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:

• 

  I love this car! - 2001 Hyundai Elantra
  By wolverine state owne - April 19 - 10:00 am

  I was hesitant at first because I couldnt see how they could pack all these options into a car in this price range. My wifes 2001 Neon (Bought around the same time)has been in for three recalls and numerous cosmetic and mechanical problems. My Hyundai (which I paid almost $3000 less for) has had nothing but oil changes and tire rotations. I LOVE THIS CAR!!!

• 

  Get it now! - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By Prince Planet - April 19 - 10:00 am

  I have had my Elantra GT for approximately half a year now. It has 6,000 + miles and Ive had 0 problems. When I first got the vehicle, I assumed that they must have gone cheap somewhere. If they have I havent found it yet. Theyve even gone so far as to put rubber inserts into the knobs so that your fingers dont slip off. Its a ball to drive and everything works all the time without fail. An excellent buy at any price.

• 

  Love this car!!! - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By tasallen - April 19 - 10:00 am

  We have had the car for only a few months, but we are in love! It rides smoothly, and is very quiet.

• 

  Solid car for the money. - 2015 Hyundai Sonata
  By gorpot - April 18 - 8:27 pm

  Bought the car 3 weeks ago, and have about 1,000 miles so far. Last car was a 2012 Sonata. This 2015 sonata drives very nice but is no sports car. I like the exterior design of the 2011-2014 Sonata a lot better, but the 2015 bring more conventional. The outside noise is almost none existent. This car is very quiet. Nice interior, and is bigger inside then my 2012 Sonata. Gas mileage has been good with 39 MPG on a trip mostly at 70 MPH. only complaint so far has been two trips back to the dealer to get a faulty rear window defogger switch fixed. One complaint is there is less storage room in middle counsel area above the transmission handle. A lot of dead area there.

• 

  Great car! - 2001 Hyundai Elantra
  By Denverite - April 18 - 5:14 pm

  Have had this car 4.5 years with no problems whatsoever. Does just fine driving in the Colorado mountains in wintertime. Good fuel economy, averages around 32 mpg mixed driving.

• 

  Impressed with my 2011 SE - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By mikey86 - April 17 - 2:59 pm

  Just picked up my SE and put 200 miles on so far. The car is exceptional , performance, comfort and style are unmatched for a car at this price range. I will update when I put more miles on the car.

• 

  Great car! - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Kris - April 17 - 11:23 am

  I researched cars for MONTHS before I purchased this car, and read everything I could about this car for a few weeks. Other than "minor" issues, I could find no REAL negative comments about this redesigned car. Ive had it for 2 months and LOVE it!!! It looks, drives, and feels GREAT. Im proud to own it.

• 

  PROBLEMS!!! - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Michael Cunningham - April 16 - 10:00 am

  Got a Hyundai Santa Fe , but now we regret our decision. We have had multiple problems w/ this vehicle, such as paint peeling, check engine light coming on, and a very loud wind noise from the roof of the vehicle. It has been in the shop for the wind noise over 20 times and still not fixed. It took 3 months to get the check engine light fixed. Paint peeling has been replaced 3 times.

• 

  Best bang for the $Buck - 2004 Hyundai Tiburon
  By SpeedDevil944 - April 16 - 10:00 am

  The car is excellent. I am upgrading to the GT V6 Tiburon from a 1984 Porsche 944. ...When I first heard Hyundai worked with Porsche on the suspension, and that originally it was based off the 944 specs, I figured it would be nothing more than a 1999 944... Well, this car is a lot more than a new 944... Better handeling, 6spd tranny, moonroof. This is one fantastic car.

• 

  So Far, So GOOD - 2004 Hyundai Tiburon
  By toothfairy324 - April 16 - 10:00 am

  When I was first shopping for a new vehicle, I was looking at the Celica GT- S, test drove it and everything. However, I was really not looking forward to the hefty monthly payment. The same day that I test drove the Celica, my boyfriend took me to the Hyundai dealership where he got his car. I had forgotten all about them! Needless to say, when I saw the GTV6 in the showroom, I was blown away! It is a beautiful car with lines just how I like them. I knew this was the car that I wanted to get, but I was always making fun of Jon for his Accent... I got the Moonlit Blue in the 6 speed form, fully loaded! I had to have the sunroof!