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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  Sweet Car - 2004 Hyundai Tiburon
  By andrew1000 - June 19 - 2:00 am

  This car is excellent! Its way better than a Toyota Celica and less expensive. Even on my model the SE it comes with leather and a pretty sweet sound system. Overall Id say its a great car for the money! Id choose it over a Toyota any day.

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  Love it! - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By GatoRx - June 19 - 2:00 am

  Ive had my Santa Fe for 3 months now I love driving it. It runs well around town and on the Highway. I like being up higher than in my Camry but it still drives like a car!

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  SanteFe...rocks - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By rafter - June 19 - 2:00 am

  Although it lacks some of the amenites of other top end SUVs, even fully loaded...who cares...besides who really wants an overly luxurious costly interior getting muddy and dirty. Its great for hauling my skis..ski gear and friends to the mountain. All wheel drive is a pleasure up snowy mtn roads. Leather seats keeps my rear end warm on really cold days. For the price and warranty, thats the best part...CANT BEAT IT

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  Best car ever - 2013 Hyundai Elantra
  By Sandra Page - June 18 - 7:46 am

  I owned a Hyundai before and found it to be a comfortable and dependable vehicle. After owning other brands I am glad I came back. The car is still under warranty with 35,000 miles left. The tech package is everything I could want.

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  Best car for the money - 2002 Hyundai Sonata
  By quint26 - June 18 - 2:00 am

  Ive had my Sonota for only six months and I seem to like it better every day. I drive 92 miles to work and it has been a very comfortable road car, very quiet, and good ride.

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  What an awesome value!!! - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By Daninny - June 17 - 10:00 am

  Awesome value, what else can I say about my 2002 Hyundai Elantra? I am a college student who was in the market for a great car at a great price and I found it. The car looks like it is worth far more then the $14,500 I paid for it - Im often told that the front end looks like that of a BMW and rare end a Mercedes. The interor is simple yet sleek.

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  Pleasant surprise - 2002 Hyundai XG350
  By Mary Ellen - June 17 - 2:00 am

  Recently leased a new XG 350, black with all the bells and whistles!! It is a beauty! Looks more like a luxury car than many of the true luxury cars on the road. Im hoping the transmission will begin to change less noticably, that is the only little quirk I have with it. I can hardly believe all the extras and features that were standard! I could never have all these extras in a Altima, Accord, Passat, Camry without paying a good deal more.

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  The Perfect Car? - 2001 Hyundai Elantra
  By growlingmonkey - June 17 - 2:00 am

  The hatchback, in particular, is a hot little number--bought a dark red one two days ago and Im already getting lots of looks. My automatic is downright peppy! Handling is quick and responsive, and the purple dash lights lend an opulent quality to the car. Having owned an Infiniti Q45, I was not just surprised, but SHOCKED at the features of this gorgeous little hatchback. Lets see what I have to say after I put some more miles on it, but as of right now, I can honestly say Ive never been happier with an auto purchase.

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  Buy It - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By scottsaba - June 17 - 2:00 am

  Replaced a Civic LX with the GT, no comparison. The extras are wonderful, the sunroof appreciated. Best A/C I have ever had in any car. Snappy and responsive stick that is a great deal of fun to drive. No Squeaks or rattles. Smoooooth on the highway and VERY comfortable. Love the leather too! You cant beat the value with this car. Well made body panels are a plus. I gave the Civic to my daughter and I dont miss it one bit. The Hyundai is fun to drive, the Civic was always slow on the uptake and mushy to me.

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  Red Turbo - 2014 Hyundai Sonata
  By brianj6 - June 16 - 6:21 pm

  I purchased a 2014 turbo SE. I wanted a v6 but did not want to spend the gas for the power, so the turbo fits the bill. With 274 horsepower it has plenty of power for merging onto the freeway, passing, and gets a respectable 0-60 time. I am averaging 23 mpg city, and 33 hwy. The car is smoother and quieter than the 2013 gls we have. The backup camera is nice, it take some getting used to if you never had one. I have already used it to help in parallel parking. I like the handling, steering, power, comfort, and style that the Sonata turbo SE has. I highly recommend the Sonata turbo to anyone wanting the power of a v6 but the gas mileage of a 4 banger.