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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  Hyundai Accent - 2003 Hyundai Accent
  By Kanevision - July 17 - 2:00 am

  This is my first Hyundai car i have ever driven and i love it! It is the best car equal to the Tiburon!

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  Love this SUV - 2011 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By mikea11414 - July 15 - 7:58 pm

  While I agree the car is a little noisy over bad roads everything else so far is great. Its alot of fun to drive. Has the get up and go when you hit the gas, even better than my previous 09 murano. Great view of the road too which my wife loves.

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  Great value - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By Spursrule - July 15 - 1:56 am

  We were loyal Honda and Toyota owners for 20+ years. Checked this out and what a nice vehicle. Specs for the $$ is a great value. I spoke with past Hyundai owners before buying this and not one had a bad thing to say about their Sonatas. If a family sedan is what you are looking for, drive this before you make your decision. Handles great for a sedan. Interior controls are logical in places. Ours Limited is Powder White w the wine leather interior. We love it.

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  best suv for your money - 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By santafeguyfl - July 14 - 12:13 pm

  The carbuying press always bashes Hyundais but we have had our 2003 now for almost 3 years. It has only had one problem at 43,000 miles the oil pump pressure releif valve froze. It was replaced at no cost under the best warranty in the industry while we were given a loaner car. The V-6 has more than adequate power for its class and delivers great gas mileage for its size. we average 24mpg in town and 29- 31 on the highway with the standard automatic transmission. The Quality has been so good in fact that I used Hyundais $2000 owner loyalty rebate towards the purchase of my Elantra. The Santa fe has all of the features that would cost you 4-6 thousand more dollars on a RAV-4 or CRV

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  I own a unicorn - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
  By iankeefe - July 14 - 4:40 am

  So far its a neat car. I think the exterior styling is top notch. It doesnt appear to be trying to look cool. Nice wheels, and contrasting body moldings. Look at the back of the car at night with the tail lights on. No lie, it has a smiling face. Alot like a Jack-O-Lantern. Youll think I am nuts until you look.

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  Hyundai Accent: A Quality Vehicle - 2001 Hyundai Accent
  By Rich Landau - July 14 - 2:00 am

  When in the winter of 2000 my 1989 Honda Civic clamored for yet another exhaust system repair (can you say "poor design"?), Id had enough! My only knowledge of Hyundai was of the Excel back in the 1980s. A real POS! Recent commentary on the brand revealed that times had changed that Hyundai was now manufacturing quality vehicles at VERY affordable prices, backed by the industrys best warranty. A few months worth of research (Honda, Toyota, Nissan, Mazda, et al) and several test drives led me to buy a 2001 Hyundai Accent GS (hatchback) at a bargain price. $4,000-$6,000 less expensive than any comparable car in its class.

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  Excellent Crossover SUV - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By MalZ - July 13 - 8:20 pm

  I have a 2007 FWD SE Santa Fe in Slate Blue and I am very impressed and happy with my purchase. The Santa Fe handles well, looks good and is fun to drive. On top of that, it comes with one of the best warranties available all at a great price. I havent had a chance to do any long distance driving yet, but in city driving and on my 15 mile commute I have been getting around 21 MPG.

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  but wait ... - 2006 Hyundai Tiburon
  By suro - July 13 - 3:53 pm

  The radio antenna is manual, i.e., one gets out of the car and unscrews it before going through a car wash. I didnt know this was a possibilty and of course the salesman did not mention it. Where I live snow is packed in and I cannot get it off (ok, so Im 64 years old). But otherwise, it is a great car (although Ive only had it for a week). I love the short stick shift and everything else about it.

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  Awesome - 2008 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Lori - July 13 - 12:26 am

  I absolutely love the way my new SUV handles. The gas is pretty good on highway, 28 and 22 around town. Not too shabby. Its extremely comfortable and very roomy. It offers a lot for the price. Tinted windows in the back, the seats fold down and the window in the way back can open with out opening the hatch back. I dont really have any dislikes. The only thing that I wish I could have gotten is four wheel drive. The warranty is Fantastic.

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  GREAT VALUE - 2002 Hyundai Sonata
  By LISA - July 12 - 2:00 am

  I couldnt pass up the deal on the Sonata LX! I still get comments on its handsome exterior and leather/wood interior. A few months after buying the car, I had problems with it acting like it wanted to go dead. The dealership found a loose wire and fixed it with no problem. This is my first V6 its a lot of fun and useful in quick passing.