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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  Great Value - 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By David Cocanougher - March 21 - 2:13 pm

  Bought the Santa Fe after my wifes van was totaled. My wife is short so driving position and comfort were VERY important for her. Looked at ALL the competition. Came down to a used Toyota Highlander or new Santa Fe for about the same cost. Honestly, we liked the Highlanders better, but the Santa Fe was the best value, had less road noise, and had many features the Toyota didnt, including a long warranty. Just got back from an 1100 mile family trip (4 of us). Great ride, but disappointed with gas mileage. Only getting about 19.5 on the highway. But if the Electronic Stability Control was turned off, got about 22 mpg. This has to be fixed!

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  Great value for the auto cost - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
  By John - March 20 - 7:13 pm

  The car has great lines and is fun to drive. The 10 year thing is great for us retired folks.......

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  good choice so far - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Sandy-1 - March 20 - 10:00 am

  After 18000 miles so far so good. The only problem was when I filled up with gas I kept filling until it wouldnt barf anymore, or some would say overfilled. The warning light in dash came on. Upon check at service dept the computer said gas tank vapor check valve stuck. I wonder why? It was replaced. Dont overfill.

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  Santa Fe All The Way - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By smoothyq - March 20 - 10:00 am

  I bought my Sante Fe June 2001. I love it. I havent had any trouble out of it. Its very dependable and drives great. The mileage is reasonable for an SUV 19/26. The seating is quite comfortable, with many settings. With its 4-wheel independent suspension makes it handle smoothly.

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  Very satisfied! - 2005 Hyundai Sonata
  By Beth - March 19 - 8:45 pm

  The 2005 Hyundai Sonata GL has a great warranty, smooth ride, classy body style and great cargo space.

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  Good Car - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By sai - March 19 - 7:16 pm

  The car is good for the money.

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  Great Value Sports Coupe - 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe
  By Shane - March 19 - 1:40 pm

  I used to sell Infinitis for a living and its easy to see what the benchmark for this car is. For almost $20,000 less for a similarly equipped car, the Genesis is 95% of the way to a G37 Coupe. Yes, it does ride firm but its a sports car. Being British, Im probably more used to firm riding cars. The road noise is noticeable. Im looking forward to changing to high performance tyres in the spring to see if that helps.

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  Second Hyundai - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Happy - March 18 - 6:10 pm

  Traded 4 year old Santa Fe in for Tucson. Sales lady was very friendly. I wanted a 4 cylinder, but they were out of stock. I am glad I got 6 cylinder. It has enough power for everyday need. The content level for the price is outstaning, including the warranty.

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  Great Car - 2005 Hyundai Sonata
  By widners - March 18 - 5:47 pm

  This is a great car for the money!

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  TOTALLY AWESOME CAR. Best Ive owned. - 2005 Hyundai Sonata
  By zephski - March 18 - 2:58 pm

  Ive owned everything from a Vette to a Mercedes SL convertible and everything in between. I LOVE my Sonata and would buy another one in a minute. Ive got friends who have purchased Sonatas and one that has an XG350 and they feel the same way. Hyundai has made tremendous strides in quality and reliability. My 2003 Sonata had ZERO problems the whole time I owned it. Quiet and smooth ride and fabulous interior and exterior design.