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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  2ns Elantra in 2 months - 2007 Hyundai Elantra
  By Hyundai man - July 11 - 2:20 pm

  In Sept we brought a 06 Elantra and were very happy with it, untill it was totaled a week ago. We were not injured ,much to the suprize of the local EMS people.I am now sold on Hyundai. Returned to same dealer and feel in love with a Black 07 SE. Lots of room ,great looks and a ton of standard features. Best of all got a great deal on the cars. Even with under a 100 miles on it already getting 30 mpg.

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  Eat Your Heart Out Ford Explorers - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Gary Erskine - July 10 - 10:00 am

  I bought this vehicle for the quality, price, the warranty, and the reputation the company has. I have never been disappointed in any of its features. I had a Ford Exploder before this with the 4.0 SOHC and the Santa Fe will not only run away from it but get gobs better gas mileage while doing it. It handles like a dream in mountain curves and straight aways never wandering or feeling like you were out of control. The Ford product did not give you this same sense of security. I have done nothing but drive the vehicle and have not had ONE single incident where I had to take it to the garage for any repairs. Would buy another in a heartbeat.

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  I Like My New Elantra GT - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
  By MJ - July 9 - 8:10 pm

  Just got this vehicle. I really like it so far. It works great to haul the kids around in and looks sporty. I wish the MP3 player was still standard - I had to buy my own at $200. So far so good and the warranty is a great piece of mind.

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  New Transmission at 22K - 2003 Hyundai Accent
  By Eileen - July 9 - 1:04 pm

  At 18K miles, it started to ride sluggishly so we had the transmission looked at. At 22K it needed a new tranmission - fortunately, it was still under warranty although we bought it used...with 12K on it.

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  Great little car - 2007 Hyundai Accent
  By HMCIDC - July 8 - 2:07 pm

  Any car that gets 35+ MPG is not going to be a crotch rocket and this car is no exception to that rule however it is a well made, fun to drive car that looks, feels and drives like anything but an entry level econo-box. It is surprisingly roomy and very comfortable. Its exterior styling is sporty rather than the usual vanilla bargain basement look of other cars in this price range. The interior design is well thought-out and the materials and craftsmanship far exceeded my expectations. It accelerates to highway speeds effortlessly even with the automatic transmission however while accelerating hard the little 4 cylinder does sound a bit “busy”however All in all it is a great little car!

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  Next Lexus? - 2016 Hyundai Genesis
  By Gary Jamison - July 8 - 4:28 am

  Overall great car but ride not as serene as my Lexus. Reliability not as good as Lexus. Other Genisis owners have felt trade in values not as high as expected, especially when shopping for new model Genisis. I am waiting for 2017 G80 and G90 before deciding.

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  Get a dome light - 2001 Hyundai XG300
  By CAustinonnie - July 7 - 2:53 pm

  I enjoyed owning this vehicle and found it very comfortable for long trips. Two problems..rear safety belts were hard to get into and there was no dome light and at night one could not see in the back seat. Only map lights in the front.

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  A MUST for a GROWING family - 2008 Hyundai Veracruz
  By CLR - July 7 - 2:36 pm

  We have been looking for a second SUV that will accommodate our growing family and weve found it in the Vera Cruz. We comparatively drove the Dodge Journey and the Toyota Highlander and the Vera Cruz won out by far. We even parked beside a similar colored silver Lexus and it was obvious the styling was much nicer on the Vera Cruz. We also own a Santa Fe and although we love it as well, the Vera Cruz provides that added extra room when you need it. The 3rd row is enough for adults (issues with the Highlander and Journey) and even with a car seat in the second row you can comfortably fit in another 2 adults beside it (a tight squeeze in our Santa Fe). I would recommend to any family!!

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  More than I expected - 2006 Hyundai Elantra
  By Nancy - July 7 - 2:33 pm

  I recently purchased a 2006 Elantra GLS and I have to admit when I test drove it, I wasnt expecting much. What a surprise. This car has some muscle after all! Pickup is great. Comfort? Definitely. Plus, a smooth quiet ride. My only complaint was that the molding around the back door came loose, but is easily fixed by the dealer.

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  elantra review - 2017 Hyundai Elantra
  By JOHN HOLLOWAY - July 7 - 12:59 am

  radio / infotainment center overkill.... keep it simple . less distracted driving with simpler / few choices .