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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  Mr. Hyde of the Elantra Family - 2010 Hyundai Elantra Touring
  By "Ron" - November 12 - 1:13 am

  I have had the car for nearly two weeks and love it. I dumped my Toyota Tacoma in search of better fuel economy, better driving dynamics, and interior room. The Elantra Touring delivers on all three fronts. While not as good as my wifes Civic, the Hyundai is delivering decent fuel economy. My worst tank was still over 27 mpg of mostly city driving. Dont believe the mpg gauge, it is wrong. My SE 5 speed is a blast to drive. It handles on rails and steers very quickly. Ride is firm, but not jarring. You have to expect this with 17" low pro tires. Interior space is class leading and I have no issues with head/leg/thigh room and I am a big dude! Trips to Home Depot should be no problem .

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  Best Toy anyone could ever buy with 32k. - 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe
  By eiceman - November 11 - 7:56 pm

  Ive been waiting for this coupe to come out since last winter. M3, Infinity G37, Mustang were on my list, and I tested them all. M3 is not a daily commuter, it is more a race car on the track, so I passed. G37 I liked, yet the styling was too plain. Mustang was a nice car, yet everybody already has one. Then I got into Gen. Coupe. The first impression was stunning. Then I test drove it, I was sold. It was the perfect balance between M3 and Lexsus IS 350. It has great low end power, smooth all the way to 6500 rpm. I had so much fun in the Topanga Canyon Road next to PCH in Malibu. I was not much a fan of Hyundai, but ask me now, gotta say Im a big fan. Gotta drive one to believe it

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  Awesome car - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By cj - November 11 - 10:37 am

  i have driven my car almost 38000 miles in two+ years. It is a beautiful car and I have had no problems with it other than the cassette stopped working. I took it in and it was immediately replaced. Gas mileage is around 28mpg. The seats could stand a bit more padding .

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  Great job, Hyundai - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By Fred Opalinsnki - November 11 - 7:32 am

  This low-priced car has an amazing array of features. It is peppy, quiet and comfortable. With 53,000 miles, I have had no expenses for repairs. The warranty and reliablility are exceptional.

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  Bevs Sante Fe - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By wearp - November 10 - 10:00 am

  Its easy to drive with little care. I especially like the feature where you can phone when theres a problem; however, I used it falsely when getting a warning light only because I didnt twist the gas cap three times. Its very sturdy, easy to handle and very comfortable on long distance trips.

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  Hobbzillas Santa Fe - 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By hobbzilla - November 6 - 12:40 pm

  Wanted it 10sec after first test drive. Payments are resonable but local dealership wouldnt work with me so I drove 200 miles to another dealership. Wasnt upset.. I got to drive it all the way home!

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  One Wonderful Car - 2002 Hyundai XG350
  By rajeev - November 6 - 2:00 am

  Much impressed by the compariosn of Elanta with Corolla with $4300 less, I made no mistake by choosing XG350L for Camry or Accord. Mine was a Demo car. It has every option already installed with $6000 less than its market price. What else it could wish for. With a price which could have fetched me fully loaded CIVIC, I got much much more than that. And with previous experince of Hyundai, I have no doubt about this one. I love it.

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  Cool SUV - 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Mom & Pop - November 5 - 4:23 pm

  Have had our Santa Fe for three months. Have taken two trips from Ohio to New Jersey and back. Ride is every bit as comfortable as our Grand Marquis. Cruised Interstate 80 across Pa. at 75 mph and it handled quite well. Mileage was about 26 mpg as advertised.

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  Money well spent. - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By tomc - November 4 - 2:03 pm

  We got a Sonata because our previous car was starting to show its age (2000 Ford Focus). We also own a Tucson and the reliability is outstanding so we bought another Hyundai. I love the design and the spaciousness of the interior in which you can actually stretch your legs. The fit and finish is excellent made with quality materials and theres no rattles or squeaks to be heard. Hyundai has greatly improved their product line and improving every year.

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  good - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
  By elantra - November 4 - 12:39 pm

  I like the price. Handles well.