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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  7000 mile report - 2007 Hyundai Veracruz
  By cpt12am - March 16 - 8:06 am

  7K and 6 months later and no rattles, defects or problems. Two things have stood out: the quiet ride and the above EPA gas mileage encountered (31MPG HWY). I also own a Jag XJ8 and this car is more comfortable and quiet. I do not see many on the road, so I guess the snob appeal is still lacking. A pity because this vehicle is a winner.

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  Aas good as Japanese cars - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By gerry Wolter - March 15 - 5:13 pm

  Been driving excellent Japanese cars for 30 years. My SantaFe is as good as any Ive ever had. Tows my 3000 lbs boat better than Toyata or Isuzu. Great features & no problems at 20K miles. Very solid vehicle and fun to drive. Would like to have a real manual shift, but beats a straight automatic. I have front wheel drive so I get about 23 MPG with the 3.5 liter with loads of power. Love it...

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  Really good car!! - 2013 Hyundai Sonata
  By Nikolai - March 15 - 4:01 am

  I work at courier company so i do at least 200-300+ miles a day and i only do an oil change. Never broke down, im surprised that Hyundai can be very reliable car. Everything works well on car. Only 1 thing that disappoints me is resell value

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  Great Car - 2001 Hyundai XG300
  By Travis04 - March 14 - 10:00 am

  I love my new car and all the features it has, I only had my car for 2 months now and my sister just ran out a bought a brand new 2004 XG350 because she enjoyed looking at my car daily.

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  drive and ride with the wind !!!!! - 2004 Hyundai Tiburon
  By ROBIN A HARMON - March 14 - 10:00 am

  i love it. my car is so sharp looking . look,s fast only a 4 cylnder, but look,s sharp. always geting asked questions about it, . i let friends drive it , and when they come back it,s alway,s . !!! damm nice car and then i have 50 questions to ans , lol

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  THE BEST VALUE, EXCELLENT QUALITY - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By Wayne, Alexandria VA - March 14 - 10:00 am

  Bought this vehicle and am amazed at the power available in such an economical car. I learned how to drive on my fathers 1966 Chevy Impala 283 V-8 and this V-6 Sonata is its twin in pick up from a standing start. The interior is plush and the design....I feel like I bought a Jag! I owned a 2000 Hyundai previous to the Sonata and it was a solid, reliabe, no frills car. This Sonata is fantastic! Get one!

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  Love my Hyundai - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By aauummm - March 14 - 10:00 am

  I bought this car as a commuter car. Turns out it is my favorite, so Ill be selling my Jeep Cherokee and BMW 325IS. The car is fun to drive and gets pretty good gas mileage as well. I have gotten 36.1 mpg on the road and it averages 25 mpg in mixed driving. Its peppy and comfortable. I did put factory alloys on it because I dont like plastic hubcaps.

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  Nice car - 1990 Hyundai Sonata
  By EricLISTER - March 14 - 2:00 am

  Its a pretty good car, ive tried to take good car of it, and its never let me down, not yet anyway.

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  2Hyundais - One Family - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By LoyalHyundaiOwner - March 13 - 8:23 pm

  We just purchased a 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe. We already (and still) own a 2003 Hyudai Santa Fe and are very pleased with the reliability and superior value this vehicle provides for an SUV. The handling is excellent, the value for the money is superior, and improvements in standard features and exterior styling have made the Santa Fe even more desirable. Now that we have 2 Hyundai Santa Fes in our family, just call us crazy about our Hyundais.

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  Better value than Accord or Camry - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Jim-n-NC - March 13 - 4:46 am

  Its official, Hyundai has taken the lead. For the same price as an Accord LX or a 07 Camry LE, the Hyundai GLS V6 kicks their butt. 70 more horses. Standard Foglights (important in mtns.) Standard dual exhaust. 16" alloy wheels w/ Michelins as opposed to 15 or 16" steel wheels with plastic hubcaps. Standard traction and stability control. Better ride and equal quality of construction and materials. Ford Fusion doesnt even come close in safety w/o std anti-lock brakes or side airbags. Plus the Fusions stereo is unchanged in sound quality from my old 83 Tempo, sad.