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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  Best Bang for the buck!! - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By Christian - August 3 - 10:06 pm

  Love this Elantra, just got it with 55K miles on it, and it is so much better then my Saturn! Now at 58K, nothing has gone wrong. Hope to keep it that way. :-D Engine: very peppy and quiet. Transmission: 4 speed auto with O/D, very smooth shifting. Interior: power windows, locks, CD player with premium sound, OEM wood grain kit. (Can you believe it!!?) Seats are great! AC and heat work awesome. Exterior: 15" steelies with hubcaps (want to get OEM rims) tinted headlights, aftermarket daytime running light kit (dims highs @ 75% power), white paint, mud flaps all the way around.

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  Best buy...period ! - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Patrick - August 3 - 2:26 am

  After owning nothing but GM automoblies and having nothing but problems, I did my research and bought a Hyundai. The warranty proves a company is not afraid to stand behind the QUALITY of its vehicles. Gas mileage has been decent for an SUV. I average 20 in the city and recently took a trip to S.C. from Il.and was shocked to see an avg. of 26 miles a gallon! I will recommend the Tucson and Hyundai to everyone. Very comfortable,holds alot of cargo with seats folded down,and drives as smooth as many cars I have owned. Overall, a very plesant experience. Build, fit and finish,ease of use are all proof of a leader in the industry trying to satisfy customers.

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  A lot of car for not a lot of money. - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By eric39 - August 2 - 9:36 pm

  If you told me two years ago that I would buy a Hyundai I would have laughed out loud. I bought a Hyundai Sonata LX loaded and I love it. It drives great, it looks great and the stereo sounds great. The car really handles has great pick up and incredible brakes. The design is beautiful and the interior controls are well thought out and easy to use. My overall experience with this vehicle is very positive.

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  Buy for price, keep it for quality! - 2007 Hyundai Azera
  By HJones - August 2 - 1:21 pm

  The Azera Limited, in Ultimate trim, is more comfortable than my previous Avalon and cost $7k less. Quiet, smooth, and powerful with maximum safety equipment - cant beat for anything but resale value.

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  Genesis coupe buyers BEWARE - 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe
  By jorgep - August 2 - 10:56 am

  Got car brand new with 30 miles in odometer, @ 1500 miles dealer replaced tranny under warranty because of grinding gears on 2nd and 3rd gear, after several trips to the dealer tranny still grinds, tried to talked to consumer affairs and so far no responce, do your research before buying this car, this is not an isolated problem many customers complaining with the SAME issue and Hyundai so far have not find a fix for the problem. This is from the 2010 brochure: Triple-cone synchronizers on first through third gears help ensure smooth and durable shifting, whether you’re headed up or down through the gears." Smooth??? No way it is smooth, my 2001 honda civic sounds better than this car, durable??? my tranny lasted only 1500 miles. This is just for them to sell you the car, then once you get it they will ingnore you

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  Great Little Car - 2007 Hyundai Elantra
  By Rosie - August 2 - 10:54 am

  I bought the Elantra SE in carbon gray. I knew nothing of Hyundais prior to this purchase. I didnt even know anyone who owned one. I wanted something small with good mileage with all the nifty stuff I hadnt opted for (okay - couldnt afford) in my previous car. This one beat the Corolla and the Civic hands down in value. Ive had it 3 months and it is just plain fun to drive. I only drive it to a commuter lot 4 miles from home and I wish I got to drive it further.

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  Perfect for my first new car - 2008 Hyundai Tiburon
  By josexavier - August 1 - 11:53 pm

  Ive had this car for about 1 yr now with 10k miles on it. It drives nice, rides good. Doesnt have a lot of power, but the styling, inside and out, more than make up for it. Havent had any major problems with the car, only sunroof wasnt working properly, but dealer took care of it at no charge.

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  Hyundai has created a MASTERPIECE!!! - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By Terry - August 1 - 10:13 pm

  Hyundai has come a long way back especially when they introducted the Azera. We were in the market for a new vehicle and after reviewing Consumer Reports decided to test drive a few to include the Toyota Avalon and 2007 Camry and Honda Accord. Due to the history of Hyundai I had my concerns with buying one of their cars even thought our daughter had a 2004 Elantra which was a Consumer Reports recommended buy. We test drove all the others before driving the Azera. Turned out we saved the best for last and for thousands less! Have owned 95 Corvette with six speed and 99 Cadillac STS..this is better than both!! Drive one for yourself and youre be impressed too! Japanese auto makers beware!

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  verry happy, would buy another - 2005 Hyundai Sonata
  By bizzman - August 1 - 4:21 pm

  i have about 37,000 miles on it and no major problems as of yet.

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  Good commuter car! - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
  By BJ Pace - August 1 - 1:51 pm

  I bought my car new in October 2004. The only repair that it has needed was when my driver side window rubber folded over and the window didnt operated properly. That repair was covered under warranty. This car is economical, easy to park, and handles well. A plus is the leather is holding up. The moon roof slide and tilt are nice to use on a evening drive. I would recommend buying this car used because most 05s will still be under the manufacturers warranty.