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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  Great Car - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By Tim Spradling - November 4 - 9:19 am

  This Car has been the most reliable car I have ever owned in my 47 years of driving and buying cars. I have 50,000 miles on the Car and have only replaced the tires (Because I forgot to rotate them) before a trip (9,500 miles)out West in April 2006. The tires wuld have probably made it but I didnt want to take a chance. It has never required anything else. It is very quiet and looks very nice. I have no complaints whatsoever.

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  Beautiful car - 2006 Hyundai Elantra
  By Stephany - November 4 - 9:04 am

  The drive is very smooth. The stereo sounds great. Its easy to fold down the back seats to expand storage space. I love the color! (moonlit blue)

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  Azare - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By Booky - November 4 - 6:03 am

  The front seats are too short and that is why I gave it an 8 on the quality list

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  Great Car - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
  By Dean Shumaker - November 3 - 8:53 pm

  We are very please with the GT from Hyundai. We think for the money, it is the best buy in the market. We are planning on keeping it forever and with the 5 yr. bumper to bumper,roadside waranty, 20 yr. 200000 it will be predictable on repairs.

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  awesome car - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
  By nellie2488 - November 2 - 12:20 pm

  I purchased my car over a year ago, and havent had one problem yet. I love my car, this is the third hyundia that my family has owned. Its a great car and my family highly recommends it. Its the first car I personally have bought brand new. Its great for driving long distances.

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  My Experience with the Sante Fe - 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Wthorn - November 2 - 2:33 am

  In my opinion the Sante Fe is a great value. It handles great, and has sufficient power. I even tow a small camper with it, loaded with supplies. It has a well designed interior with fold down seats for more cargo area when needed. Gives you a decent ride, even when fully loaded. Roof racks are a plus and comes with the best warranty available. And it is equipped where others are options. Im satisfied with mine.

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  Great car for the price!! - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
  By donjohnson374 - November 1 - 4:46 pm

  I work construction, and this car is my "work truck" The hatchback comes in really handy for my tools....all in all, it is a great car for the price, and I have had no problems with it,

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  2003 GT - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By seatoad - November 1 - 10:00 am

  Fun to drive, milage on commute not as good as advertised. Comfortable interior. Best part is the lighting in the dash.

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  A car that competes with a bigger class - 2006 Hyundai Accent
  By Edward Vargas - October 30 - 5:21 pm

  Here in Mexico it´s one of the best cars for your money.Being rated one of the best new comers in its class for the following reasons:Motor:only top premium sub compact cars,like Toyota or Honda,had CVVT Continous Variable Valve Timing,plus 16 valve,plus double overhead cams,which means more power, with more fuel efficiency,(top modern technology)but at a Hyundai Price.As being automatic transmission, its not to dull,it just takes a couple of seconds but once the gear is in,watch out,you won´t notice you´ve past your speed limit.It rides like a car of a bigger class, soft & smooth, better space than Toyota Yaris and Honda Civic and it rivals with Ford Focus, Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla etc.

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  I love my Sonata - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By Sooner Boomer - October 30 - 5:01 pm

  I have had my 2004 Sonata LX into the Service Department for regular oil changes and once for a rattle. Other than that, it has been maintenance- free and a wonderful car to own. I would happily buy it again given the same circumstances. I bought it for the warranty but have really enjoyed driving it.