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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  hard core touring - 2011 Hyundai Elantra Touring
  By bassman26 - March 10 - 8:21 am

  Hi, update after 20,000 miles in my 2011 elantra touring se model. Right to the point; could use more top end horsepower for higher speed interstate travel, it doesnt really like to average over 80, especially up hills of any consequence. Off the line response is excellent, making easy work of around town driving. Better than many cars Ive driven like a turbo VW or small mercedes; they are built for the high speed cruising at some expense of around town response. Perfectly reliable thru 20k miles. Drove through the 100 year storm last winter across tennessee, arkansas and oklahoma. I mounted Conti DWS tires, as the stock tires couldnt get me out of my snow covered driveway in Nashville!

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  Great value-for-money - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By roodu2 - March 10 - 2:00 am

  I have owned this car for nearly a year now, and I am more and more thrilled with it each day. Aside from a few production problems (I had one of the earliest ones released) I have had no trouble with it. The only real drawback to this vehicle (which I discovered recently) is the cost of parts. I was involved in a hit and run, and the damage is only cosmetic but to the tune of $2000. Whatever you do, protect your headlights at all costs. The housing alone is over $300. But a great car, especially in the summer. Open her up, throw a disc in, crank down the windows, and experience exactly the reason you didnt need to buy an eclipse.

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  Nice Car! - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By driver - March 7 - 10:03 pm

  It is a very nice car! I have been driving for more than 10k. no problem!! very reliable. Better than pedal Camry :)

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  MY SUMMER PLAY TOY - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By TIBURGHINI - March 6 - 8:00 pm

  I bought my 03 Tibby brand new 5 yrs ago. ever sence then ive been tearing up the road. i had an 00 Elantra prior to the tibby and it was a great car, the tibby is even better! i bought it with the razzi bory kit on it, and been working on it ever since. Soon it will be a real nice show car and will get even more jaws dropping! Between the body kit and the Lambo doors this car is on fire, add the stereo and other touches and you will see Ive got an inferno!!!!!!

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  Not so bad...good commuter!! - 2008 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Jamal - March 5 - 3:46 pm

  I must say when I was looking for a car to replace my Pontiac, I thought of the Tiburon. Sporty looking, sleek and stylish. I thought it would have had more torque and "get up" but overall it is ok by me. I am a happy camper!

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  Great Car for the Price! - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Superpickymom - March 4 - 10:00 am

  I investigated all SUVs for the past year. This car is the best bang for the buck! Most options on other cars are standard on this one. Main gripes are poor fuel mileage (19/gal) and lack of electric seat. Also, when I put on the roof racks, I had a bad whistling sound as I drove over 40mph! I removed them and it got better. For a V6, could use more power. Otherwise, I am happy with my purchase and compared to other SUVs in this range, this is the best buy!

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  Love my new car - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By JohnH - March 4 - 10:00 am

  Two weeks ago I bought a Carbon Blue Hyundai Elantra GT. I love the car and love the price I paid for it. It Came with leather seating, power windows, cruise, six speakers, CD player, Electric sun roof, keyless remore entry, ect. Stickered at $15,362.00, invoiced at $14,500.00, I got the $1,500.00 cash back from Hyundai, made the dealer dip into his holdback, and bought the car for $12,895.00.

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  7 Year review - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By red70 - March 3 - 5:34 pm

  LX 2.7L V6 4WD vehicle has been running fine. I only have 48K miles on the vehicle. I just replaced the front brake pads. I change the oil once per year. Hard to believe, but I enjoy this SUV more and more with each passing year. I like this original body style more than the new Tucson design. It has better visibility and allows less sun on your face. Also, I prefer a V6 engine. It still has more torque than the new Turbo 4 cylinder engines.

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  Not bad..just needs a few tweeks - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By rdlnva - March 3 - 3:46 pm

  I bought new over a year ago and its been very reliable. Comfort ok but base model without lumbar adjustment i find myself moving around alot on a long trip. Gas mileage is good for this size car and so is power. Road noise is on the higher side though. Trans likes to hunt for the right gear alot. Now the Suspension really needs work here. Its was too soft and noisy. I know its a family car but I feel like driving a city bus around corners and the strut noise reminds me of a 20yo american car with bad shocks. Waiting on new design model coming out so hopefully that will kill the few issues. Overall not a bad car for the money!

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  Good so far - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By Gb - March 2 - 4:13 am

  So far the car is running great. I initially had some clanking noise when putting in "drive" but this has gone away now. Car is roomy and the interior does not look cheesy. The automatic air quality system is great. the trunk is roomy too. So far I am satisfied with the car.