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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  Basically Pleased - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By Brent & Kathy - May 18 - 7:30 am

  We looked & tested many different cars. Serious about a Camry when we tested this one. Great car for the money. We have not gotten the promised MPG though and that is disappointing. We purchased for fuel economy. Our larger, heavier Buick LeSabre (V6) gets as good of mileage as the Sonata and it is loaded to the gills.

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  I LOVE MY TIBBY - 2004 Hyundai Tiburon
  By lynn - May 17 - 9:56 pm

  I bought mine used with only 7,600 miles on it. I have no complaints with performance as i USE the "slapstick" option if i want more power! I have had no repair issues except that i broke my tib by not seeing a BIG rock in the road :(. I have driven it to Cali 2xs and vegas 2xs. It will do 140+ on straight roads. I have not had the guts to go over the 140 per hour. The driver seat could use some padding in the bottom, get "dead butt" after 4 hrs of driving. I dont have the anti- lock brakes on mine but she will stop on a dime if you use the shift tronic option like a stick!

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  Exactly as Expected... - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By Seattle Azera 695 - May 17 - 9:54 pm

  I bought this car for my father to replace his ageing 99 BMW 540i. He seemed skeptical in the beginning but within a week he was in love with the Azera. I did my research beforehand on its competitors and am pleased with my decision

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  I LOVE THIS CAR! - 2007 Hyundai Elantra
  By Brandy - May 17 - 1:12 pm

  I just bought an Elantra yesterday and I absolutely LOVE this car. The handling, the gas mileage, its amazing! I got the SE model with window etching and the 100,000 10 year bumper to bumper addition - price: $17900

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  2002 Hyundai Elantras are Great! - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By urshurak - May 17 - 12:06 pm

  great ride and features for your money!

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  Great Car - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Great Car by Ryan - May 17 - 2:03 am

  Traded in a gas guzzling Ram 1500. Was originally looking for an Accord. At first impression I didnt think it was even a Hyundai. Ride is smooth, responsive and quiet. Styling is impressive with overall excellent quality and construction. Has a great warranty to boot. Honda and Toyota definately have some competition now.

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  "A TEN IN MY BOOK" - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By FRANK - May 17 - 12:53 am

  This is the second sonata I purchased with even better quality than 05 model. I bought the 06 4 cylinder GL model that drives like the V6. Others could not beat the ride, price-value, style or 5yr 60,000 bumper to bumper warranty.

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  standard stuff - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By scott - May 16 - 9:36 pm

  The Santa Fe was my 1st new purchase and very happy with it. At my age I wanted something sporty and nice looking. I love my new Sonata, has everything I liked and was able to custom it for me, such as sharp chrome rims and a spoiler, and it gets lots of looks. The comfort is as good as the santa fe but the mileage is even better. but once again theres no lighting for the door lock buttons.

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  Honda Vs Hyndai - 2007 Hyundai Entourage
  By Eric in a minvan - May 16 - 8:38 pm

  After much inner debate and multiple test drives of both vehicles I choose the Hyundai Entourage Limited over the Honda Odyssey EX. The bottom line reasons are because the Entourage was $5,000 cheaper and had more equipment and a better warranty. Which is the better minivan? I would say that the Honda has a more refined engine, drive train than the Hyundai. I just could not get over the price difference. I received $2500 back plus an additional $1500 off because the dealer had the car since last August. My report card grads are the follwing: Honda gets an A while the Hyndai gets an B+. When you factor in price the Hyndai moves up to an A minus and the Honda still gets an A

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  Great Choice - 2007 Hyundai Elantra
  By Ryan - May 16 - 5:53 pm

  Believe it or not I traded in my Jaguar S-Type for this car, I was tired of the gas bills and when I researched the 10 "greenest" cars the Elantra was my choice. It rides great very sold feeling , the gas millage is great, and it actually feels alot bigger on the inside then my Jag did. So far im very impressed and happy with my purchase, hopefully more Americans will realize small more economical cars are the way of the future and you dont have to sacrafic comfort and quality.