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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  You get what you pay for, if that - 2001 Hyundai Elantra
  By StangFan247 - January 10 - 8:12 pm

  Even for an economy car, this car falls short of the competition. The handling is sloppy, acceleration is weak, and same goes for the brakes. The only "plus" about this car is the gas mileage, which is still not too good for a 2.0 4-cylinder (est. 25-27 highway). The interior is not that appealing, and the seat is quite uncomfortable, and after about a year, the interior smelt worse than my friends 93 Ford Escort. There is absolutely no style whatsoever. Ive seen pizza delivery cars more appealing than this tin can on wheels. Get a Civic or Jetta.

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  Never thought Id buy a Hyundai - 2007 Hyundai Entourage
  By SAL - January 10 - 1:49 pm

  Ok, Im the last person that would think Id buy a Hyundai. But I test drove th Entorage and I was hooked. Quieter that a Honda as well appointed as a Toyota and for thousands less! Forget what you think you know about Hyundai. This is just as nice as anything else I test drove. The 100k warranty is just the kicker it took for me to write the check. You owe it to yourself to try one out if you are in the market for a minivan.

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  A piece of garbage ! - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Phil533 - January 10 - 3:10 am

  Save your money. Ive had this car for less than 4 years and Ive had the following problems : 1) Cruise control unit replaced. 2) Sunroof leaked 3 times. 3) Power steering pump replaced 4) Fuel sending unit replaced. 5) radio replaced. 6) Rear sway bar bushings replaced. 7) ABS pump replaced 8) Leaking transaxle This piece of junk has lousy resale value, has been in the shop more than its been on the road and the cost of preventative maintance is unbelievable. $500 for spark plugs ???? I have spent a fortune taking care of this car and it is the most unreliable vehicle I have ever owned.

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  So far, so good - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By ericd - January 9 - 3:46 pm

  So far so good on a 2007 Sonata Limited. Very comfortable, quiet, smooth ride. Had a 2003 Sonata GLS . . . the 2007 is obviously a big improvement. Hyundai is offering some decent incentives: price at invoice, $1500 rebate, $500 loyal customer rebate and 2.9% financing. Service at the dealership was very very good.

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  Good and bad - 2009 Hyundai Genesis
  By Mikey - January 9 - 10:16 am

  I have been impressed since the first ad I saw. Visited the dealership just to see the interior and I was amazed with the fit and finish. Bought a V6 with all the bells and whistles the next day. 2 weeks, 500 miles later I was at the repair center because the stereo was wigging out. They replaced the $4K head unit which made no difference. Now they are replacing the amp hoping that will fix it. The alignment has been pulling to the left since I bought it and they supposedly fixed that too. Nope, still pulls left. Beautiful, comfortable, fun car but they still need to work out the kinks.

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  A WONDERFUL CAR TO OWN & DRIVE - 2003 Hyundai Sonata
  By J.R.K. - January 9 - 10:00 am

  atention to fit and finish is evident throughout..smoothness of performance and adequate power is always there..economy from day one is meeting e.p.a.... between the beautiful style and features that are packed into this vehicle and backed up by the very generous warranty the future owners should have full confidence in purchasing this vehicle...

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  Fun to have - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Mariano - January 9 - 10:00 am

  The only mistake so far is that the sales person did not mention to my parents is what 20% would end up costing them after five years of payments. Other then that the truck has served us well. It has done great on long trips, and I cant wait to truly take it out this summer.

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  Paint problem - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Starr - January 9 - 10:00 am

  I have had my Tib for 6 months now and I love the design. Its a beautiful car but I am really disappointed with the paint quality. The metal console has a chip in the paint and I never even use it. They should have used a different material in that area. Also I have several paint chips on the exterior I guess from rocks or something but I have never had a car chip so easily!

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  Save your Money - 2002 Hyundai Accent
  By Unhappy - January 8 - 11:17 pm

  The car ran great when I bought it in 2003. It had a relatively smooth ride, and could accelerate pretty fast. The problems started in 2006. First the RMPs would jump up pretty high when at a complete stop. I almost hit another car the 1st time it happened. I took it to the dealership, and they said I had voided my warranty by off roading. The most my car had seen of the wild was a gravel driveway. I took the car to a mechanic after that he looked at it and tried to fix the problem. I made it about 15 miles before it started again, but this time, I started hearing a loud metal banging metal noise. I called the mechanic back and they told me to bring it back ASAP, and not to drive it, but ha

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  Luxury on the Cheap - 2005 Hyundai XG350
  By Chet The Jet - January 8 - 2:20 pm

  If you closed your eyes and someone put you inside the vehicle you would think you were in a luxury vehicle. The interior fit and finish is excellent and Hyundai has hit a home run with this vehicle. Performance is more than adequate and the extras including the heated seats and high performance sound system are not items you find in a 25,000 dollar vehicle. Its plain jane appearance on the outside will not win you over but the performance and appearance on the inside is where I spend my time.