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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  Love my Hyundai - 2006 Hyundai Elantra
  By Terri - May 28 - 7:56 pm

  I traded my 05 Accent for the Elantra because I wanted a more roomier car. I find these cars are well made and are priced right for anyones budget. I like the smooth ride and the handling of this car. The interior is sharp and easy to find everything. I have a black car with black and grey interior. It has a great sound system, better then the Accent I owned. It came with a CD player which was a plus for me because I had to have one installed in my Accent. The seats are a soft velour cloth and very comfortable and the lumbar adjustment is great because I have a bad back and I can adjust it to my likeing. Its a car with a lot of bang for the buck. It drives like a dream!

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  nice car - 2006 Hyundai Tiburon
  By JACQ - May 28 - 11:50 am

  handles great!!!!!!

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  Hugs the ground - 2001 Hyundai XG300
  By RC K - May 28 - 10:00 am

  Going 70 mph, in order to avoid another car,the choice was go down an embankment, or go into a fishtail. The car hugged the ground tight, never feeling like it was going to flip. It did a 360, coming to a stop on the shoulder. I KNOW the weight & stability of this car saved our lives, so the lower gas milege I get because of it is well worth it!

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  good car - 2004 Hyundai Tiburon
  By gamble - May 28 - 10:00 am

  very nice car for the money

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  Almost bought an Infiniti - 2004 Hyundai XG350
  By SPECIALK - May 28 - 10:00 am

  Really wanted to get an Infiniti. 40K for the model I wanted seemed a bit steep. My wife has a Sonata which she loves, so I tried the XG350. Has a great look and filled with gadgets. The interior is gorgeous. Drives great and since my travel is almost all freeway dont know what Edmunds is talking about with their confused transmission remark. All this for a lot less. Hope the 100,000 mile warranty is as advertised.

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  Hyundai Elantra - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By JNVMaisel - May 28 - 10:00 am

  Power is readily accessible and substantial. Suspension is firm to a point then breaks to real soft. Im considering changing the springs to Eibachs so not as high of a roll-over feel.

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  SATISFIED OWNER - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By DAVE8282 - May 28 - 10:00 am

  THE RIDE IS GREAT AND THE PRICE WAS THOUSNADS LESS THAN THE CAMRY OR ACCORD. REALLY GET MORE BANG FOR YOUR BUCK.

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  Great car for the money - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By KekrmanStettner - May 28 - 10:00 am

  EXCELLENT, most reliable vehicle I have owned.

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  mine - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By joepants - May 28 - 10:00 am

  driver seat is small.

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  Santa Fe Is Great - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By beardr2 - May 28 - 10:00 am

  An unbelivable value. Shockingly good quality and very attractive and comfortable to boot