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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  elantra keeps getting better - 2007 Hyundai Elantra
  By H. L. [Jim] Freeman - November 30 - 11:20 pm

  This is my sixth consecutive Elantra because it is fun to drive and gets excellent fuel economy, while still having reasonable cargo space. In addition, I can count on its reliabiltiy. On roads where speed limits are irrelevant, I can cruise at 100 mph and the mileage only drops slightly.

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  love the accent - 2007 Hyundai Accent
  By james hart - November 30 - 10:35 pm

  I use to be the type that only wanted domestic vehicles until I started working at the hyundai dealership and started driving the accents. I love how I can have luxury items (heated seats,heated mirrors) in a very inexpensive vehicle.

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  2007 Azera - 2007 Hyundai Azera
  By Darrell - November 30 - 9:59 pm

  Great car. Only things I would fix are simple.. Trunk lid drips water into trunk when you open after washing or rain.. Windshield washer devices mounted on hood are distracting... car feels top heavy when cornering but have not flipped it yet. Actually has too much headroom.. Im 61" and I have at least 3 " of clearance. Overall milage is 27.3 m.pg which includes 90 % highway miles at 70 mph + now have over 24,000 miles in 1 year. Wheels protrude a bit so junk and rocks etc. tend to hit sides of car.. small mudflaps would help or the design could enclose the wheels better. Wiper controls are complicated.. when you figure it out they are great..

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  Hyundai Tiburon 2006 - 2006 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Lilly - November 30 - 11:03 am

  I wanted a change from the SUV I was driving. This car is comfortable, fast and fun to drive. I can park it in any parking spot and the standard warranty is great, roadside assistance is also included. Cant ask for more. The style and look of the car is also fabulous. The minute I sat in it I was in love. I was actually in the market for an eclipse or a mustang but the tiburon capatured me even after I had test driven the other two cars.

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  Practical and Sensible Car - 2011 Hyundai Elantra Touring
  By bradjan69 - November 28 - 10:20 pm

  This is our second Hyundai in 10 years. We traded our 01 Elantra in on a 2011 Malibu and hated it. We decided to trade it in on another car. We looked at all cars in its class and decided on the Elantra touring SE The test drive went pretty good. The 2.0L 4 cylinder had adequate execration and was very quite. The car provided good feed back to the driver while going through turns. Road noise in the cabin was quite as well. The controls are very easy to use and set up to accommodate the driver. Seats are comfortable and there is plenty of storage within the cabin area. Overall value of this car is unbeatable. For long trips the Crew Cab pickup will stay home we are taking the wagon!

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  No excuses & almost absurdly high value! - 2007 Hyundai Azera
  By Andy - November 28 - 5:41 pm

  I am an all-around car nut, been through 3 BMW 5-series, two Tauruses, a Volvo, two Buicks, 3 Jag XJs. This car makes NO excuses. It is not groomed enough to be a full-blooded European sport-luxury sedan but its powertrain, suspension, steering, aesthetics inside & out, and feature set, is every bit the equal of Japanese and Swedish competitors. If you expect a quick, smooth ride, with a silky-smooth transmission, reasonable fuel economy, and a ton of features that make you happy every time you get in the car, then this car is a 10/10 across the board. I give it such high ratings because it does what it says it does almost to perfection. My wife doesnt miss her Vanden Plas one iota!!!

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  Impressed so far - 2008 Hyundai Sonata
  By Richard - November 28 - 7:03 am

  This is my first foreign car (whatever that means). I needed a commuter car and looked at Camry, Accord and Altima. The Sonata provided the best value, mileage is a little less than advertised but overall I really like this car. The limited package has most of the bells and whistles. The engine provides more power than I expected but when you "punch" it at speed it feels like a four cylinder (about what you expect).

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  Good car, Great Value - 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By lightman - November 28 - 4:13 am

  Its a great SUV, And you get a lot of luxury for little investment. I do not have a single complaint. I think it is easily one of the best kept seacrets in the SUV market.

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  Leaks - 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By anne - November 27 - 5:10 am

  I purchased a used 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe with 5500 miles on it for 18,900 and then it rained saturating the rugs on the drivers side with water. Two days later it was back at the dealership. They put it through the car wash and said the leak was coming from the door and that it would be ready in two days. They then called and said they were going to keep it two weeks. I took it back home waxed it and kept it in the garage. Last Saturday it poured, I had left it outside and again the rugs were saturated with water. Resealing of the windshield didnt work. This experience has soured me on Hyundais although I really liked the feel and large cargo area. Carmax took the vehicle back.

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  great buy - 2003 Hyundai Sonata
  By paulw - November 26 - 10:00 am

  Had the vehicle for about 10 months now and still love it as much as the day I bought it. Great warranty is what sold me.