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 and Great Vehicle - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By Jackson4 - January 24 - 2:00 am

  We did entensive research on four vehicles and this one out shined all of them overall. It by far was the best value and has been a pleasure to own. I would recommend it to anyone.

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  Best Decision for the price - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By Hasik - January 24 - 1:18 am

  This was my best choice of 2004. I drove a Volvo940 Turbo before. That car was a money and gas eater. Also very noisy to drive. Before buying this Hyundai, I considered the Accord but went with theHyundai for the price and options. My wife and I, we are very satisfied so far. Everything about the car including dealer service is awesome. Especially those functions such as auto diminishing room mirror, heated mirror, smart climate control, and manual shift make me feel like riding luxury car.

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  So far so good - 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By rtown1 - January 22 - 1:49 pm

  This is my first Hyundai. After driving Fords for 30 years, this is definitely something different. The car has 10,000 miles on it, with 2,000 in the last week. It was driven both on interstates and in the mountains and the performance was good in both locations. The mileage could be better, averaged 27 on the road and 24 in town. The interior is comfortable and well thought out. With snow in the mountains the heated seats were a welcome addition. Overall a great car for two people with room for two more.

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  LV Tucson - 2006 Hyundai TUCSON
  By 06 tucson gls - January 22 - 10:46 am

  I have had my tucson for a year now and have just over 14000 miles, and have had no problems once so ever, runs flawlessly. I Have noticed that my gas mileage has improved once hitting the 10000 mile mark, now getting a constant 20 mpg in city and 25-26 on hwy. I have made several moderate length trips to family in another state and felt comfortable the whole way, has no trouble keeping up with traffic 80-90 mph. Have had no problems keeping the a/c going with the extreme heat of 100+, I am very pleased with this car. Can fit in rear seat with front seats all the way back.

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  first Hyundai - 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By justjoe13 - January 21 - 5:21 pm

  Great car,fun to drive. Gas gauge is notoriously inaccurate

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  8 Month update - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Pharmac - January 20 - 11:23 pm

  I have had my Tucson since Aug, and have put about 12,000 miles on it so far. Most of it on the Washington DC Beltway and 1 long trip. Overall very satisfied. Very responsive (for an SUV), never felt out of control, enjoyed the sound system. I really believe it has about the best balance of styling and features. NO real complaints. Mileage could be better, sure, but hey I knew what I was getting when I bought it so no complaints from me.

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  My Passion - 2002 Hyundai Accent
  By bigrog6395 - January 20 - 3:51 pm

  I am the proud owner of a Hyundai Accent GL that I named Passion (its Red). Its a wonderful car she survived a 14-hour to and from trip from New Jersey to Georgia and other than usual oil changes and tune-ups, I would recommend it to any young driver in need of a car.

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  My Passion - 2002 Hyundai Accent
  By bigrog6395 - January 20 - 3:51 pm

  I am the proud owner of a Hyundai Accent GL that I named Passion (its Red). Its a wonderful car, she survived a 14-hour to and from trip from New Jersey to Georgia and other than natural oil changes and tune-ups, I would recommend it to any young driver in need of a car.

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  Back to the Wagon - 2009 Hyundai Elantra Touring
  By TPA-driver - January 20 - 11:20 am

  Traded in a 1999 Mitsubishi Mirage DS for the Hyundai Elantra Touring. Wonderful drive, nothing bad to write about. Its the Euro Wagon from Hyundai. Price was much lower than a similarly equipped Mazda3.

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  Very impressive\ - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By PDLynch - January 20 - 8:40 am

  This car is fun to drive, performs really well in all weather conditions (including canadian winters). Its been amazing for my family, drives, looks, and feels like a vehicle that costs 10k more!