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 in Its Class AND Best Value - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By greatpr - February 5 - 10:00 am

  Love our new Santa Fe! Hyundai has turned it around! Great SUV. Smoothest ride in class (we drove them all)! Roomy interior. Loaded. Powerful engine, w/ sporty auto-stick. Great service during sale! Plus, it was THOUSANDS less than its closest competitors! Came with a standard 5-year/50k bumper-to-bumber warranty, plus the touted 10-year, 100k powertrain warranty. Headlamp goes out? They fix it! Same w/ the battery! Plus, amazing roadside assistance - 5 yrs, unlimited miles, & average response time = 12 minutes! Added peace of mind for the car my wife and child will drive most often. Highly recommend this over anything in or even above its class!

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  Fell apart on 20 mph impact - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By Texas - February 2 - 10:13 pm

  This is a very nice car. It moves very well. It sits comfortably. Power when you need it and a nice growl on acceleration. Quiet with great Infinity music setup inside. Major problem: I was hit by a Saturn turning right from a left turn lane in front of me at an intersection. The drivers front headlight area took the hit. The bumper popped loose, the fender was pushed back against the tire and drivers door which wouldnt open and the hood was bent beyond repair. Normal fender bender speed of less than 20mph... normal repair cost $2500... this one $5000. Now the worst part: Depreciation in 8 months and 8500 miles was 54%. Even Without an accident, Hyundai said it would be the same.

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  Very good car for the money - 2005 Hyundai Sonata
  By johnny medinilla - February 2 - 9:15 pm

  Very good car for the money

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  Would Buy Another - 1999 Hyundai Accent
  By Andrea - February 2 - 4:18 pm

  This was our 2nd Hyundai. Our 1st lasted 14 years. This one was rolled in an accident. It performed perfectly, the driver walked away. I would buy another in a heartbeat. It was reliable, easy to drive and maintain, fun and inexpensive. Everything you want in a little car.

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  Great car for the money - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By rma - February 1 - 10:00 am

  My husband and I fell in love with this car and also added crome rims to it. We like that it has enough leg room and is comfortable. The cargo area is spacious for a small SUV. We have had numerous Suburbans and Tahoes and now it was time for something smaller. The warranty was a big plus also. Only thing that I wish they had were power seats.

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  Happy Azera Owner - 2007 Hyundai Azera
  By bigal - January 31 - 1:33 am

  This car has the look of cars in the $35,000 to $45,000 price range. In handles extremely well and has good acceleration. Trunk space is unbelievable.

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  Love our Santa Fe Sports - 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By donnie71281 - January 30 - 9:29 pm

  We purchased 2 SFS in November. Mine is the 2.0T and the other is the 2.4. Both are exceptional CUVs. The AWD has been wonderful in the snow too. The 2.4 get 22 in the city and the 2.0T has been getting 21. Highway for the 2.0T averages stays between 26-28. For an AWD CUV I am happy with the MPG. Ive had experience with the 2.0T in my 2011 Optima. Though the HP is less in the SFS I am more than pleased with the power. The only issues we have had is trying to decide which one to take!! Absolutely love the purchases we made.

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  Good Value - 2005 Hyundai Sonata
  By James Grabsky - January 29 - 6:27 pm

  The cost, warranty,appointments, and performance was just to compelling to pass up as we shopped for a second car. I was concerned about the engines responsiveness with a small V6, but was very pleasantly surprised.

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  sonata - 2005 Hyundai Sonata
  By sal - January 29 - 2:47 pm

  Best car on the market for the $

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  GLS - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By jon singleton - January 29 - 11:17 am

  A great car for the $$$$. Interior is high quality. Nice quite ride. Gas milage could be better for the size of V-6. Overall great car and would recommend to anyone.