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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  Long road, but Hyundai has come far - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By mightiess - March 23 - 2:00 am

  The Elantra is a very attractive car at an attractive price. Comes standard with power mirrors/windows/locks, AC, quad-design headlights, steering wheel tilt, 60/40 split rear, plenty of storage/cup holders, etc, etc. Where else can you get so much for so little with an excellent warranty from Hyundai?

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  Very happy with this car - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By Harleyuki - March 23 - 2:00 am

  I bought this car fully equipted and am very happy with it. Comfortable ride, sound system is nice, everything is tight and its fun to drive. The options I wanted came standard in the Elantra!

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  TOP value/price! - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By charlie/Hedbring - March 23 - 2:00 am

  With my spinal cord injury, the car I purchased had to be tops in comfort, tops in reliability, and tops in ease of use and handling. Given my medical bills, the car I selected had to be under $20,000 all inclusive. Enter a lengthy internet search that lasted weeks. The Hyundai Elantra GT hatchback w/ auto-shift won! I have had it one year; lots of stop/go traffic; record snow (upstate NY); record cold; wet spring/summer -- no negatives! Even Coogee, my rat terrier service dog loves it! What a car, truly!

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  All Around Good Car - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By greenthoughts - March 23 - 2:00 am

  This car is really nice for the money. So far, I havent had any problems. To be a small car, it is actually roomy inside. It is perfect as a fist car or an additional car for a small family.

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  Wow! A++++ - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By Sunny42100 - March 23 - 2:00 am

  Great value for a single mom wanting reliable transportation for a busy life! Love it! would purchase another one in a heartbeat!

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  This is a GREAT car. - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By Peter Laurie - March 23 - 2:00 am

  For the price, this is the best car Ive owned. Yeah, its cheap, but that only makes my friends wonder why they spent 10K more on a car. The hatchback is terrific. I can get anything into the car, including a 6-foot step ladder. Does it have a lot of power? No. But with no desire to go off road, I can drive anywhere I want to. Occasionally, I know I cannot pass a porsche when Im going uphill. The car has a super-designed interior. Feels just right, even for big guys. My wife and I both like to drive it.

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  good fun will travel - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By sebaka - March 23 - 2:00 am

  38 mpg with stick. Peppy and I feel good that I can afford a more expensive car but drive this. Know what I mean?

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  happy with my hyundai - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By conz - March 23 - 2:00 am

  i bought my 2001 hyundai elantra in march of 2001 i put so far 60,000 miles on it so far and dont really take that great of care of it and it still runs great. it gets wonderful gas mileage and it seats 4 adults quite comfortably. i only had one problem with it so far and that is the headlight bulbs dont last more than a year but they are cheap to replace. u can purchase them at kmart for 7 dollars each. i highly reccomend this car to anyone.

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  Great Value - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By dmason - March 23 - 2:00 am

  Great car for the money. Safe, easy to insure, peppy and comfortable for medium driving needs.

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  reviewest - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By tanyaL - March 23 - 2:00 am

  Its the best comfortable ride I have ever been in, with such a great price such as the Elantra. You couldnt find a better car then the Elantra with the price range.