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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  Never had a better car! - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By cavanah - May 20 - 12:03 am

  I have previously had two Fords,(will never have another one because quality was poor and customer service poorer) and a Honda CRV. I have never been more pleased with this Hyundai Santa Fe! I was drawn at first to the great exterior design and after stepping into the drivers seat was sold. The back seats recline so that my kids can nap on long trips and the 3rd row seat has been a lifesaver for this soccer mom. I love the engines get up and go. Plenty of power outlets. Never had XM before but now Im addicted. The blue interior lights are easy on the eyes. I have interior lights when I open my car doors, not sure what other people are missing. I love, love, love this Car!!!

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  Great Car to have - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
  By zencat - May 19 - 7:48 pm

  good reliable transportation with personality

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  My GT - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
  By Clyde Vandivort - May 19 - 4:00 pm

  I have mostly enjoyed my Elantra GT (we have another GT, and 03 model). I live in the mountains of West Virginia, and do a lot of driving due to working 45 miles away. My GT is fun to drive on the twisty roads, and returns excellent gas mileage. The stereo works great and keeps me entertained enroute. My only complaint is that I have some vibration on braking, due to warped brake rotors. I am surprised at this, with only 12,000+ miles.

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  I Just Bought Another One - 2003 Hyundai Sonata
  By Ambassador - May 19 - 7:51 am

  I have driven this car the last 3 years and I just love it. It is quiet, has good handling and is comfortable. I make 500 mi trips regularly and this is the only car I can remember that allows me to drive 500 miles without giving me back problems.

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  Love it! - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By Jim - May 19 - 4:33 am

  This is a great car! Handles well with enough pep for city traffic. Average 31 in mixed driving.

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  2002 SantaFe review - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By jinhan - May 19 - 2:00 am

  Wheel Alignment issue at initial purchase and some vibration noise after 5000 miles. Besides those issues, its fun to drive

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  One of the best out there! - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Bottomley - May 19 - 2:00 am

  This is an excellent car. My husband and I researched cars quite extensively...RAV4, Vue, CRV, Liberty...and overall the Hyundai far surpassed all others. It performs, is made well, has incredible standard features, and the price was unbeatable!

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  Santa Fe - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By troy boudreaux - May 19 - 2:00 am

  Absolutely perfect. Fun and comfortagle to drive, with an excellent value. Great warrenty and representation from the company.

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  Great for the price! - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By Kelli - May 18 - 10:06 pm

  I have only owned my Sonata for 1 month, but love it so far! I have 2 teenage boys who need the leg room and Hyundai has done a great job in this car. I also love the fuel economy, since I traded in an Explorer which got 15mpg! Safety was another concern of mine since I will soon be letting my teenager learn to drive in this vehicle.

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  Gorgeous - 2008 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Taylor - May 18 - 5:10 pm

  Gas mileage really changes city to highway , in city 21 to 23, hwy 23 to 27mpg. The ride is very sweet. steering is good and tight, interior is very sharp. stereo blows my BOSE system in my avalanche, sounds Great..