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 Love Affair - 1998 Hyundai Accent
  By Cherry - January 27 - 10:11 pm

  I bought my 1998 Hyundai Accent hatchback in 1999 with 11k miles on it. I wanted something compact,with good gas mileage, and above all, reliablity. If you dont care too much about bells and whistles, this is the car for you. No, you wont be impressed with highway performance or torque. No, you wont be impressed with the plasticy look of the inside. But, you will be impressed with the reliability of the car. Ive now owned it for 8 years, its at 192k miles (I use to do delivery jobs), and its become the old beat-up teddy bear that I cant seem to part from. Ive had only 2 bigger repairs on it. I waiting for it to die but it doesnt seem to want to do it any time soon. Love this car!!

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  sonata looks good but! Maria89 - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By Maria87 - January 27 - 7:50 pm

  I lease this car almost 2 months ago, Ive driven 1300 miles and so far its not what I expected as far mpg Im getting 16 to 17 mpg not better than a SUV and this is the main reason I got it beside its good looks, I called hyundai service and the answer was "its nyc traffic "I understand this but 16 to 17?

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  Great to have - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By Dong Ki Cho - January 27 - 6:16 pm

  Good car to drive. Decent to handle. Ive heard that there is a rear camera and a nevigation system available. I cant wait to have them on my car.

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  2nd hyundai - 2004 Hyundai XG350
  By w logan - January 27 - 2:43 pm

  I have a 2000 elantra and bought the xg350 based on that experience. except for the dealership, owning the xg has been enjoyable.

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  Dittos with Everyones Review - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By IndyCheeseHead - January 27 - 2:23 pm

  I have 6200 miles since August on my Sonata. Ive been commuting 600 miles every weekend. Smooth ride, plenty of power and excellent interior layout. The car feels much more expensive than what it cost. Im averaging between 33-35 on the highway. I checked out most of the competition and nothing came close for the price, safety features and warranty. Test drive one and youll be impressed.

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  Get ready for a new transmission! - 2005 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Tom - January 27 - 8:00 am

  This is the third Hyundai I have owned and will be the last. Tibs have a documented history of having transmissin problems (particularly the 6 speeds as found in the SEs). The styling is nice but what good is it when the transmission goes out and the acceleration is sub-par to other vehicles? I have had my car for 11000 miles and I have had transmission trouble with it since day one and the dealer refuses to acknowledge a design defect in the car. For the same price many other V-6s on the market can outrun you AND get better gas mileage, not to mention better workmanship. You truly do pay for what you get.

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  Love This Car - 2009 Hyundai Genesis
  By jhendri - January 26 - 5:23 pm

  Love the Genesis,I had the car for one week the car is a good value for the money. I had an Lexus GS, which was an better ride but the sound system was not as good as Genesis.On rough roads the ride is not stable I have Black/Black wtih Tech package,had the window tinted and the car came with the Wing package.Several people asked what it was. With only 240 miles the fuel economy is unknown.

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  Fun to Drive - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By Lori3773 - January 26 - 10:00 am

  Overall, I really enjoy this car. It is fun to drive, for having a small engine, it really has a lot of get up and go power, especially for the freeway. It is really comfortable, and fits everything that I would need to take with me either camping or to the beach, the trunk is very large.

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  Tranmission - 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By disgruntled27 - January 25 - 10:51 pm

  I am into my 3rd transmission for a car that is 4 years old and 30,000 miles. Dealer cannot explain why my car keeps destroying the transmissions. But when engaging my car into gear there is a delay and then bangs into gear. I am totally disgusted and am getting rid of this car. I will never recommend this car to anyone.

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  Definitely in a class by itself - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By Mud - January 25 - 10:18 pm

  Ive driven a lot of cars over the years. Among them, Citroens, Alfa Romeos, BMWs, Mazdas, Volkswagen Phaeton, and Rolls Royce (no, I never owned a Rolls). The Azera is one of the finest cars Ive ever seen or owned. Hyundais build quality is as good as anyones. When you factor in the warranty, why would anyone spend more money for a Toyota, Honda, or anything else? It will out accelerate everything in its class, and has very good handling and ride. It also has gobs of room. The styling of the Azera is also first rate - not flashy or edgy, but somewhat conservative in a way that will allow it to remain stylish for many years. In my opinion, you cant go wrong buying an Azera.