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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  cool car - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By stevegel - May 14 - 10:00 am

  Fun car to drive

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  I love my tiburon - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Ariel Kateb - May 14 - 10:00 am

  I Love this car, i was in between the spec-v and this car. i test drovee both and fell in love with the tibby. the look the performance. althought he hp is kind of low you can do alot to change that. i love it

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  Never say never - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By BG53 - May 14 - 10:00 am

  Only owned for two weeks, so impressions are still forming, but so far I am greatly impressed. Feel I got more than I paid for. Very solid construction. Extremely comfortable seats. Decent performance and fuel economy. Great space for people and things. And of course that warranty.

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  My Review - 2006 Hyundai Elantra
  By Nikki - May 14 - 9:13 am

  I recommend this car to anyone budgetting and low maintenance. The car looks nice runs nice and is nice. For the price it gives more than it costs. My mother loves it, it is compact but roomy inside. my brother who is 59 fits in the front and back sit comfortably. Working single moms, lay of the expsive suv this will handle the car seats and kiddies too.

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  Great Car for the Money - 2012 Hyundai Sonata
  By bobs66440 - May 14 - 8:51 am

  I have about 8500 miles on my Sonata and I am very happy with it so far. My previous car was a 2007 Infiniti G35X Sedan, so I was expecting a somewhat mundane driving experience, but happily, I was wrong. Its definitely no Infiniti, but a great car nonetheless. The fuel mileage is as advertised. It runs great and has an amazing amount of power for a four cylinder. It has a very comfortable interior/driving position for me and I am very fussy about that. I especially like the light steering, bluetooth, Homelink, satellite radio, comfy seats and the intuitive and easy to understand controls. It is simply a lot of car for a relatively small price.

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  Its great car and value!!! - 2001 Hyundai XG300
  By kelopi - May 14 - 2:00 am

  I purchased this car in 2001 as brand new. It rides very nice and I love all the features came with the car... which you find those features as options on other cars... such as automatic climate control, leather seats, wood trims, abs, traction control and etc.... I love this car very much and I always hear too nice things about my car from other people who saw and ride in it..

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  Stumble start problem,,My biggest mistake!! - 2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid
  By ecube - May 14 - 12:07 am

  The car did great except city MPG worst than they say in city.. My wife and I had 2 near accidents because the engine didnt kick in after we pulled out in front of people on highway,,Dealer Crain in Little rock was the worst,, told us nothing then went home and a lot are having these problems and Hyundai doesnt stand by their cars,,unless you can be at the dealership instead of at work getting paid,,We spent 3 trips trying to fix car and another to replace part.. Warranty doesnt mean crap if you are there every 2 weeks..BUYER BEWARE!!!!!!!!!!

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  08 Tiburon GT Limited - 2008 Hyundai Tiburon
  By bigboyzclub - May 13 - 2:26 pm

  I got this car new from carmax, it was a gift for my soon to be wife, i didnt even know carmax sold new cars, great bang for the buck. at first she said HYUNDAI!!! what but with in a few weeks she started loving it whats not to love leather seats v-6 engine alloy rims, navigation, sun roof, etc. We loved this car unfortunately had to give it to my mom in a trade since we had a baby and there isnt much room for a baby seat. I would recommend this car to anyone and say look beyond the badge on the hood, hyundai makes capable cars for a lot less then most. Take a look do some research and see dollar for dollar they make great sense, trust me im a business man and i always look 4 a value!!!

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  Transmission Issues - 2001 Hyundai XG300
  By aaronpc - May 12 - 7:13 pm

  Since I bought my XG300 I experienced a slight shutter when going from 3rd to 4th gear. The dealership said this was common in the 01 XG300. I now have 87K on the car and my warranty is not valid since I am the 2nd owner (non- transferrable 100K drive-train warranty!), and the extended warranty I bought at the dealership is null-and-void since firm went bankrupt. Im stuck with paying for a brand new transmission on a 3.5 year old car! I called Hyundai direct and they said not their problem.

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  New Sante Fe Owned as of 3/2/02 - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By BCav - May 12 - 6:33 pm

  I will send further info when I have about 2 weeks of constant driving under my belt. I would like to thank everyones input on this car as it helped with my final decision in buying it. There is NO SUV on the market for the money and feel like the Sante Fe!!