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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  3 month impression - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Bluechrome - December 25 - 1:50 pm

  Handles very nice. Light steering, good road control and power in the mountains. Handled very well in snow and sand. Gas mileage no better than my 95 chevy blazer (17 -21 mpg). Dealership has poor sales service, dont go to Bob Lewis! Paint easily damaged by bird droppings. Good stereo system. Relatively quite ride. Good cargo space for a small suv. Driver and passenger seats very comfortable. Not too many blind spots. Can get 4 full grown men in the care with golf clubs! Recommendation: fix gas mileage and dealership.

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  High performance - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By Larry Hartley - December 25 - 12:45 pm

  Great driving car. Excellent Warranty and service.

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  Best Ive ever owned! - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By cagaradiogirl - December 24 - 10:56 pm

  Bought my 02 used as a third owner and had to do a complete overhaul to front end and engine after oil leak showed rings were bad BUT overall, she has been AMAZING for me and at 165,000 miles Ive only had to replace the alternator that I actually broke. I drive her from CA to GA 3 times a year and sometimes further. Gas mileage is good for an SUV. Just needed to fix prior owner(s) misuse of her and now I have no problems whatsoever. Im getting ready to by a Tiburon because of the great results Ive had with my Santa Fe.

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  Waste of Money!!! - 2000 Hyundai Sonata
  By Amanda - December 24 - 7:33 pm

  I bought this car from my brother less than a year age, it doesnt even have 80,000 miles on it yet and the sub-frame has rotted out and has become undrivable. I dont understand how a car company can get away with using material that can get rotted out so quickly and pose a hazard to the peoples safety like that. I have had older cars that did not have these problems. On top of that I am having transmissions problems with it as well and my power window motor is fried. If I knew then what I know now I would have not bought the piece of junk. Hyundai should be ashamed and I am glad that I did not get in an accident with my children in the car due to this problem.

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  Great all-around car - 2009 Hyundai Elantra Touring
  By SacDriver - December 24 - 9:00 am

  Wife and I spent a few months looking for a good mid-sized hatchback/wagon, this one was it. The matrix, and Mazada3 didnt even compare. Im picky about my cars and usually buy Japanese. This has been a great family car over the last 6 months. Im 62 and I fit comfortably in this car. This car is not the Elantra, it is the German designed i30, handles like a Euro car and is built much better. This not only is the most well rounded mid-sized wagon its also the best priced. Love car so far!

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  still love it - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Still Love it - December 24 - 5:36 am

  I have had this car now for about 1 1/2 years and only had 1 minor problem that the dealership took care of instantly. I am very satisfied after 1.5 years. Mileage could be better but I still enjoy all the features and the vehicle has held up well thus far. I use it a lot for work to transport things. I have no complaints with the vehicle thus far.

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  surprise surprise - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By gerry cullity - December 24 - 2:00 am

  after 2 disappointing tries at hyundai, the sonata is a delight. powerful - cute and confortable this car is a treat to drive.

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  06 Azera - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By texxsurfer - December 23 - 7:09 pm

  The car is great overall. I wish I would have opted for the 07, because of some upgrades they made to audio controls and mirrors, but I got a great deal on the 06. Power, luxury, warranty--cant beat it for $24K out the door. Comparable to a BMW or Cadillac in my opinion.

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  Better car than my Lexus RX300 - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By James Padlock - December 23 - 2:19 pm

  The azera really accelerates, and the shifts are seamless. This car has all the bells and whistles. It is extremely quiet at 75 mph. The outside paint finish is flawless. The seats are very comfortable, and the leather is of high quality. When going through turns, it really hunkers down and grabs the pavement, it feels like you are glued to the road. This car has great brakes with little pedal fade. The motor is so quiet that you have to listen really hard when you start it, to hear if it is running. The combination of headlights and driving lights really light up the road ahead. There has not been any warranty items that I have had to have the Dealer correct, this being a first for me.

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  excellent!!! - 2007 Hyundai Azera
  By nancy - December 23 - 8:20 am

  This is a wonderful car to drive! The power is awsome and it looks beautiful! will recomend it to everyone! really happy with it.