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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  Bad Car!!! - 2007 Hyundai Accent
  By Jake - May 28 - 9:10 pm

  This is the worst car I have ever owned. I had to have the engine replaced 4 months after buying it brand new, and I need new tires already also. The wheel shakes incredibly bad when driving at highway speeds making it nearly impossible to control the wheel when driving on the highway. Extremely unsafe car. Ive filed for the lemon law.

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  WI Sonata - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Mark - May 28 - 12:46 pm

  This car has a great look, runs great and best of all, saves big bucks on the gas tab. Only one issue... Every bump and crack is heard and felt. Suspension is lacking. Tried to drop tire air pressure and still no luck. Would I buy another one? YOU BET!

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  Excellent value - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By daveg - May 28 - 8:57 am

  Purchased this car from the original owner at 54K miles for $6K. Had one power train problem repair and otherwise routine maintenance. It has been doing very well so far. General fit and finish is good, though the exterior color on the posts between front and back windows is beginning to peel a bit. Mileage is reasonable, performance is acceptable, it is roomy and reasonably comfortable. I replaced the factory stereo and have been happy ever since.

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  i had wanted a passat but.... - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By wow - May 27 - 2:00 pm

  after exteensive searching, i had labeled a 99 vw passat my "dream car" but with the price and the bad things i keep hearing about maintanence with vws i kept looking. after seeing the 02 elantra gt i have a new dream car. i cant get over how classy it looks, how loaded it is in just the base model or how inexpensive it is!

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  WOW!!! - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Bucsfan9889 - May 27 - 12:43 pm

  This is the car Ive been waiting for Hyundai to build. In 2002 my wife fell in love with a Santa Fe and I bought one for her, I thought it was ok but wasnt completely sold on it. I just bought the GLS V-6 with the 17" wheels and sunroof and couldnt be happier, The only minus I could possibly see is the stereo and no navigation option, but Im just nitpicking at this point. If they keep making cars like this I wont buy another brand of car.

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  2005 XG350L - a loaded Buick for less - 2005 Hyundai XG350
  By Vistar - May 27 - 11:36 am

  With a high curb weight and 200HP 6 cyc engine, this car has the mass needed for stability with plenty of go power. The XG350 suspension smooths out the bumps without totally sacrificing handling ability. Compared to my prior Volvo S70, the XG350 is much softer in turns, but much smoother and quieter at highway speed. The L trim is loaded to the max. With rebates and negotiating, you can buy this car outright for about $24K. There is nothing else to compare the XG350Ls price/feature value. If you dont care about resale (Hyundai remains unproven) and intend to drive the wheels off it, this is the perfect vehicle with the optional 10yr/100K bumper to bumper factory warranty (about $870).

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  My Crome - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Johnny J - May 27 - 2:00 am

  A Great vehicle I use it for Mobile DJing and it is quite dependable. It also is very eye catching. Many good comments from people that I wouldnt expect it from. The customer service has been excellent.

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  You gotta love the look!! - 2001 Hyundai Tiburon
  By aka_rerun - May 27 - 2:00 am

  I think over all this is a very good car. I test drove many other sports coops before I picked the tib. The main reason for my choice is its a great looking car. Second is price and the 3 was it had good handeling. So far I have had only one problem with it during the winter I wrecked one of my whippers because it froze to the the window and I turned them on.

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  LEMON! - 2001 Hyundai Elantra
  By Scrmonster90 - May 27 - 2:00 am

  If only I could go back & turn back time. What an AWFUL experience with this car. It took almost 3 months to get, because I wanted the ABS/traction control in a certain color. Then, after only 6 months the car started dying after being filled with gas. I finally said THATS IT & went to the BBB Autoline & took it to arbitration. The arbitrator decided in my favor & its being repurchased by Hyundai. I cant wait to see the look on the faces of the people at the dealership. They treated me as if I were crazy that the car died. Back at em & beware of purchasing one of these vehicles!!

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  Fast, Fun and Features Oh My! - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By drvrage - May 27 - 2:00 am

  I am so very pleased with my Elantra after 5000km. I love it a little more each day. I adore the firm handling that really conveys road feel without being too harsh. The power is invigorating and makes the car fun to drive in manual form. If driven normaly, gas mileage is good for engine type and car weight. Features leave me wanting for nothing.