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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  Genesis for 2011 - 2011 Hyundai Genesis
  By philip streetman - September 4 - 5:53 am

  Have owned two of these cars. First one was a 3.8L, after a few months was disappointed with the power and shifting . A little to herky jerky for my taste. Traded in on a 4.6L and upgraded two years. Now I have the car I expected and desired. No comparison between engines. 4.6 was far and away superior for my taste. I will be upgrading soon and will go for the 5.0 just because of the smoothness and overall "feel" of the power. I accept a couple miles per gallon downside, but worth it to me.

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  Kurt 2008 accent GS - 2008 Hyundai Accent
  By khardiman77 - September 3 - 5:20 pm

  Have to get use to the small engine but it runs great on the highway it will run with some of the best out there on the highway with know problems at all.

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  2006 Hundai Sonata GLS V6 - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By MrJim911 - September 2 - 1:30 pm

  I love this car. I traded in my reliable 2001 Hyundai Elantra GLS 4Cyl and got this Sonata. Its much bigger, the V6 is powerful and the car is very good with handling.

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  waste money for a 35k miles 2000 sedan - 2000 Hyundai Sonata
  By josua - September 2 - 10:43 am

  I bought this car from a first owner, then I lost the 100k miles warranty. Rear wheel bearing, left front shaft, oxygen sensor, mass air flow sensor, tps sensor, front disc breakes worn out at 45k miles too much money to spend for a 70k miles car. Speed transmision sensor dealer said $500 plus 105 diagnostic fee. Crazy waste money. I drove this car by 20k miles and I have been spended at least 1500 dollars in parts and labor. So the fabricants are supposed to put some recalls for this car. The people who knows about cars doesnt recomend me Hyundai or kia any more. I dont understand how a company advertise 100k miles warranty for this car.

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  i love my tiburon! - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By tibuchi - September 2 - 10:00 am

  i was not at all a fan of the previous tiburon design, and after spotting the new design in a fashion magazine, i decided to go for a test drive. a week later, i bought my own! not only is it a beautiful car (quite the head- turner), it rides beautifully, and saves lots on gas!

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  MrGrimms Ride - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By MSTR GRM - September 2 - 10:00 am

  hey guys and gals,i just got mine alst month and i love it.not only do i get looks from a lot of guys.but girls tend to come up to me and ask what it is.its awesome,poeple actually think its some kind of sports car and whne i tell them "its a hyundai"theyre astounded and tell me"nice car".so if you looking for a great looking car for less,this is it man.i like better than the RSX(but its still koo,not much design)the celica(also kool)and the eclipse(i like the old ones much better)thanks guys.peace.

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  Great Car - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By indyslim - September 2 - 10:00 am

  Absolute Great Buy. No Qualms.

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  Love My Santa Baby! - 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Straxt - September 2 - 9:43 am

  Bought it after trading in a Mazda Miata Convertible. . . which I dearly loved! But grandchildren have arrived and I must do the grandmotherly thing. This vehicle had the highest safety rating and had great reviews on Edmunds. So there was no great debate on which way I would go.

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  For a Fleet Car-Its great! - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Daniel @ Enterprise - September 2 - 12:10 am

  This is my company car provided by a fleet services company. I have to admit, when they first said what I was getting, I was a bit disappointed. However, after driving this for just a weekend, I am completely sold. Its responsiveness and driveability is incredible. It is extremely comfortable on the inside and Im a big guy. Car seat fits perfect in the back seat with plenty of room. The V6 is very impressive with a heck of a response. While driving, you dont even realize that youre driving a Hyundai. For a sticker price of $23K, anyone would be extremely pleased with this vehicle. A+++++

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  3 yrs: zero repair -- $300 maintenance - 2005 Hyundai Accent
  By WIprofessional - September 1 - 3:33 pm

  I commute 45 miles each way for work on country roads. This car has been comfortable and fun to drive for the first 3 years. Gets 40 mpg at ~50 mph ave speed w/o using air conditioning. 36 mpg highway w/o air 34 mpg highway with air. Hauls canoe well. Plenty of power without heavy load: feels sluggish with 5 passengers and luggage. Also sluggish on big hills even with only 1 passenger. Like every Hyundai Ive owned (3) very reliable and no repair costs.