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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  Great car your daily needs & for college - 2002 Hyundai Accent
  By SSJ4Vegeta - December 5 - 10:00 am

  My silver accent gl is so nice, i love the gleam of light it makes during a sunny day. A excellent fuel saver and smoothness when driven. I got an great price on it too!! Its packed, I play my CD-Rs in all the time too.

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  Update on my 7/28/09 review - 2009 Hyundai Elantra Touring
  By Happy Camper - December 4 - 7:46 am

  I absolutely LOVE this car! I have yet to find something I really dont like about it. Best mpg to date is 37 mpg on a long cruise-controlled drive to New York state and back! Someone else, here, noted an issue with the cd player: cracks and pops from a brand new cd. But I dont care, really. Who even WANTS to listen to cds what with the fabulous XM radio music selection?! Contrary to my earlier request for more horsepower, it really doesnt need it. The Touring has ample get-up-and-go for this 55 y.o. And Im still discovering neat design features that Hyundai engineering deserves great kudos for.

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  Great Car! Fun and Sporty - 2001 Hyundai Elantra
  By Rhondaborne - December 3 - 2:00 am

  We purchased our Elantra over two years ago. I have never held on to a car as long as this one because it is comfortable, reliable, dependable and you just cant beat the warranty! I would recommend this car to everyone. My stereo system sounds better than the one in my husbands Toyota! There is only one thing I would correct and that is the wind noise. Please note that this is true in all of the cars that I have owned - even Toyota and Honda.

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  I love my Accent - 2004 Hyundai Accent
  By eje428 - December 3 - 2:00 am

  I bought it in April 2003, and have driven it around town and a family trip of 2,000 miles. The ride was excellent and the mileage was great. I love the fact that My Accent has such a great warranty. I am not sorry for buying it and I highly recommend the car to anyone. The only thing I wish I did was get 4 doors. My children are grown but my grandchildren now ride with me.

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  hyundai 04 - 2004 Hyundai Tiburon
  By steelwrkn - December 2 - 11:13 pm

  Ive owned my vehicle for over 2 years now and havent had any problems. I did just have to take it in to get the fuel canister fixed but it was all covered under warranty and was no problem. Ive driven the car a lot, almost 40,000 miles, and Im a hard driver (quick starts, fast stops, sharp turns). Ive loved every minute of driving this car and while the blindspots are difficult, you do get used to them. Ive recommended this car to others looking for something thats a lot of fun, but reasonably priced.

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  very good car - 2004 Hyundai Tiburon
  By alberto sanchez - December 2 - 10:00 am

  the world is not enough without a hyundai tiburon i love it and i will keep it forever and ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever ever

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  Fun and good looking vehicle - 2004 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Cheryl Gerst - December 2 - 10:00 am

  I loved this vehicle from the time I first test drove. I knew I had to own it. It compares to my Nissan 240 I owned 5 yrs ago. I would have bought another Nissan, but their 350Z is just out priced.

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  which car did the editors dirve????? - 2004 Hyundai XG350
  By dale webster - December 2 - 10:00 am

  test drove several lux. cars.found the xg350l priced well below honda and nissan. was concerned about editors socre and comments. i found them to be not true.love my xg

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  Great value - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By flashgq - December 2 - 10:00 am

  With the 2K rebate I got this in Automatic for under 14K with sunroof and abs!!! Unbeatable value!

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  My first new car - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By Ric h - December 2 - 10:00 am

  I bought my 2003 Elantra in Feb 2003 for $14.800 the only extras I bought were the extended warranty package and a cd player everything else was standard, I also looked at was the Toyota Echo but I thought the Elantra was a better looking car and a better value for my money.I also looked at the Accent but my wife didnt like the smaller engine and smaller tires but it was $3000 cheaper then the Elantra, My biggest complaint is the gas mileage I get only 19 miles to the gallon! 99% of my driving is local and I have only 5400 miles on it in 15 months of driving! the dealer says I will get better mileage once it is broken in