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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  Hyundai Elantra 2001 - 2001 Hyundai Elantra
  By falugo - May 10 - 10:00 am

  I have never fallen in love with a car before... they were an instrument to get me to work and back! Now I look forward to long trips with the wife and having the time of my life.

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  My 2003 LX - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Marksorano - May 10 - 10:00 am

  Rides well though gas mileage is not good.

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  Overall Excellent Car - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By micahnova - May 10 - 10:00 am

  I have not owned my car for more than 2 months, but already can tell that Ive purchased a good one. Much care and precision went into making the Hyundai Elantra. Everything feels sleek and well designed. Taking a look at the over-all driving experience, this car is worth the price.

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  below average car - 2000 Hyundai Accent
  By block1974 - May 9 - 8:18 pm

  bought the car brand new, and not worth the money. Once you go over 100 k or so, expect a lot of problems. Baseline model, do not expect much from the car. Just a box on wheels.

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  Love My Tucson!! - 2013 Hyundai TUCSON
  By tee75038 - May 9 - 2:19 pm

  This is my first small SUV and I love it so far. I have only had the car 3 weeks and things are going fine. The looks is great, the size is perfect for me and the prices for the GLS model was well worth it especially with all of the additional features that were not available on the Nissan Rogue (my other option). The only 2 bad things I would note for now is the accelaration is a little sluggish but nothing major. The bluetooth does connect to android phones but you cannot control things like you can with and iphone. Overall I am enjoying my new car.

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  2016 Base Elantra, manual tranny - 2016 Hyundai Elantra
  By Pastor Jef - May 9 - 5:11 am

  Dependable, easy driving, good space in the back with the seats down.

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  Relatively Reliable and Good Car - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
  By HurriCane - May 9 - 1:12 am

  I have 47K miles with the GLS five- speed manual transmission hatchback, and I havent had any problem with the clutch or engine. Both have been maintained on a regular basis, usually a few hundred miles over every 3000. However, I did have to get the rear brakes replaced at 30K. But this because I was a little abusive with the parking brake while driving. Immaturity I guess. Everything else has been great, but the tape deck needed to be replaced with a more digital deck because of an electrical short at 45K miles. Overall, you gotta be realistic that this isnt going to drive like any type of high end roadster, however I have been impressed with the handling and gas mileage 28-35 usually.

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  Pretty good overall - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By Joe from Chicago - May 8 - 6:43 pm

  Overall its a very nice car. The interior feel is very upscale. My wife is not thrilled with backseat storage and there are only 4 cupholders, 2 in the back seat arm rest, but other than that it is a very nice car. Only 1100 miles so far. The mileage is a little lower than stated, but I do a lot of short hop type of driving, so I can understand that. Also, weather has been cold/chilly which also affects it and I probably havent gotten past the break-in period. Other than that, I love it. XM 3 month trial is very nice. The sound system and radio are awesome. You have to buy a $30 cable for the IPOD to work correctly, but its awesome. Ride could be a little smoother, but overall is good.

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  couldnt be happier - 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By rpost - May 8 - 12:03 pm

  Good Stuff! previously owned 3 Toyotas and looking for a change. Found an affordable, adorable, reliable mini- SUV. I always admired the look from a far and now Im thrilled that its super comfortable,perfect height,solid construction (heavy doors,easy handles,solid accessories). I can fit 2 bikes with no problem and the perks are great (heated seats,cruise,leather)

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  Beautiful vehicle and fun to drive - 2004 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Vedli - May 8 - 10:00 am

  I am a dealer and have purchased all types of vehicles. When I bought this one I was just thinking about dollar signs and how quick it would be to sell to a racer boy. Although when I drove it back it had amazing pick up and stuck to the road with a lot of control. I have read some of the other posts and find it funny, this is a very fast car if you are skilled enough to shift it fast enough. The shifting is very smooth, HP is great, interior and exterior looks fabulous. The front end looks I dont really like although easily fixed with the right body kit. I come from a diverse family of vehicles from the G35 to the Pontiac GTO and by far this one is another keeper in my book.