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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  A great ride - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By suggy - August 27 - 12:33 am

  Owned a limited AWD w/ premium package for over 6 months. No complaints, pleasant to drive, spacious, comfy and performant, excellent quality, outstanding safety features. The best value for under $30k

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  New owner, now hard to find any - 2008 Hyundai Tiburon
  By LarryC - August 26 - 7:03 pm

  Only a few 2008s left for sale in Southern California: only 100 left for sale in USA. Purchased the six cylinder because dont want loss of power with AC on. Dealer gave huge discount off sticker and low 2.9% financing. This car is a bunch of fun to drive, my wife loves it, even though there are physical adjustments with seat, mirrors instead of all automatic features. The Kenwood radio is great sounding and the AC will literally blow you away. I like the sport seats too. Needless to say, it is the exterior styling that recommends the car most. The interior lighting is exciting and I opted for BlueTooth connectivity rather than sunroof, which I never use.

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  2006 Azera limited - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By Mary Bertollini - August 26 - 6:40 pm

  While the vehicle is still very new to me, it is an amazing car. I thoroughly enjoy driving it and would recommend it to anyone.

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  First Day - 2008 Hyundai Sonata
  By Lumbermoto - August 26 - 4:03 pm

  I took delivery of my Sonata SE this afternoon and I am really impressed so far. For years Ive wanted a 4 cylinder with a 5 spd that was fun & value packed for a reasonable price, a la Hondas of years past. I had heard about the big rebates and called a dealer for a quote. They had the car I wanted in NC. The dealership sent drivers to get it and bring it back to Atlanta. Then they installed black leather and delivered it to my office for free. The paper work was as agreed, so no drama there. They threw in tires for life (sweet!) and I got it for less than 18 grand out the door which is just unreal. This car has so much value packed in it. Super nice & safe.

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  Lots of fun for the money - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By waterdog - August 26 - 2:00 am

  I have owned this vehicle about two months and really love it. It is fun to drive and the stereo is great. The hatchback gives lots of cargo room. The leather seats are a real bonus. There are only two shortcomings: the gas mileage is not great (but it is so fun to drive that is minor) and there are no cupholders in the rear. But for the price, I dont think you can beat it.

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  My First NEW Car/ No Regret! - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By dlfilcek - August 26 - 2:00 am

  I bough this Elantra as a reliable car and the warranty was the major selling point. I purchased the extended bumper to bumper warranty. The car was standard except that the dealership added a CD player as part of my deal. Over the past 10 months I have grown to love my Elantra for more than the warranty. It is a very comfortable car (I am 63" and cannot even sit in a Camry with electric seats) with a nice sporty look. I have also been very impressed with the acceleration of this car (I chose the 5 speed manual). Hyundai is definitely making impressive cars that are beginning to challenge Honda and Toyota.

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  Come and Get It! - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By ABG - August 25 - 5:43 pm

  Has famous Honda like steering, chose this over Sonata(which i loved.)felt extra price worth it over a five year period. love interior. Extremely quiet got 28 on highway and 22 city first tank. very smooth ride. Quality is without question, this company is the real deal with long term vision. I have owned nothing but euro cars for twenty years. this car has japanese feel.Will be buying Hyundai brand from now on, cannot beat warranty. looking forward to blue tooth and matching dash lights. love the sunshade and 60/40 folding back seats.solid, safe, good-looking, and best car for money.

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  Love My New Santa Fe LX 4WD - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Granny - August 24 - 10:00 am

  Just bought a Santa Fe LX 4WD with V6 engine. Its great to drive and the most comfortable of the small SUVs. My husband is 67" & weighs 250. This is the roomiest small SUV. Forester was the smallest.He couldnt drive it. Also drove Jeep Liberty, Saturn VUE (nice), & RAV4. I wanted a RAV4 or a Jeep, but this car beat the others out. Didnt try Honda CR-V (couldnt wait, which also ruled out Saturn, but we still liked the Santa Fe better). This car is loaded. There are virtually no options on the LX. Bbought for $550 over invoice. Gas mileage is OK (at least as good as my 95 Taurus wagon). I love this car. Plan to drive it 100K mi.

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  A solid automobile with stylish class - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By HanlonTim - August 22 - 1:53 pm

  My backbacker magazine introduced me to the Tuscon and I stopped in the local dealer on a saturday night and took a test drive, wow this was it, I ended up buying it a week later on a thursday night when a fresh delivery arrived with the exact model i wanted, silver with a sunroof. The ride is very stable, the suspension and tires are firm and smooth riding. Spacious interior. The only thing I dont like is the gas mileage, although it may be just that it has an accurate guage. my other cars never dipped off of full in the first 50-75 miles. But this dips quicker. so maybe its just accurate. Thus I dont have any complaints. I opted for the 10/100 all around bumper to bumper and powertrain.

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  why "hyundai" Ill tell you why - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By jim - August 22 - 3:00 am

  ill have to say i was skeptical when i bought my first korean car.but i convinced myself that the quality was there and I have not been disappointed. i fIrst bought the Azera, the absolute finest car I own..and i currently own a Lexus and BMW(big family)..all are recent models..these are both great cars..however..I needed another vehicle and chose to look at the sante fe for my wife..she loves it and so do I. I totally agree with the other reviews on gas mileage,and i get as advertised..on the first 3-4 tanks. i just bought on 12-31..but the styling and ride as well as the price i was out the door for 21500... it has close comparisons to the RX-330 and blows away competion at price/warranty