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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  working mans maserati - 2005 Hyundai Tiburon
  By al - July 23 - 10:06 pm

  first attracted by the styling (look at the maserati gran coupe). after first drive, impressed by the performance (better than my fiat 850 spyder, datsun 2000, datsun 240Z, or mustang gt).

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  Great little car - 2008 Hyundai Accent
  By NBB CHALESTON WV - July 23 - 5:46 pm

  I love this little car. The short shifter and sunroof are great. The car rides really well and is very spirited for a small car. The back seat folds down and creates a large cargo area. I took my sister and niece on a 150 mile journey. The back seat had plenty of room behind the passenger side seat. The back seat armrest and cup holder was Nice. There was no difference with one or three riders. The car rides smooth and very quite. The seats are comfortable and supportive. The rear window wiper and defroster works, the air conditioner is ice cold. Never had to change the radio station. Nice quite car and fun to drive. Get the manual. Filled up before we went needle hardly moved. Tire pressure system.

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  I love my SE - 2008 Hyundai Accent
  By Nancy - July 23 - 5:08 pm

  I was only window shopping, but fell in love with this car. I never thought I would own a small car again. Its silver with a sunroof, and as everyone says....its fun to drive. It has every feature I was looking for. I did not shop around for other small cars. This was the one I HAD to have.

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  A great coupe for less than $20K - 2008 Hyundai Tiburon
  By rallyandbosox - July 23 - 2:46 pm

  Ive had this car since March and have to say it is a fun little car. First, the engine lacks a great deal of power. I do a lot of highway driving, and the on-ramps kill me with how slow the car picks up speed. 138hp is not enough for the car. While the car is fun to drive on streets for the most part, its pick up is just ridiculous. Looks wise, the rear-end of the car is great but the front just looks old-school Hyundai. The headlight revision is an improvement but not much more. I expected fuel efficiency to be a bit better considering it was a 138bhp 2.0L engine. Interior is awesome. The "subwoofer" is cheap and rattles too much. Seats are great, but dont sit on your wallet.

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  Fantastic Car/SUV - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By TomJ - July 23 - 11:03 am

  Styling (controversial--but I like it!) and features got me past the raised eyebrows when I told people I was looking at a Hyundai; ride (and price) convinced me to buy it. After three weeks, I am still surprised at how solid and sensible the Santa Fe is--I have no problems with either the engines power or the firmness of the front seats (two areas that some reviews have questioned). It is built like something much more expensive, and it has a good (if incomplete) selection of "upscale" features. If you are looking at a small SUV, be sure to take the Santa Fe for a drive and discover what a change has occurred in Hyundai.

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  Moms little hot rod - 2004 Hyundai Tiburon
  By ghostrider1200 - July 23 - 10:00 am

  This car is an eye catching red. We get asked what it is all the time. People are always suprised that it is a Hyundai, we stopped at the dealer to just look around since my wife commuted 60 milround trip in our Suburban and we needed to have better gas mileage. We test drove almost everything on the lot when we pulled back in from a test drive and she saw it in the corner of the lot and she announced "that is the car" so we stuffed the 6 plus salesman in the back seat and wow what a ride. The rest is the wifes history.

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  GREAT BUY - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By MARCO LICONA - July 23 - 10:00 am

  I BOUGHT THE CAR IN APRIL OF 03 AND I THINK YOU GET A LOT FOR THE PRICE. ITS FAST, FUN AND GETS ME FROM POINT A TO B WITH NO PROBLEM. I WOULD RECOMMEND THIS TO ANYONE WEHO IS LOOKING FOR A BARGAIN!!!

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  Fun to Drive - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By d in georgia - July 23 - 10:00 am

  I just recently took a long trip 12hrs. worth of driving one way. I was 9 1/2 hrs. into the trip before my back ached. Used to be about 3 hrs max. Comfortable and easy to drive has the power needed to pass easily on the interstates. Thoughly enjoyed the trip this time.

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  FIRST SUV - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By METFAN - July 23 - 10:00 am

  THIS IS OUR FIRST SUV I LIKE BEING UP HI AND LOVE THE FEATURES OF AN SUV I HAVE OWNED 3 HYUNDAI ALREADY BECAUSE THE WARRANTY IS GREAT SO FAR THE CAR RIDES VERY GOOD

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  I love it! - 2008 Hyundai Accent
  By TerraAccent - July 22 - 8:38 pm

  I have only had my Accent (Named Terra) for less than a month and I have to say its doing me well. The acceleration and power isnt as good as my Ford Ranger but the handling is pretty decent and it has great gas mileage. I get about 27mpg, however, I havent been able to use it for a long drive or that much highway driving yet. The comfort is pretty good and I really dont care about cruise control. My Ranger has it, and I hardly ever use it. Trunk space is decent as I have been able to fit in groceries for 7 people. Fairly sporty look even with the GS version. Breaks well even without slamming it or ABS. As long as you dont abuse it, then it will love you back!