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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  wonderful except gasoline mileage - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By s12 - May 5 - 12:53 pm

  great vehicle - 2nd Hyundai we have bought. wonderful dealership experiences with service.

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  Value - 2004 Hyundai XG350
  By Rix - May 5 - 10:00 am

  Features a-plenty for a car in this price range. If the Sonata is an "entry-level" midsize - this is the "exit-level" midsize. I hope this holds up as well as my Sonata did.

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  2002 XG350 - 2004 Hyundai XG350
  By sherrill3rd - May 5 - 10:00 am

  Many luxury car features below usual luxury prices. Stand behind warranty to the point of swapping one new car for another when seatbelt system didnt work.

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  Be aware of air bags - 2010 Hyundai TUCSON
  By tucsontoobad - May 4 - 6:36 pm

  I purchased my car almost three weeks ago right before the birth of my first child. I purchased this car for the price, style, and safety. Well I only got two of those wished. In the past two months I have only had the car for maybe two and a half weeks. The air bag light in the dash board is always on because the passenger airbag sensor is not working and is never on if there is a passenger or not. Hyundai obviously has no way to fix this problem because after the car being in the shop for a month there is still no resolution just beware if this happens to you because now I have to go through the lemon law and find another car to purchase

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  Awesome Car - 2007 Hyundai Azera
  By monkeycb - May 4 - 6:12 pm

  The absolute nicest car you can get for the money. 07 Limited with the Ultimate package and floor mats: MSRP $30,670 Price paid $25,173 And I Love it

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  long distance towing - 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By gonewest - May 4 - 3:03 pm

  Im 2500 miles into a cross-country trip towing 2000+ (trailer & contents combined). Im averaging 15 mpg, which is well within my acceptable range, given the circumstances. Even while towing across some of the worst roads I have ever been on, the handling has been great, and it has enough power to keep in the traffic flow in places like Dallas & Phoenix at quitting time. Got caught in Hurricane Dennis, and the ABS/TRS was a blessing. Also caught 60 mph winds in Arizona yesterday and DIDNT feel like I was out of control. That was a major surprise for me. Im a 4 time Hyundai buyer. My first was an 86 Excel that had over 400,000 mi when I traded it in. Other 2 got wrecked :(

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  We love our van - 2007 Hyundai Entourage
  By Tiffvh - May 4 - 12:34 pm

  We purchased the limited version. I think that it was well worth the extra money to have leather and power everything. The heated seats are a bonus as well as it is cold in Wisconsin. We also got the moon roof and a tow hitch added on all for just under 26K. I look at the Hondas and also the Toyota but just couldnt justify paying the extra dollars.

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  I miss my santa fe - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By johnpa2006 - May 3 - 9:30 pm

  Built solid, I loved my Santa Fe. engine purred like a kitten from mile zero all the way up to 142000 miles when I traded it in. Bought in 2004, traded in 2008 I still regret trading it in to this day. So many practical use reasons to own a Santa Fe.

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  You can do a lot with a little! - 2007 Hyundai Elantra
  By Creative Kid - May 3 - 1:09 pm

  With gas going up on top of having to maintain a C55AMG, I said, "phooey" on cars and got something practical. Practical, yes, but quite the fun "be boppin around ride". My benz has a power sunroof, so does my new Elantra, My benz has heated seats, so does my new Elantra, My benz has leather interior, so does my new Elantra, My benz is roomy enough for 5 people, so is my Elantra. My benz gets 19mpg, my Elantra gets almost 40 on the freeway. Hmmm, somebody do the math here but, a $200/mo. car payment, with lower maintenance costs (if any) and gas mileage a tree hugger would love, what would be the only thing missing except the "keeping up with the Jones" mentality. This is value!

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  I Love this ride!! - 2008 Hyundai TUCSON
  By karin - May 2 - 6:20 am

  Although I have had it for a few weeks I love this ride! My previous relationship was a Hyundai (Elantra) and that alone convinced me that this was a firm purchase and solid vehicle. I love the way it handles and the space on the inside. Any compact car owner could transition comfortably into this vehicle. I am trying to convince my husband to get the Santa Fe which is the 2nd gen of the Tucson. I am totally in love with this vehicle!!