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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  Bmer on a Budget - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By Jim Meyer - June 24 - 12:13 pm

  Wow! Im in love with driving again. Such a great feel! Nav system would be nice but the portable ones are workable.

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  Surprising - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Dave - June 24 - 11:29 am

  I traded a 1999 Mercedes SLK roadster for this car when I started my new business and needed a more practical and more reliable car. The service and quality of the Hyundai - which I paid about $16,000 for - far exceeds the Mercedes. Dont get me wrong - the Mercedes was beautiful, but the brand itself has gone downhill. I have over 50,000 miles on the Hyundai and it has been virtually without problems - the problems that I did have were fixed by the dealership. I did not expect much for $16,000, and the real world resale value is good too. Also, the stereo is amazing - better than my Mercedes. I am sure one day I will get a fancier car, but this is the best work car you can get.

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  After 3 new Hyundais..This is my last - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By hydman - June 24 - 11:00 am

  Windows go down instead of up... Dealer cant duplicate. Trip odometer resets itself. Dealer cant duplicate. Radio has no volume. Dealer cant duplicate. Mirrors self adjust. Dealer cant duplicate. Hood latch doesnt work. Dealer says you have to play with it. Air intake for electrical component cooling in rear wheel well... 5 miles on a dirt road clogs filter... Dealer says car not meant to be driven on dirt road. Tsb on rear sunshade says replace known defective gear... Dealer says not covered under warranty. Lack of concern by Hyundai consumer affairs. 100,000 miles on santafe... No problems 50,000 miles on elantra... No problems 70,000 miles on azera... Nothing but problems.

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  Love my Sonata! - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By Brent - June 24 - 8:56 am

  Outstanding performance, quick engine, comfortable ride, well-designed interior, big back seat, luxury feel to it.

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  Awesome First car!!! - 2008 Hyundai Elantra
  By Kristen - June 23 - 7:50 pm

  I just got this car two days ago. ive been searching all over for cars, and i finally settled for this one. Especially the SE you cant find it anywhere, we called every dealership to see if they had one and finnaly found one. The Elantra SE has a lot of room, and different compartments!its very comfortable. The car also picks up speed good.

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  Decent Car, but missed the mark - 2008 Hyundai Elantra
  By Andrew Carson - June 22 - 8:50 pm

  I saw the car, and for $14,305, I thought about it before buying. I looked at the Lancer, Civic, Corolla, Sentra, Spectra, Focus, Cobalt, VW Rabbit, and the Mini Cooper. The Hyundai just seemed to be the best deal on a new car. I took it on a long test drive, and determined I had found the right one. Two days afterwards, I knew I had made a mistake. The seat doesnt line up with the pedals, the pedals are lined up terribly, and the seat is terribly uncomfortable. The pedals themselves are lined up terribly, with a gas pedal close to the seat, and the clutch having a long throw. Excellent value in a car unless you are over six feet tall.

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  Not a bad ride - 2008 Hyundai TUCSON
  By SLU2 - June 22 - 4:06 pm

  As much legroom as a Ford Explorer but much better fuel economy...

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  Loving it... - 2011 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By abaldtexan - June 22 - 1:55 pm

  I am very pleased with my Santa Fe! It is just the right car for me... size, performance... value... All the things that matter.

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  I wish I had another one! - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By susanAT - June 22 - 10:00 am

  My husband drives it most of the time. Now I want to buy my own because I want to drive it too. That says it all. Its the best quality for the value out there.

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  A Korean driving a Korean - 2001 Hyundai XG300
  By A Korean American - June 22 - 10:00 am

  The car is mostly great. As far as reliability, I have no complaints. However, it could use more horses and less fuel usage. I had to return to dealerships to have few plastic pieces replaced. Initially, the front passenger side headrest was not stiched properly and was replaced. Overall minor quality control problems, but engine and transmission has proven to be reliable. I just had 30k major service, which was a shocker since the service fee varied from $300 w/ coupon to $850 in various dealerships. Still, I do enjoy the ride in my car. PS: My Michellin OEM tire wore out at 29500 miles and needed replacing.