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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  DRIVING IS BELIEVING - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Hyundai Lover - August 31 - 10:00 am

  Love this car. I had a 2001 Tibby. The second I seen the 2003 I was jumping in the parking lot. WOW thats all I could think. Security probably thought I was on drugs or maybe not they have probably seen this before. The next day I went to test drive one and totally fell head over heels in love with it. Went home put my 01 tibby for sale. Sold it Quickly.Bought a black one. I would tell anyone who asks why hyundai? Yea hyundai! then take them for a ride and watch their faces whit a look ofsurprise turning to a look of joy. If you just thinking aboutit test it and you will find out driving is believing.

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  excellent - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By charlene - August 31 - 10:00 am

  I have had this car for over a year and it is the greatest thing ever happen to me, Everything is so good

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  This is IT!!!! - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Maximus - August 30 - 9:10 pm

  I did not expect such excellent quality from Hyundai. Well this one with 5M runs like a Lexus IS300. Well actually better than the Lexus. The top two Japanese brands such as Honda and Toyota won their high reputation over the past couple decades. I think Hyundai will achieve the same high reputation within the next two years. This 06 Sonata OUTPERFORMS Toyota Camry and Honda Accord not only by the price advantage but also by its built quality and superior performance!

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  Excellent car for its price - 2008 Hyundai Elantra
  By Ketav - August 28 - 9:10 pm

  Its just 2 days that I own this beautiful car. Its fun to drive this car. Easy handling. Its equipped with lot of small utilities, that we see in a high range car. It does make noise when going from mid to high rpm. Overall its a good car and I am satisfied with it.

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  Watch out Toyota/Honda - 2006 Hyundai Accent
  By squireman - August 28 - 3:29 pm

  A great little car! Decent acceleration and handling and amazing safety features for an econobox price. Great gas mileage too! Get the 5 speed and sport package and you wont be disappointed. I am glad I couldnt find a Yaris or a Fit and bought this baby instead. $1000 over sticker for a Fit? Get the Accent instead!

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  Very comfortable! - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By MikeCa - August 28 - 10:00 am

  This car has been great and has everything I wanted at a phenomenal price and the warranty is incomparable! Only problems were with alternator/battery that went dead in first 10 months. Radio also just glitched out and went dead. Both problems were repaired very quickly and congenially! Very happy!

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  My 2004 Sonata - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By catlvr1 - August 28 - 10:00 am

  The Sonata is great to drive. It is comfortable and has a great warranty. Its drive is very smooth and has great pickup. After the test drive, I was sold on owning one. After 4 months of owning it, I know I made a great choice.

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  Good little SUV - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Paulie Peace - August 28 - 10:00 am

  The car rides smooth and handles well--this being the first "non-car" Ive ever driven. No problem getting into and out of the Santa Fe and the seats are comfortable for all who ride in it. Plus I like that it has more of a car look to it-rounded ends and sides instead of the very sqare and straight"SUV/Jeep-y look" that most others seem to have. Good buy for the money--why spend more if you really dont have to? And a grea

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  Best in Class - 2008 Hyundai Veracruz
  By dtwindham - August 27 - 7:36 pm

  I just purchased my Veracruz- love it! I drive about 150 miles each day. Comfort and style are important to me. Can not say enough good things about this impressive SUV.

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  Great car for the money - 2013 Hyundai Veloster
  By dcarr2 - August 27 - 3:17 am

  The 1.6 liter with 6 speed transmission works flawlessly and has all the power I need. It is super smooth and a real joy to drive in the mountains. I get over 40 mpg highway regularly. The touchscreen is VERY nice, and includes a Pandora application so I can stream Pandora from my Android phone via Bluetooth, and it shows the song and artist on the touch screen. I can even skip songs from the control on the steering wheel. As it has a USB jack, so, I can also charge my Android phone with the cable it came with, nothing extra to buy. My phone connects via Bluetooth and even imports contacts. I can answer and hang up calls from the steering wheel.