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 it - 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By kerry holmes - May 28 - 12:30 am

  love it ride good. I find my self speeding because it ride so smooth comepare to my suv.this is my wife car. my girl wamts ot to go to college in it not her honda. no way she wil get it.like the intero setup good ac.seats up high so you can see the road.lots of room in back for things. will buy me one on my next car

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  unhappy - 2004 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Darryl - May 27 - 4:33 pm

  Nice car at first.Been in the twelve times since.

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  Hyundai Sonata - 2005 Hyundai Sonata
  By B. Pratt - May 27 - 8:06 am

  Ive had to return the vehicle to the dealer one time for a minor hood adjustment. Other than that the car has been flawless, fun to drive and its frequently confused with some of the high-end Japanese imports. What a bargain!!!

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  A sweet ride - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By skylark - May 27 - 4:16 am

  I drove the the Camry and Accord when shopping--the Sonata has a much more comfortable ride. When pulling up to red lights next to Sonatas competitors, I find myself feeling sorry for them that they settled for less. The Sonata is really well thought out in terms of design. I couldnt be happier. Thank you Hyundai engineers and designers. My daughter bought one just six days after I bought mine--different color of course. She loves hers too.

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  Good Car - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
  By Gisele - May 26 - 10:36 pm

  I choose this car for my parents because of the affordability and warranty.

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  Good mountain car - 1998 Hyundai Elantra
  By MtnDriver - May 26 - 2:57 pm

  Great mountain car, handles good on snow/ice/solid snow floor. Put 10K miles on it in 6 months. Has good get up and go, especially on steep mountain grades- can go 65 in 4th gear up a big grade (5 speed). No major problems until now (wheel bearing replacement, exhaust system problem, oil pan leak) and the paint scratches really easily. Overall great experience aside from the mechanic visits.

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  4Great car for the $$$ - 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By dlegend - May 26 - 1:03 pm

  Pretty good vehicle. We are happy with the design and appearance so far. Still breaking it in, so cant give you an estimate on the gas mileage that is valid, nor how it agrees with the manufacturer, but so far, city driving has given us 18-20 mpg. The car has plenty of power, if you feel you need more, then you should get a V-8 or a sports car......this car is plenty good and gives power when needed, and decent fuel consumption. Third row seat is no good for anyone taller than 5 10" - unless you are driving a basketball team, someone will be shorter, and those people can survive on even longer trips. I am 6 4" and the first 2 rows have plenty of room. The panoramic roof is awesome!

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  Surprisingly happy - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By russ - May 26 - 10:00 am

  If you had told me three months ago that Id buy a Hyundai, Id have told you that you were nuts! After researching reviews and pricing I got my wife one and it (so far) has been a very pleasant surprise. We got all the goodies on it for a very fair price and the warranty cant be beat. Ive gotten compliments on it from cowboys to Grannies. Were getting about 21.5 mpg which is what we thought wed get city/highway.

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  Elantra GLS - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By JP_ - May 26 - 10:00 am

  Never thought that I would own a Hyundai. I went to test drive the car because of the warranty. I was impressed. This is nothing like Hyundais of old. The interior is well laid out and comfortable. Even for a 60 300 pounder like me. The exterior is not hard to look at. Performance is good for a 4 banger, and the transmission is silky smooth. The car also comes fully loaded for under 13 grand.

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  Unbeatable Value - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By chillyb - May 25 - 11:13 pm

  I purchased my 2001 1/2 Elantra GT in June of 2001. I now have almost 10k miles on the odometer. I am very pleased with the performace of my GT. I have had no problems with the car and it has been a pleasure to drive. The most impressive thing about the car is the tremendous value it offers. A similarly equipped vehicle in a Honda, Toyota, or Mazda would costs thousands more. With the GT, you can have all of the bells and whistles without feeling guilty for what you paid for them.