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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  Very impressed - 2006 Hyundai Tiburon
  By HIII - February 11 - 10:16 pm

  The six speed is very fun to drive, makes me feel good at 70mph to know I have another gear to shift to. Looking forward to the 2008 and 2009 models.

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  nice car - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By jmathew926 - February 10 - 5:00 am

  very nice drive, the tan interior looks great, smooth ride, no complaints about the car

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  Amazing Looks, Very Reliable, Sporty - 2000 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Roger Lake - February 10 - 2:00 am

  Well at first I questioned the reliability of Hyundai, so I went around and asked local garages. I found out that in the past pre 90s hyundai was not good at all, but now they make all their parts and rarely have any problems. I owned a Toyota celica previously, and I rate the Tiburon much higher. Much better handeling and accleration. In the summer you will have not a problem with this car, but come winter make sure you have DRY gas. These cars hate the winter. Engine is strong, transimission shifts super quick, handeling is a dream with the suspension being designed by Porsh. I really love this car!

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  Sante Fe - 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By wmpatton - February 10 - 2:00 am

  I was originally hesitant to buy a Korean car but the warranty was so appealing I thought it was worth the risk. After almost two years and 44,000 miles Ive had zero problems and no warranty work whatsoever. Quality so far is incredible. Great fun and reliable.

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  A very good experience - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By mjt3rd - February 10 - 2:00 am

  Its a fun car to drive. A bit underpowered, but not so much as to make it undesireable. There is some body roll in hard cornering, but it is still acceptable. The ride is car like and the seating is quite comfortable. Standard features go on and on. Monsoon stereo is awesome.

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  GREAT CAR! - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By Keith D. Powell - February 10 - 2:00 am

  For the price an extremely well made and solid car. Handles well and is more comfortable than what you would expect for a car in this price range.

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  Not your fathers Hyundai. - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By richard - February 9 - 11:46 pm

  Bought top of the line Limited, loaded with too many options to list. Compared to Accord, Camry, Mazda 6, Acura TSX, some smaller SUVs. This car wins hands down. Got great no hassle price for first offer from no pressure salesman lower than I would have paid. Great lines in this new model, lots of interior/ trunk space room. No rattles or problems as mentioned in other reviews. Fit and finish superb, great ride, quiet as a mouse. Love this car. Total winner by Hyundai.

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  Pleasantly Surprised - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By bjg - February 9 - 12:10 am

  After driving an SUV (Ford Explorer then Mercury Mountaineer) for the past 11 years) wasnt sure I could get used to driving at a lower elevation. But I am very comfortable in my Sonata. Not to mention the smoother ride and great gas mileage. On a recent 400 mile road trip driving between 65 to 75 mph got 33 mpg.

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  A Good One - 2009 Hyundai Genesis
  By Taft - February 8 - 11:43 pm

  With less than 1000 miles I can still say that this is a really great car, especially when you consider the price. The fit and finish are superb, but the ride could be improved. The engineers should work on the rough and unsettled ride if they want to beat the big boys. We came from an MBZ 400E that was too old, but still gave us a great ride and handling. This is the first ownership of a car with all the bells and whistles, but were getting used to it and its fun. The acceleration is without peer and the interior quietness is excellent.

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  The Genesis is an instant Classic - 2009 Hyundai Genesis
  By Daniel - February 7 - 7:23 pm

  Purchased a V6 3.8 Tech, Silver/black interior, Wing badges. Youll wont get a better car for the money. Classy looks on the outside incredible opulence inside. Well thought out design, comfortable seating, excellent handling, great power. and so quiet. The Genesis is the duplicating what Lexus did in 1989. This is my 5th Hyundi in the last 13 years. Every year they continue to improve their products and they hit this one out of the ballpark. From what I see and hear they seem to be attracting more BMW owners than any other luxury brand.