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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  Audi quality at Hyundai price - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Daniel - March 13 - 3:33 am

  My test driving of this vehicle seriously convinced me to make the purchase. The fit and finish of this vehicle is far superior to any other its competitors. I was shocked by its low sticker price while I was expecting at least $30,000 for this new model. (I was happy though)

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  Love my car! - 2006 Hyundai Elantra
  By dkt - March 12 - 10:02 pm

  I love this car! It is cute and sporty and the performance is great. It has comparable power to other cars in its class and is much more affordable. There are a few quirks about the car, but the dealership where my maintenance is done has been really great. Ive replaced the battery twice since I purchased the car in Feb 06 (July07 & Jan 08) . The dealership said "these things happen".I guess time will tell. The windshield washer fluid does not work when the temperature is below 32 degrees which can be very inconvenient. Also, I live in the mountains on a dirt road. I have to turn the TCS off to navigate some of the hills near my house. Otherwise, this is a great little reliable car.

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  Awesome Car - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By shall14 - March 12 - 3:00 pm

  Bought my GT used in Oct 2005. The car has ample power off the line and for passing on the highway. The ride is quiet, and the Sport Tuned Suspension improves handling over the GLS. The interior has held up very well in the time I have had it. Plenty of room in the back, I actually fit four girls back there during a night on the town. Hyundai really dropped the ball eliminating the GT sedan in 2006. The current SE model offers a lot of the same features, but it does not handle as well as the GT and the electric steering does not give the same feedback.

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  Wheel Covers - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By cdunagan - March 11 - 10:39 pm

  The only issue I have with my 2009 Sonata is the rusting of the wheel covers. I take excellent care of my car and do not agree with the Lia Dealership that the rust is due to salt from the winters. I wash my car every week during the winter to prevent rust. Hyundai nor the dealership have a concern with this defect.

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  Review of my 2005 Hyundai Elantra - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
  By John Cray - March 11 - 5:26 pm

  I tried several of the most popular comparable models on the market; Honda Civic/ Nissan, Toyota, Ford, Chevrolet, etc. None performed better or had better apparent overall quality. But all the rest were moderately to significantly higher in price. In my mine the extra cash paid only for the "label" of the car and nothing else. None had the warranty of the Hyundai. Save your money and buy a rather excellent quality vehicle at a fair piece less than comparable brands.

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  hyundai 350L review - 2004 Hyundai XG350
  By sandra wasserman - March 11 - 10:00 am

  car has been perfect

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  Second Time, Need I say more! - 2004 Hyundai XG350
  By Earnest Jones - March 11 - 10:00 am

  This is my 2nd XG. I liked the performance of the XG300 and so decided to try XG350. It is best value for the money. I lived in Korea for 3 years and watched the XG come into it own since 1998. There are a lot of good cars on the market, but none can compare to the XG for value. Ive had Buicks, Pontiacs, and Oldsmobiles and the XG is far superior. Try one, youll be glad!

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  Wow - love this car - 2004 Hyundai XG350
  By susang - March 11 - 10:00 am

  Thanks to all of you who have posted reviews on this car - it was part of my purchase reasoning. Its been only a few days and I love it! Best bang for the bucks.

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  Great Car! - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By Lisa Gia - March 11 - 10:00 am

  I just got this car and so far I absolutely love it.

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  great vehicle for the money - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By sdgfnic - March 11 - 10:00 am

  for the money the sante fe is the best suv ive driven. smooth drive not like a truck and many convenient features both inside and outside. my wife is driving this and wouldnt drive my blazer because it was big and drove like a truck