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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  Bang for Your Buck - 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By cj8drummer - August 18 - 11:53 pm

  Very happy with vehicle overall. I think Hyundai is offering a lot of upscale features for a reasonable price. I have three kids that are hard on a car. The leather is definitely a winner and the interior feels nice. I opted to pass on the third row which at times Im sure Ill miss but I really didnt want to give up the storage space that you lose when adding the third row.

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  Love it - 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By JC - August 18 - 7:26 pm

  I love this vehicle. Its fun to drive and it handles very well. Glad I got the 3.5, as it has fantastic pick-up. The only draw back -- it is a little thirsty at the pump. I would not, however, go back to Auto Nation.

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  New GT Lover - 2006 Hyundai Elantra
  By MaryAnn - August 18 - 3:27 pm

  I purchased my Elantra GT in April 2006 after having to give up a 96 Grand Am. It was a difficult choice but one Im glad I made. This is my first brand new car. Ive had no major difficulities with the car a few cosmetic situations that the dealer took care of right away. Im pleased so far with the way the car handles, the gas mileage and the over all ability of the engine there is a slight difference going from a V6 to a 4 cylinder. I did purchase the upgrade for the ABS/traction control but havent had circumstances to use it yet. With winter approaching, Im sure I will. I think it is a good quaity car for the money.

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  I like it.... - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By mylai - August 18 - 2:43 pm

  I just got my Tucson and i love it! I do agree with everyone about the get up and go on it. It could be better. Other then that it is perfect for me. I had a Jeep Grand Cherokee before this and i am happy about my new choice.

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  Happy - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Dirk - August 18 - 11:56 am

  It is a beautiful car. I liked the very responsive mannual shift yet smooth. One of the best vehicle out there for your money.

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  Nice Car - 2004 Hyundai XG350
  By Nick - August 18 - 9:30 am

  For the price this is an outstanding car. The only thing I miss is a compass.

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  2007 Sante Fe, Fantastic Value - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Joe W - August 17 - 11:16 pm

  I purchased a Hyundai for my son 2 years ago and was very impressed with the value of the vehicle. I did not like the 2006 Sante Fe exterior but read that the 2007 was going to be a significant redesign. When I found phots of the 2007 I began to compare the Sante Fe to the Hondas and Toyotas. I think that the value for the price is not even a close comparison. I knew I wanted to purchase a new Sante Fe as soon as I was able to find the best price for the model and options I wanted. I like the ride and handeling, I like how quite the interior ride is, I think that most of the controls and features are well thought out and placed within reach of the driver and I really like the way it looks.

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  Overall...A Good Value - 2006 Hyundai Elantra
  By Austin - August 17 - 6:27 pm

  This Hyundai feels strong driving around town but handling is on the soft side. Ride quality is good for an economy car and relatively quiet until you rev past 3000 rpm. Downside, does not get good fuel economy with automatic and shifts are slower than other cars.

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  Tiburon is the Bomb - 2007 Hyundai Tiburon
  By luvintheride - August 17 - 1:26 pm

  I have only had the car for two days but I love it so far, as soon as I drove it off of the lot I loved it.

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  tuscon review - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Brown Robert A - August 17 - 5:33 am

  Nice suv FOR SMALL PEOPLE(short) easy access in vehicle for tall folks plenty of headroom.Nice ride, good sounding stereo,Drivers seat could go back a little further.Like the fact of all the options in base vehicle.