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:

• 

  Love my Santy - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By SilverSanta - April 28 - 2:00 am

  Love my new Santy!!!

• 

  problems - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By rockyfour - April 28 - 2:00 am

  i bought the suv in nov and when i bought it the rear winshield wouldnt stop working it was moving but wiper was off, ive been to the dealer numerous times but they cant fix it, so now i bought a 27,000 vehical,that i cant even use a winshield wiper, and to top it off both of the front winshield wipers and broke , the passenger side when it was snowing and the driver side when it was raining. (not fun driving home in the rian with no winshield wipers)

• 

  Azzy Rules - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By Jazzpreacher - April 28 - 12:18 am

  Traded from a Buick Rendezvous because driving it 80 miles round trip to work was too much $$$ for gas. While looking at Sonatas, a salesman said "check out the Azera, it has as much space as a 7 Series BMW" I sat in it and was instantly hooked. Bought my Azera used with 18K miles, Im up to 45K and loving every driving minute. I get 29-33 MPG highway and 20-24 city. Idling will drive that down. With the possible exception of my 96 Buick Riviera, its the best ride Ive ever had.

• 

  2007 Azera Limited - 2007 Hyundai Azera
  By agzeal - April 27 - 10:08 pm

  Traded in my Cadillac while on vacation. This car is roomy and has a trunk as large as my DeVille. Fun car to drive and it will get up and go. Very nice leather interior and I love the white pearl exterior. Engine is exceptionally quiet as well as powerful. Heated seats and folding rear seats and exterior chrome accents make this a special car.

• 

  Very Poor Reliability - 2007 Hyundai Entourage
  By Peter - April 27 - 3:30 pm

  I have owned other Hyundai products and have loved them. The 2007 Entourage van has been a nightmare. It has stalled on us several times and has had various electrical problems. Trim pcs. and hardware in general are falling off and are of poor quality. Gas mileage is terrible (13 in city and just under 20 on hwy). Ouch!!! I would strongly recommend not buying the 2007 model and get the 2008 or 2009 as I would hope Hyundai has worked out all the bad bugs from the 2007 year. Avoid at all cost the 2007! Very disappointing experience to date.

• 

  The 2.7 AWD Santa Fe - 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Sant fe - April 27 - 9:40 am

  I would reccomend buying this SUV to anyone looking for a worthwhile SUV at a very reasonable price. I purchased the same model in June of 03 and I liked it so much that I traded mine in for a newer model. They handle great, look great and get good gas mileage!

• 

  Great Car - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By Mike - KY - April 27 - 8:35 am

  Excellent car, my 3rd Hyundai, love the power and gas mileage. 22 MPG around town, 29 MPG highway. Great leg room, five adults can ride comfortably. Holds the road well and has excellent power. Better insulation would help with road noise.

• 

  Outstanding small car - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
  By David - April 27 - 6:17 am

  My Elantra is one of the best cars I have ever owned at any price. It is comfortable for long trips, gets excellent fuel economy, feels solid, and is pretty reliable. This is one of the few cars I have owned that shines for long distance driving comfort. The car has quality materials except for the paint on the wheels. The wheels showed surface rust after less than two years and had to be repainted. I also had to have the exhaust "down" pipe replaced twice under warranty. It starts fo leak and gets noisy. Otherwise, no problems or complaints. My car is approaching 50000 miles and I still love it. Fuel economy is 34-40 mpg.

• 

  hyundai is the way to go! - 2007 Hyundai Azera
  By george hurowitz - April 26 - 3:03 pm

  I traded my 2004 Maxima with only 27,000 miles for the 2007 Azera limited w/ultimate package in August, 2007. My purchase was based on the features included with the car, especially 8 airbags! The Azera outshines my old car in everything wanted or desired in an automobile. The turning radius is unbelievable compared to my trade-in. My wife loves the way the Azera handles, as I do.

• 

  Better than expected - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By BILL IN SO. CALIF - April 26 - 12:19 pm

  Had 13,000 when purchased. Complained about possible suspension issues, Hyundai replaced all 4 struts and shocks. Had some minor problems that were taken care of under warranty. Mileage has been very good, well over 25 mpg. Had a Toyota Avalon and Mercedes e class, but this is much better car for the money. I am 6,4, but have plenty of room. I get a lot of "what kind of car is this", it looks great. Will be anxious to see the new Genesis.