined ride rated at 35 mpg hwy and a gorgeous exterior coupled with thoughtfully designed interior. Standard built in blue tooth to make and receive calls, power lumbar support for the back, best warranty in the business, 5 years roadside assistance that you dont pay extra for like toyoguard 699 for 3 yrs. puhleeez. peppy 4 cyl engine with direct fuel injection beautiful digital trip displays. I love this car and my 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe limited if you need something larger

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  proud to drive a hyundai - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By p anderson - September 7 - 10:39 pm

  After the unfortunate experience of having my 96 Acura TL (paid for, only 95k miles) totaled, I reluctantly began to look for its replacement. I found this car after a long search and slowly fell for it. The Sonata has won me over. Mileage is good, fit & finish are nice, good quality leather and the interior is really roomy. The engine is bigger, so Im enjoying the power. Pretty good pickup, and though it doesnt claim to be sporty, i find that it handles well enough for my taste. The funniest thing is convincing people that a Hyundai is more than a low end, minimally styled car. Im still grieving the loss of my Acura, but am so far very pleased with my "new" Hyundai.

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  Fantastic Economy Sedan - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By GregoryJoseph - September 7 - 9:07 pm

  I purchased my 2007 Sonata in August of 2006 and it has been to Canada twice (I live in New Jersey) Tennessee, and around New York City on numerous occasions. The gas mileage has been outstanding, usually averaging 34 MPG on the long trips and around 25 MPG locally and in the city. The trunk is ENORMOUS, and the rear seat has plenty of room for adults, including those over 6 feet tall. Its reasonably comfortable and probably the best "bang for your buck" mid-sized sedan on the market.

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  Love it ! - 2003 Hyundai Sonata
  By TylerJames - September 7 - 7:04 pm

  Well, I bought my car 2 months ago. Im 16. Its kinda big for a 16 year old. But I like it b/c it suits me. I like the exterior design and the interior is tan and shows stains. Car takes off slow u must put your foot into it. Other than that I love the gas mileage and the way it looks. My friends also insist we take my car when we go somewhere. So overall I love it. It also looks brand new when its 5 years old.