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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  1992 Sonata 3.0L - 1992 Hyundai Sonata
  By DW - July 18 - 12:04 pm

  I purchased this vehical in 2003,at 420,000k, and have only put back about $250 per yr. in repairs, air cared in 2006 and as good or better than new with approx 440,000k on the 3 litre Mitsubishi engine, it now has 465,000k and still runs like new.

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  I really like this car! - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By sundevils - July 17 - 4:03 pm

  I bought my Azera Limited w/ Ultimate over Memorial Day weekend and I am really liking this car. Between the Azera, Avalon, Camry, and Accord I kept coming back to the Azera for its tremendous value. As one who keeps cars for about ten years the possible low resale value doesnt bother me. My quibbles are minor: 1) the owners manual is very poorly written; 2) the steering wheel audio controls are insufficient, I want to be able to change stations and tracks from the steering wheel; 3) there is no bluetooth availability; 4) there is no navigation system availability I rated fun-to-drive a 9 but I have no beef with this car - I didnt buy it for a "fun" ride.

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  Forget Toyota, Honda, Nissan, or Saturn - 2008 Hyundai Accent
  By John - July 17 - 1:30 pm

  This car is the absolute best value out of all cars in this category. Better acceleration and more horse power. Why it isnt getting the rave reviews for fuel savings is unjust. It is a mile or 2 off per gallon of the best econo boxes out there. Given the lower out the door price more than makes up for the 1 or 2 mile per gallon less than Yaris. I put a set of 17 inch aluminum rims and the car handles like a Cooper for a third of the price. Yet is has the same horse power and a warranty that the others cant claim (except Kia which Hyundai owns). This is my 5th Hyundai. I left Mazda and Toyota a long time ago and there is no looking back.

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  We will be getting another - 2001 Hyundai XG300
  By smarcuse - July 17 - 10:00 am

  The car has been virtually flawless. Smooth, quiet, fun to drive. We change the oil and purchased new tires. That has been the extent of our expenses.

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  Tiburon 03 - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Ellie1983 - July 17 - 10:00 am

  At first I had this annoying leak that would saturate the passenger back seats. 4 times, the dealership tried to fix it. Finally they fixed it and my sunroof broke and it was at the tmie I found out I had three recalls on several parts of my car. Last week, I went to close my trunk and the handle broke off that is located on the inside of the trunk. Yes it is covered under warranty thank god. Besides this, I enjoy driving the car. I have not had a mechanical error yet and I have had it for a little over one year.

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  Elantra - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By markh - July 17 - 10:00 am

  A great car, rides nice, handles well, looks good and decent gas milage.

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  I love my Elantra - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By tiggeristhatyou - July 17 - 10:00 am

  I just bought my Elantra, and I love it. I had a Mazda Protege for 9 yrs and rode a Toyota Corolla for a short period of time and I must say I love the Elantra the best. Even my sister who commutes with me to work daily, feels the Elantra is much more attractive than the 2003 Corolla I was driving and 10 x better than the 1995 Mazda I had for the last 9 yrs. I have no regrets in buying this car. The price is no comparison to the value.

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  Great Car !! - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By cam123 - July 17 - 10:00 am

  for the price, you cant beat this car. Great standard features, good looks, good performance, 23 MPG combined for the V-6 and a warranty that cant be beat

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  I Love my Santa Fe!! - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By MDB - July 17 - 10:00 am

  This IS a great vehicle for those looking for good performance and reliability in an SUV type vehicle. The exterior design is not squared off and "boxy" looking like many other SUVs, something that appeals to me. The price makes this an affordable vehicle for those who want a solid SUV at a great price.I looked at other models for months before choosing the Santa Fe. The few times it has needed service the localHyundai dealer has been great, even when the item is under warranty they have not tried to wiggle out of it like so many dealers do. I lfeel like I got a $30K SUV for under $20K after all my comparison shopping. I love my SantaFe

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  I like my Santa Fe!!! - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Clee Dillard - July 17 - 10:00 am

  I had researched and compared several SUVs and found out that for the money I was getting more SUV. I had owned a Sonata several years ago and was quite satisfied. I drove both the 4 cylinder AND the 6 cylinder and found no difference in the pick up. ITS A GREAT SUV. The 4 cylinder I choose has a jerking motion when ideling for a while....is this normal. I HAVE noticed that more people are going to the compact SUVs now due to size AND gas milage. I made a GREAT choice. Thanks...Clee