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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  Best Car - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Ryan - August 21 - 4:23 pm

  I have ever driven for under 20K

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  Read My LIPS! SONATA - superb MPG - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By Alan - August 21 - 1:56 pm

  I love this car in and out. The best car i ever had. Can easily beat accord in FC, exterior performance..and Camry without paying lot more.

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  Great Car - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By Erik - August 21 - 5:43 am

  I test drove the Altima, Accord, Jetta, and Kia and by far the Sonata was the best for features, cost and look of the car. Jetta and Accord drove a little better. I recommend getting the SE over the limited, the wheels, spoiler and options make it look better then the limited plus getting the Premium Package you end up with almost the same car as the limited but minus a few grand. I bargained down to 19,800 with premium package so dealers are motivated to sell. When it came down to it I had to decide between Accord and Sonata and the Accord just didnt have the features and cost more. Accord handled better but that was not enough to change my mind. I highly recommend this car to anyone.

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  Stylish Departutre for an Econo-Car Co. - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By ErrantPoet - August 18 - 10:00 am

  I am really enjoying my new Tiburon. It has solid performance and all the options to keep me happy in the years of dependable service I expect to get from it. I love the looks I get while cruising campus, and the jaw-dropping that occurs when I tell people it is a Hyundai. The Tiburon realy sets itself apart from the ubiquitous, less well- equipped, and boring Accords that plague parking lots across America. I drove and shopped Mitsubishis Eclipse, Toyotas Celica, and even Acuras RSX before I decided on the spritly and stylish Tiburon. Hyundai is an up and coming star in the import scene, and the Tiburon is that companys Magnum Opus.

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  Great Car - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By Bradaigh - August 18 - 6:50 am

  This is our second Sonata and the differences between the 2006 and the 2009 are amazing. They really listened to suggestions and incorporated them. It hesitates a wee bit (like the 2006 did) on acceleration, but all things considered, thats great for gas mileage. Were stuck on Sonatas. Great car - great value.

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  Wow - 2003 Hyundai XG350
  By goodman - August 18 - 2:00 am

  This is such a great car! Luxury, comfortable and nice design.Seats are comfortable and very smooth engine.Seats are comfortable and very smooth engine. No other car can provide this much with just 25K!

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  Excellent Car! - 2001 Hyundai Elantra
  By compensate - August 18 - 2:00 am

  I have driven this car for two years and have had very few problems (all minor, so far). The car is very balanced with respect to gas mileage and performance. Build quality approaches the Japanese makes. This is easily the best compact car for the money!

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  A lot of SUV for the money - 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By TBPA - August 17 - 7:10 am

  We drove several comparable vehicles in this category (Subaru Forester, Nissan Murano, Subaru Tribeca, Mazda CX-7, Chrysler Pacifica) and for the money the Santa Fe has them all beat, hands down. The features and options list would have cost thousands more in the other models. Driving off of the lot during the test drive, I felt as if this vehicle was in a completely different league compared to the others we had driven. FAVORITE FEATURES (too many to fit below) The interior materials, fit and finish are absolutely top notch. The Navigation option, while sometimes not the greatest at getting you where you need to go the fastest, definitely works well and intuitively.

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  I highly recommend it - 2003 Hyundai Accent
  By kiitana - August 17 - 2:00 am

  I recieved this car as a graduation present from my parents and I will be taking it to college in the fall. I had looked at a lot of options and am so glad my parents picked this one.

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  First Hyundai - 2008 Hyundai Sonata
  By George - August 16 - 10:50 am

  Traded in 2007 Mazda for this Hyundai. Best move ever. the Sonata is probably the best vehicle Ive owned yet and I trade every year. Sonata is well made quiet and smoother than the other cars I tested prior to buying. This car will probably end my yearly trades. Its a keeper.