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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  Impressive - 2002 Hyundai Sonata
  By Andrew R - December 25 - 2:00 am

  Just bought the LX with every option for $18700 at local dealer. Received it with 50 miles, about 25 I put on myself test driving. Had a Chevy Malibu and this car hands down is much better in terms of ride, features and warranty. Almost impossible to find in my area a black LX let alone a Sonata LX, dealer only had 3 in stock and Hyundai (or maybe dealer) said it would cost $500 to get another I wanted. Dealer delivery was satisfactory. Had a minor problem with the remote door openers, fixed in two seconds before I left the dealership. Overall, the car has smooth acceleration, a little bit of a hiccup at the lower end, very little road noise, stereo is adequate.

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  The best car I have ever owned - 2007 Hyundai Elantra
  By Alex - December 24 - 1:41 pm

  This car is worth every penny and more. The quality, performance, standard equipment and price beat the competion by a mile. Honda, Toyota and Mazda you better start taking tips from Hyudai soon or you will left in the dust.

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  Elantra Limited - 2007 Hyundai Elantra
  By mickees kansas city - December 24 - 11:16 am

  With mine I am having disappointing gas mileage - much lower than was on the sticker when I bought it. Nice style, interior, features, great warranty.

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  Tiburon V6 in Oz - 2006 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Ron Mason - December 24 - 7:16 am

  Value for money, fit for purpose, fun to drive. If you enjoy tearing up $ bills so you can convince friends and relatives you earn more money than they do (sometimes not true), you wont enjoy the Tiburon. Its not perfect (or rather not perfectly balanced - bit too heavy, and a bit too much torque steer), but its a car that really does try to deliver what you want of it.

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  Hyundai Surprise - 2005 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Chet The Jet - December 23 - 6:03 pm

  For the money you cannot beat the quality of the vehicle and the buzz you will get from driving it. The 172 horsepower is a bit better than average but you can tweak this engine for minimal dollars and stay within the warranty. The vehicles cornering ability is outstanding and the sports car feeling is outstanding. Best bang for the buck.

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  At 79 thousand no important complaints! - 2012 Hyundai Elantra
  By Bradley Wood - December 22 - 11:04 pm

  Ive seen that some people have gotten lemons, but most buyers are satisfied. I drive over 90 miles a day very aggressively. Appreciate the gas mileage rebate, but the way I drive I wouldnt ever expect anything near 40 mpg.. The interior is noisy and lacks a cushion-like feel, but the sound system with nav. is great. At 70 thousand I needed new tires,wipers and brakes. I exceeded recommendations and had to buy rotors, but that was my fault. I change the oil about every 4500 miles because all my miles are on the highway. No mechanical issues that I can fairly complain about. Had the dealer replace the serpentine belt at 75 thousand just to be safe.

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  Elantra Limited - 2017 Hyundai Elantra
  By Chris Kachiroubas - December 22 - 6:48 pm

  I have been driving my Elantra Limited since July 2017 and I must say I am impressed. This car has the ultimate package with auto stop, lane sensor warnings, 17 inch tires, interactive cruse control and blind spot radar. The gas mileage is fantastic! I get between 33.5 mpg and 39 mpg. I once drove 50 miles at 65 MPH (cruse control) and got 47.1 mpg!

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  Santa Fe, gos to the mountains - 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By blizzard - December 22 - 7:40 am

  A little under powered, slight hesitation entering the high way. for the most part Gas mileage is as posted on the window sticker a littler better on the highway. Fit and finish perfect. radio speakers very poor. Seats average at best for comfort.

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  2007 hyundai elantra - 2007 Hyundai Elantra
  By Mr. Sloan - December 21 - 1:26 pm

  you will have to spend 8k to 20k more to find a car with this many features gas mileage and quality. If this is any indication of cars to come from hyundai, Toyota and Honda are in serious trouble. HYUNDAI doesnt even advertise the fact that on the sun and sound package you get a tape cassette player along with the 6 cd changer. Now I am enjoying my music from the 60s,70s &80s. The 07 Elantra is an "out the park home run". Interior and exterior chrome accents, two tone interior "leather", blue back lit instruments, green lit gear indicator, and awsome laid out console make you feel like you are in style and luxury. Im amazed at the smooth effortless power you get from its 4 cylinder.

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  Great overall, lousy in snow - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By alfagirl - December 21 - 10:14 am

  This is my 2nd Elantra, first being a 99 wagon pleased with both, but one consistent problem: both are horrendous in snow. I think the tires are just too wide, and they float. Ive driven in snow all my life - Italian sports cars to trucks these are the first cars Ive ever been seriously uncomfortable in. Snows all around help, but narrower rubber would be the best. Overall, great car, 5- spd gets 34 mpg consistently - on my 8 mile commute and highway (at 80 mph last time). Just replaced rotors all around - I dont normally go through brakes, but..??? Would recommend to anyone - great package for the price!!