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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  Never thought Id own an SUV - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By boltguy - November 1 - 10:00 am

  If you dont need 4WD or a huge engine, youre going to love this model. The 4 cyl. with a 5 spd. is plenty, and the ride is really nice. Makes you feel like youre in a 30K machine. I paid (and I think you can too) 16K even including freight, for a package 2 with floor mats and cargo tray. It may not be the best deal, but its damn good. If youre afraid of the Hyundai name, just try one for the fun of it. Youll be afraid no longer, but you might fall in love..

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  Santa Fe - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By The Don - November 1 - 10:00 am

  Overall, very pleased with car. Good heating/AC; like the 6 CD Monsoon system; seems compfortable to ride in and drive. Not too happy with the shift points--engine seems to strain and rev too high on the road. Small nit-picking--would be nice if door lock buttons were lighted; not impressed with the diversity radio antenna.

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  2003 GT - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By seatoad - November 1 - 10:00 am

  Fun to drive, milage on commute not as good as advertised. Comfortable interior. Best part is the lighting in the dash.

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  Good Value-Weak Engine - 2006 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Roger - October 31 - 5:43 pm

  I like everything about this vehicle except the engine- I bought it for the overall value (safety especially-air bags/stability control, etc.) and I am very satisfied- got the V6 for more performance but its still weak and only 20mpg- Its still a good value vs. competitors.

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  A car that competes with a bigger class - 2006 Hyundai Accent
  By Edward Vargas - October 30 - 5:21 pm

  Here in Mexico it´s one of the best cars for your money.Being rated one of the best new comers in its class for the following reasons:Motor:only top premium sub compact cars,like Toyota or Honda,had CVVT Continous Variable Valve Timing,plus 16 valve,plus double overhead cams,which means more power, with more fuel efficiency,(top modern technology)but at a Hyundai Price.As being automatic transmission, its not to dull,it just takes a couple of seconds but once the gear is in,watch out,you won´t notice you´ve past your speed limit.It rides like a car of a bigger class, soft & smooth, better space than Toyota Yaris and Honda Civic and it rivals with Ford Focus, Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla etc.

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  I love my Sonata - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By Sooner Boomer - October 30 - 5:01 pm

  I have had my 2004 Sonata LX into the Service Department for regular oil changes and once for a rattle. Other than that, it has been maintenance- free and a wonderful car to own. I would happily buy it again given the same circumstances. I bought it for the warranty but have really enjoyed driving it.

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  Power windows - 2007 Hyundai TUCSON
  By NickiD - October 30 - 10:53 am

  Overall I have enjoyed the car. I get lots of compliments. Just this last week my power windows stop working. The dealership has had my car for 5 days and can not figure out why the fuse keeps blowing. The dealership says they have been in constant contact with Hyundai headquarters and still cant figure it out. I love the car hope they figure it out soon.

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  Beware Maybe? - 2007 Hyundai Accent
  By Dave - October 29 - 8:15 pm

  After three days of driving my brand new car (200 miles) I noticed a delay in my transmission when I shifted it from reverse to drive. I also noticed the gas gauge went from full to empty way too quick. Took it in to the dealer and as per Hyundais suggestion, the dealer replaced the transmission and gas tank sending unit. After 2000 miles the speedometer wont drop all the way to zero and the alignment is off. Broke my heart as this was my first new car I have bought in over twelve years. The dealer wouldnt replace the car when I took it in. Why would he he got his money? Hyundai said sorry, but that was it. Learned my lesson that Honda and Toyota are worth the premium price.

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  Impressive Car - 2010 Hyundai Sonata
  By Westfordian - October 28 - 12:56 pm

  Bought early January with 5000$ discount from MSRP. (paid 15K with Camry trade in). SE really made for commuter who looks for better handling with good comfort. This is not really sports edition, but good for drivers who commutes highway and local roads every day. SE shows good grip with responsive handling and smooth ride. Comparison with 2002 Camry, this is the better car with great handling, quite cabin and better ride. Brakes is much better than Camry and MPG is almost same as Camry. Ride is a pleasure than Camrys dull boring ride. Have driven 1400 miles now and have been really satisfied with the car. Hyundai made a long way to the quality and performance.

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  Buy something else - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
  By Displeased - October 28 - 10:52 am

  The warrenty is worthless. They just say sorry we cant fix it. The engine rattles very bad and I guess we just have to live with it. The service man said that we have to use premium gas if we want any Hyundai to run normal. That didnt help either.