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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  Reliable and comfortable - 2005 Hyundai Accent
  By Ed Coonce - March 15 - 10:58 pm

  This is my fourth Hyundai and third Accent, and the quality level is very high. I appreciate the smooth quiet ride and good gas mileage. I am looking forward to a Hyundai Hybrid, or alternative fuel vehicle. Im a satisfied customer.

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  Awesome drive - 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe
  By AIRFORCE - March 15 - 11:23 am

  Out of all the sports cars Ive had, the genesis is definitely nothing short of awesome. I am in love with mine and encourage anyone who is in the market for an affordable sports car, definitely take a look at the Hyundai genesis coupe. You will love it.

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  WATCH OUT FOR WARRANTY - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By SUE - March 15 - 2:00 am

  5/60,000 LIMITED warranty is much more limited than indicated in Owners Handbook. Watch out for items not listed in WHATS NOT COVERED section. Very vague, states what most owners already know, they dont cover the basic normal replacement parts, brake pads, bulbs, fuses etc. What they dont tell you about is what is usually covered by other manufactures under a true BUMPER TO BUMBER format. Had Chevy bumper to bumper and it covered everything for advertised time/mileage. Also considered noisy and heavy engine vibration when put into gear "normal" engine performance.

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  My 2006 Santa Fe - 2006 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By JOE NEDICH - March 14 - 11:20 pm

  1st santa fe i,ve owned and i am pleased , as i had a new hyundia sedan in 1984 that i swore i would never purchase one again,but am pleasently surprised at this vehicle,would reccomend it to anyone.my santa fe is the 3.5 2 wheel dr.

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  Mine is 3 years old! - 2013 Hyundai Equus
  By Rob S - March 14 - 8:40 pm

  I have a 13 which is basically the same car as the 16. It has cost me zero in maintenance. After 38 months and 45,000 miles I noticed the top of the headlights were starting to show "yellowing". This car stays in the garage. I mentioned it to the dealer when it was being serviced. Hyundai replaced the headlight assemblies. The car has been rock solid. The only issue was when it was less than a month old the seat massager went out, it was replaced under warranty. It is now 4 years old, it still runs and looks new...no problems.

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  My Thoughts - 2006 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Terry - March 14 - 12:53 pm

  Actually I really like this SUV, I wanted a manual and something that was not going to kill my budget. So far I am getting about 23-27 MPG and I can not complaine about much on it. I did replace the factory stero so I could plug in my IPod. But it handles well and it rides nice w/ cruse on the highway, even over the big hills. The front seat is not the beast fit for me, I am 63 and over 300lbs, but I mostly notice it on long trips.

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  OUR SUV - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Maggie - March 14 - 1:00 am

  Excellent Small SUV for todays high gas prices. Plenty of room for family and packages

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  AWESOME - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By ARIEL - March 13 - 10:00 am

  I NEVER EXPECTED "HYUNDAI TO COME OUT WITH A CAR I CAN SAY I LOVE" I BELEIVE HYUNDAI HAS COME A LONG WAY. I LOOK FORWARD TO DOING BUSINESS WITH THEM IN THE FUTURE.

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  mollys - 2002 Hyundai Accent
  By Katie - March 13 - 10:00 am

  this is a fun vechile to drive and gets excellent gas mileage. I have not had any trouble with it and I am thinking about buying another Hyundai

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  This is the Best Car ever - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By invoice - March 13 - 10:00 am

  I love this car. My wife and I fight over driving it and we have decide to get her one of her owe.