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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  Best in the class - 2001 Hyundai Elantra
  By vlad - May 30 - 10:00 am

  I was shopping for a compact car with auto transmission, A/C, and in $13000-$16000 price range. First, I test drove Cavalier - very disappointed. Then I took for a test drive Corolla - better, but dealer was unwilling to negotiate the price. The third test drive was with Elantra - WOW! - better than Corolla!!! And the price is lower than for any of the previous cars. So, I made my choise and now drive Elantra for more than a year and I am very satisfied.

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  Its a bargain - 2002 Hyundai Sonata
  By Cnw - May 30 - 10:00 am

  I wanted a good vehicle, roomy, and under $17,000. The Sonata fit the bill. Every new vehicle I ever owned went back to the dealer during its forst month of ownership. My dealer saw my vehicle for its first oil change. I love this vehicle. My son has an Elantra and will be trading it in for a new 2003 Tiburon. Does that say something about quality

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  xg350 - 2002 Hyundai XG350
  By cs - May 30 - 2:00 am

  Superb car and a tremendous value.

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  Santa Fe 3.3 AWD - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Phil C - May 29 - 11:30 am

  What a great SUV! Incredibly well thought-out, love the exterior and interior design. I test drove all the competition, and the Santa Fe offered everything and more, at a lower price! JD Powers ranks Hyundai just below Porsche and Lexus, this was a no-brainer decision.

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  I love my Tiburon SE V6 hatchback 2DR - 2008 Hyundai Tiburon
  By zachattack - May 29 - 2:00 am

  I personally love the car not just for its looks but for its potential if you put just about 5 grand under the hood. the car would be insane on power and speed. needs better rear anti roll bars and better brakes too. if you take a look online youll find plenty of parts for it. i plan on getting my v6 up to 520 horspower with a hella turbo haha new cams and a bunch of other performance parts. just dont look at her like a piece of crap look at her for wat she could be

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  Hyundai Rocks! - 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Big Willie - May 29 - 2:00 am

  I purchased for my wife,and she loves it.The ride is good, dependable, roomy and the interior and exterior design is good.I highly recommend this vehicle to my family and friends.We first looked at the Toyota Highlander.The price we would have paid for it compared to what we paid for the Sante Fe is probably 5k more.

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  37 MPG and loving it - 2002 Hyundai Accent
  By R J CATALANO - May 27 - 2:00 am

  Have owned two Exels My 2002 Accent is by far the best raw $$ value on the market. Ive only owned 5 speeds w/o air. Automatic with air would be a big mistake with this car. Its a blast to drive. Sips gas. Buy only the base model w/o any options and you will not go upside down. I drive it 40 miles per day and its just a fantastic value If you dont finance it figure 19 cents to 20 cents/ mile even at $2.00 gallon for gas over 60,000 miles. Sell off at 55k for half of what you paid for it and buy another new one, Ok in the snow Strong heater Plenty of power with 5 speed no air. 37 mpg HW Good Stereo.

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  Best SUV on the market - 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By hgoins - May 26 - 5:30 pm

  I purchased my Santa Fe about 2 1/2 weeks ago and I do not regret it one bit. So far it as been fun to drive. I am getting about 20 to 21 mpg which is not bad for a small SUV. The interior is very comfortable- my kids love it. It has great storage in the back for all your kids sport equipment. The Exterior- the color (Midnight Blue) is beautiful it sparkles in the sunlight. Overall this is a nice car for the money. Also, note in Car and Drive it was rated one of the top SUVs- The Nissan Murano beat it only on speed (I believe) but it won everything else.

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  Camry Beater - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By big al - May 26 - 10:03 am

  great car fun to drive handles well, lots of room up front large trunk. love the 5 speed automatic great for merging on the highway all the dials are user friendly nice features like steering wheel mounted radio volune and mute buttons

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  Drive it, Youll like it - 2016 Hyundai Elantra
  By Richard Newsom - May 26 - 6:37 am

  Very good car. This is the 4th Hyundai Ive owned (the 2nd Elantra) and Ive been satisfied with each one. The acceleration is a little sluggish but OK. Nice front seat area though the center console on the 2016 could go back to the slightly larger one on the 2013. Back seat area is a little small for bigger adults but really good for kids. Overall features in the Value Edition are top notch and the trunk is a good size for this type of car. Warranty is top notch and Columbia Hyundai in Cincinnati is the best dealership Ive ever dealt with.