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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  Decent Car - 2001 Hyundai Sonata
  By John - September 3 - 1:32 am

  I got this car as a hand down from my parents when it was at about 55K miles. We bought it brand new in 2001 and had zero problems with the car until recently. After 50,000 miles the Engine had to be replaced. Though its been running great as long as Ive had it, the only problem I see now is the auto-Tranny is lagging (at 65K Miles) but thanks to the 10year/100K mile warranty that wont be a problem. The power you get is surprising for a 4cyl. I have no problems passing people on freeways and it handles corners very well for a Sedan. I wouldnt recommend this car but its fairly reliable.. if your stuck with it, itll get you from point A to B without many problems.

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  FUN TO DRIVE - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By KMAN - September 2 - 10:00 am

  THE TIB IS FUN TO DRIVE PLUNTY OF POWER AND THE AUTOMATIC WITH THE SHIFT-MATIC MAKES IT FUN TO DRIVE AND WORKS JUST LIKE A MANUAL...

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  Rodriguez - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By JLRA - September 2 - 10:00 am

  Excellent built, great performance (higher than expected), pleasant and safe for driving, smooth ride, roomy inside. For me this have been my best car in the few days I have it.

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  Great Ride - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By stefred - September 2 - 10:00 am

  We love it. We are expecting our first child in June and needed a bigger and safer vehicle. I love the style and the interior of this SUV. Theres plenty of room up front and in back for tall and large people. So far after every baby shower weve had plenty of room for our gifts. The dash and other components on the inside look very fancy and are located in perfect positions. We love this car.

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  2003 GLS - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By KoiReef - September 2 - 10:00 am

  Bought as a commuter vehicle, and chosen because of price and warranty. A tremendous value. I am a firm believer in bang for the buck, and there is a lot of car to like here for the price.

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  My first new car - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By Jamien - September 2 - 10:00 am

  I tested the Saturn Ion 2, and the Kia Spectra. When I drove the Elantra, I knew I had found the car, the deal, and the warranty for me. It accelerates well, feels good, looks good, and with only an extra 400$ I got all the power gadgets I wanted. I love the way it shifts, and it has plenty of places to put my stuff. A lot of the interior was similar to the Spectra, but it was way more comfortable. Steers like a dream, nice stereo, even if it is just a cassette, but I had to have a cassette for my xm radio.

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  Could have been better - 2003 Hyundai Sonata
  By Marion - September 1 - 8:33 pm

  Had a 1992 Mitsubishi Eclipse Turbo that that the ripe old age of 13 years reliably got me to Texas from Michigan, I love the classy look of this car, but I dont really like the Hyundai dealers that can never find issues that I tell them it has. There is something wrong with the electrical system, the car doesnt unlock at times, all the lights in and out went out one day when I was at the stop light and magically came back on when I pressed the gas pedel, I have had the battery checked all ok, drove the car to a store and had to have it jumped when I came back out?, I dont know if I can trust it. Hyundai is not a big help. To many issues for not being very old. There is more but no room

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  GPS Upgrade, $199.99 "Robery" - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By VICTOR216 - September 1 - 10:53 am

  The GPS update is $199.99 per yr, I will buy a TomTom Portable GPS with lifetime Free Map Updates. Second Problem on the Hwy wind noise is too laud as if we had our windows open, poor construction. Acceleration very week, transmission problem but the dealer cant find the problem. Corporate office wont even help they will refer you to the local dealers where they continued to fail finding the problem. Good looking car but Construction & Customer Service is very poor.

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  Stiff - 2011 Hyundai TUCSON
  By kws1949 - September 1 - 5:07 am

  Dont expect to ride cloud 9. My GLS will make running over a mouse feel like a speed bump! Suspension is VERY stiff...and so is the handling...will turn on the blink of an eye. Heating system is so-so. Comfortable for smaller people but as Im a BIG man, the seats are not built for me. AWD helps in the rain and snow here, which is the major reason I purchased the car.

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  Just what the wallet ordered - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
  By SlashDaddee - August 31 - 5:40 pm

  Shopped Civic, Corolla, Focus and all others but none could give a total package vehicle. They might be equal or slightly better in one area but none could deliver everything and a great price, except Hyundai. Elantra was the only one that had ABS, traction control, gas mileage, leather, cruise, sunroof, hatchback, 6 speakers, side airbags, automatic, HUGE warranty, and best price ... $14,500 paid. Im getting 30 miles to the gallon (highway driving) and the engine isnt even broken in yet. Im 61" and the car has plenty of room for my legs. The storage space with the hatchback is good. Overall, I got more for my money than I ever expected when I started shopping.