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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  Im in Love - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By Linda - June 15 - 1:33 pm

  About a month ago, we visited 2 Hyundai dealerships. Looked at many of its peers on internet before the face- to-face visits. For the first time in 20 years, I ventured out of the Acura domain. I fell in love with this model, it has all the bells and whistles found in Acura. I was hooked on the Sonata after the test drive. It is a sharp looking car that has already gotten rave reviews by complete strangers whenever I am in town.

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  Car is about $8,000 underpriced! - 2001 Hyundai Elantra
  By Too Many Happy - June 15 - 10:00 am

  Elantra GT hatch back -Solid, quite, runs perfect,I have owned a Cadillac, Alfa Romeo, Mercury, 3 Fords, Chrysler, Chevy and a toyota. This is by far the most for the money,and the better ride all around. get the moon roof and traction contol and abs, if it did not say Hyundia i would think I am in a Lexus. Real nice, look out Toyota and Honda.

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  Review of 2003 Tiburon - 2004 Hyundai Tiburon
  By TiburonGirl - June 15 - 10:00 am

  The handling of the Tiburon is like your on a roller coaster it just takes your breathe away. The exterior design is like a shark ready to attack.Even though its rated as a sedan its nothing of the sort.It is definately a sports car ready for action.The 17"tires are like glue to the pavement they just grip around every corner,never feeling out of control.

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  I love my car.....Its full of spice. - 2004 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Troy D. Jackson - June 15 - 10:00 am

  Its not a manual 6 speed GTS Celica but, I think its a great car. Hyundai has done a great job not only with styling but, with performance as well. This car is fantastic for those who like quick starts and cruising with a nice rumbling sound. The duel exaust gives the car a very high priced look and again gives the engine a low bass rumble. To this day people still dont know what it is. People stare at it like as if to say, "What the hell is that?" Thanks, T. J.

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  XG350 - 2004 Hyundai XG350
  By AWR27 - June 15 - 10:00 am

  Great car

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  Its a great little car - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By Notabadcar - June 15 - 10:00 am

  I have an 01 that I bought new at the beginning of 02 and I love the little thing. Its not a car that is out to thrill, but if you are in the market for a well engineered economy car I would take a hard look at this one. I am a student and put 40k a year on a car and the Elantra has been a $12,000 god send. I am also 63" tall and have a hard time fitting into most economy cars. The interior space in it is mind blowing, I regularly put 4 adults in it with little difficulty. It handles well for what it is. At freeway speeds it feels like a midsize car. I have had no mechanical difficulties at 71000 miles.

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  Love the Touring - 2009 Hyundai Elantra Touring
  By Liz - June 15 - 5:26 am

  Had a 1992 Honda Civic hatchback before this and wanted another Civic but I found I could get more for my money with the Touring. Ive driven if for about 600 miles so far and I love it more each day. It has everything I was looking for and more; good safety features, lots of cargo space, fun to drive, my tall friends say the backseat is much more spacious than expected and very comfortable. I got the vivid blue color and its awesome. I also love the black interior but it does show anything left behind of the fabric like lint from clothing. I would suggest the sports package (sunroof, 17 inch alloy wheels, and heated seats). Im getting on average around 24-25 MPG (mostly city driving).

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  Just what I wanted - 2010 Hyundai Elantra Touring
  By jordan2240 - June 14 - 8:53 pm

  Just the opposite experience as the previous reviewer. Also have owned the car for only a couple of weeks now, but find the ride to be very smooth and the seating position very comfortable. Given its the GLS version, there arent many bells and whistles, but it has all I need. My previous vehicle was a 2002 Subaru Outback (I also loved) that I turned over to my son when his vehicle died. I wanted something smaller but still roomy and a hatchback. The Touring was the perfect choice (100lb lab fits fine in very back). Great safety features, and I love buzzing around in it. Love XM radio too. Got 29mpg driving mostly around town. Not too shabby. Headlights could be better.

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  Great little car! - 2006 Hyundai Accent
  By Jeremiah Beaty - June 14 - 11:41 am

  I saw this car and fell in love. Its small but fits me quite well. I am six feet tall and I can fit into it comfortably. I have driven my car just for one day and love it! The small engine is plenty for this car, especially if driving it with a feather touch. I expect to get some decent mileage figures this way. Decent features that come standard. Plenty of airbags and ABS! CD player is standard. I loved the little car so much, that I bought two! One for me, and one for the wife.

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  hyundai driver - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By hyundai lover - June 13 - 5:26 pm

  I rented a santa fe for a week and was hooked, when I had to give up my Infinity I went to look at Hondas and other reliable cars and came upon a Hyundai at the Honda dealer and I loved it, the value for the money was so much better than any Honda they had on their lot. I took it even though it had high milage and never regreted it.