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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  Ripped Off - 2006 Hyundai Elantra
  By Joe - February 19 - 1:28 pm

  This car is awful. Radio reception is horrible. Interior has new squeaks & rattles every day. Replaced muffler at 10K miles. Had to replace rear brakes after 18K miles (all highway). Dealers said that was normal wear & tear. Parking brake freezes on cold days & causes rear end to vibrate above 40mph. Called dealer twice about it & he said it was normal. Averaging only 29 MPG driving all highway miles with cruise control set at 70mph most of the time. Windshield wipers quit working one morning, then started working again on the afternoon drive home. Learned my lesson on this one. Ill never buy another Hyundai again. The car and dealer service are worse than I could ever have imagined.

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  New car - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Brent Jeffries - February 18 - 12:30 pm

  We love our car.I rented a 06 on vacation and we had to get one. we own a 05 elantra but after driving the 06 sonta we had to trade it in for one. The room and v6 power was so much better. The fuel economy was not that much different. Thank you.

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  Economical and Reliable - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By drbr - February 18 - 10:33 am

  We bought this car new in 2002. We test drove Toyotas and Hondas and tried Hyundai on a whim. Price not a factor, this was still our favorite of the three (Civic, Corolla and Elantra). It doesnt have much of a personality and some people sniff at the name badge, but for our money we couldnt be happier. Weve replaced the tires and brakes and have 57k on the vehicle now. We get 33-36mpg highway. People complain about resale but we plan to keep this little econobox until it wont run anymore. My highest compliment for the vehicle is that we bought it while I was still in professional school and now that Ive graduated I’m still proud to drive it though now we could afford something more.

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  Never own Hyundai again - 2010 Hyundai Elantra
  By Karen L - February 18 - 8:27 am

  I own a Hyundai Elentra 2010 and I am getting rid of it in 2 months. Horrible brakes and skids in bad weather.

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  Never own Hyundai again - 2010 Hyundai Elantra
  By Karen L - February 18 - 8:27 am

  I own a Hyundai Elentra 2010 and I am getting rid of it in 2 months. Horrible brakes and skids in bad weather.

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  love my Genesis Coupe - 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe
  By CW - February 17 - 8:41 pm

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  Best Buy - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By chazjr - February 17 - 10:00 am

  Best Buy in price range. Best warranty in Price range. How can you lose?

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  best buy period - 2002 Hyundai Sonata
  By chelberg - February 17 - 10:00 am

  I bought this 2002 sontata gls and I love everything about it. First, its cheap and it is very smooth. I have 17000 miles from driving on highway everyday. There is absolutely no problem. Youll love this car after the inital breakin. I know some dealers have jacked up the price but if you get it for less than 18000 including tax than you have done very well

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  Very User Friendly! - 2001 Hyundai Elantra
  By Nick W - February 16 - 10:00 pm

  I bought this car almost brand new. It had only 6,000 miles when I got it in 2001. I have driven this car all over the USA, putting close 90,000 in the 5yrs I have owned it. I have never had mechanical problems out of this car. I can say it has been good to me. The car is very very reliable and the gas mileage is great also. The only major downside is the resale value. You better never try to sell it coz you will be SHOCKED!! The car depreciates at an alarming rate.

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  1st Hyundai Genesis - 2009 Hyundai Genesis
  By shadowplayer51 - February 16 - 3:56 pm

  Today I got the new Genesis, the first one sold in the U.S according to the factory the dealership got them from. The interior is as awesome as promised. I am 63" and my 62" son fits behind me with plenty of room. I got the premium plus package and everything is awesome. Black on Black with Metallic Paint, and I am happy to say that it will be possible to debadge the car. Like I said the interior is spacious and comfortable with plush leather. XM and Bluetooth and 6-disc changer, the 14 speaker Lexicon system is AWESOME.