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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  My Wifes New Sonata - 2002 Hyundai Sonata
  By jimpimms - July 8 - 12:26 am

  It would be difficult to find a better car for the price, or even a few thousand more. Even though I dislike the mushy suspension, its a very comfortable and substantial highway cruiser, and has enough power -- even with the 4-cyl -- for the average driver. Nice touches, like Shiftronic transmission, Michelin MXV4 Energy Plus tires, illuminated window controls, strut supported hood and trunk lid, over-center trunk lid hinges, fog lamps, big radio/CD buttons, extra power outlets. Theres plenty of interior space for four large adults. All in all, its an extremely good car, and affordable, too.

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  great deal - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Jorge Bonilla - July 7 - 10:56 pm

  I used to own a Hyundai Santa Fe 2002 GL and I was very pleased with it, with the exception of the low power. I just change it into the new Santa Fe 2007 and big improvement in design and performance ! The torque is very good, the noise of the engine at the cabin is very low, even at 90 miles per hour. The third row of seats is excellent for kids. Interior design could have a more unique style, looks kind of cheap but it is acceptable. Need to improve the sound quality of the car stereo. Overall, very good , keep it up!!

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  Looks and Reliability - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By Tim Murphy - July 7 - 9:43 am

  Not only does the 2007 Sonata look great, but the performance is amazing. I was sold the second I pulled out for the test drive. Roomy, comfortable, and zero cabin noise.

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  Best Car Ever - 1999 Hyundai Elantra
  By TWHITE - July 7 - 9:19 am

  I recommend this car to anyone that is looking for something reliable but stylish. This car is great for long distance road trip and for short inner city driving. I purchased this car brand new and with over 120k miles it is still running great. I am looking to upgrade my Hyundai Elantra to a Sonata. But this car is well worth it for anyone single, married, with or without children.

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  Pay now or Pay later - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By Cheap? - July 7 - 8:10 am

  We bought the Elantra VE because it handled well on a test drive and we seemed to be getting more for our money, however over the past five years we have spent $8000 in maintenance and repairs. The key fobs wore out in less than two years rendering the alarm system useless. Every problem has been solved on the second visit, not on the first - so we have paid twice to have each problem fixed. The brakes always squeal, the rubber door seals eroded away in less than a year and the fuel system has been cleaned twice. We may have paid less for the Elantra than other 4-Door sedans, but we spent it on repairs over the past 5 years. Our advice - buy North American and pay the extra 5- 8 K up front.

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  Hasnt been a bad car, BUT... - 2001 Hyundai Elantra
  By kshively - July 6 - 6:24 pm

  I bought this car in spring of 04. I have had a few minor mechanical issues. I have kept up with required tune-ups and maintenance. The gas mileage starts to suck after the car hits about 60000 miles. The paint looks like crap (my car is black, so you can only imagine), and the interior is not very durable at all. I have really babied this car. I love driving it and have actually considered "upgrading" to a new one. Just kind of squeamish investing all that money if in a couple of years its going to visually be an eyesore like the one that I have now!!!

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  Love the car, but bumper is flimsy - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By Jean - July 6 - 6:13 pm

  Mpg is great-36-39 on a trip, ride is comfortable, looks modern. Big drawback or design flaw -if you scrape the front bumper you dont have just a cosmetic problem. On drivers side we didnt have any collision or bump and it separated from the fender. We scraped the bumper on a curb on the passenger side while backing out and the entire bumper separated from the body of the car. It is held on by tiny flimsy tongue in groove construction like a snap together kids toy. We were going about 2 miles per hour. Were told that the bumper would have to be replaced. This is our second sonata (2007 which we loved) but this one is poorly constructed and bumper is poorly designed, too low on sides

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  A great car for the price - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Sam Zee - July 6 - 2:59 pm

  I have over 20000 miles and this car has been really fun and highly reliable. I get about 22 MPG around town and over 26 MPG on the road. I got the v-6 with leather and all the options including the spoiler, that really gives it a great look. Take a real good look at this car.

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  Excellent car with great mileage - 2007 Hyundai Elantra
  By Jeeves - July 6 - 1:41 pm

  It has been close to a year since i purchased this Elantra. This is an excellent family car and can easily accommodate 5 6+ footers. Excellent speakers, good fuel economy and trunk volume make it a worthwhile purchase.

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  Great Car - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By Tewsley - July 6 - 5:16 am

  Who would expect a perfect car to come with NO floor mats? Even a go cart has them - only complaint.