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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  Nice Little SUV - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Mike - October 18 - 12:50 pm

  We really like our Tuscon. Good styling. Fun to drive. Only thing I would like to see improved is more quality and detail on the interior. There is too much plastic. We like the standard features which are extra on other vehicles.

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  Excellent car best in class - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By R Dorbeck - October 18 - 11:38 am

  The Sonata has been dream to own and drive. Excellent highway milage and great ride and handling in fowl weather!

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  My Accent - 2006 Hyundai Accent
  By Shelby England - October 18 - 7:38 am

  I have been very satisfied with my new Hyundai. I have actually exceeded the mpg of 36.54 on highway and avg 30-34 city driving. The handling is great. I spend much time in it and feel very comfortable. Car experts Ive talked to say it can easily go 300,000 miles if taken care of properly.

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  Happy for now - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By aquaman105 - October 18 - 2:00 am

  This truck is worth the money. The dealers will not come down on the price, but where can you get all this for so little anyway.

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  Great Car, Great Price - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By SPARKY - October 18 - 2:00 am

  I think the GT may be one of the best kept secrets in the automotive world. Theres a ton of room inside, more power under the hood than most of its competitors, and the best warranty in the business. Ive average better than 31 mpg in the 3000 miles Ive owned it and havent had a single problem.

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  Great Car, Great Price - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By Sparky - October 18 - 2:00 am

  I think the GT may be one of the best kept secrets in the automotive world. Theres a ton of room inside, more power under the hood than most of its competitors, and the best warranty in the business. Ive average better than 31 mpg in the 3000 miles Ive owned it and havent had a single problem.

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  Cheap, Great Cars! - 2003 Hyundai Accent
  By Ashley - October 17 - 11:40 pm

  Its so hard to find a foriegn car for a reasonable price. The Hyundai Accent is a reliable car for a great price. It definatley beats American made cars and are absolutely wonderful. I love mine!!

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  Good Car for the Price Paid - 2003 Hyundai XG350
  By koul - October 17 - 6:10 pm

  Pros: Good styling and lots of extras, more like a full size lxury features. Very good ride and comfy. Cons: Paint Quality, rolls on curves, touchy accelerator, gas mileage

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  worst car Ive ever driven - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By vincent grolli - October 17 - 3:23 pm

  The 2009 Hyundai Sonata I own makes noise like something is loose and the body is bouncing off the frame. Its steering and front end need to be redone. The car pulls to the left while driving on highways and when hitting even small road cracks has a jarring effect. Also while driving on smooth roads you can feel a pulsating in the steering wheel. All this still occurring after the front shocks were replaced last month.

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  2008 Hyundai Sonata SE - 2008 Hyundai Sonata
  By Gary - October 17 - 7:10 am

  This is the 4th Hyundai I have owned (we bought the Entourage last year which is great). I have to say after owning Fords and Hondas, this Hyundai Sonata has exceeded my expectations over the other manufacturers. You just cant consider Hyundai as a stereotypical cheap quality vehicle. The ride is smooth and the V6 engine provides ample power (234 HP). The interior design shows quality and there are safety features galore. In addition, the gas mileage is reasonable. From past experience, I have had virtually no problems with defects, etc. compared to other makes I have owned. The Hyundai warranty is the proof in the pudding. I will not buy from another car manufacturer.