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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  My First SUV - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By jonabgood - January 29 - 7:13 am

  This was my first SUV, my prior veh was much smaller. This is easy to get in and out of, great for grocery shopping and hauling kids around. The seats could be a little more comfortable for long trips. Overall, I stay local with the car and absolutely love it!

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  Purchased Program Car - 2001 Hyundai XG300
  By StephenB - January 29 - 2:00 am

  I recently purchased a 2001 XG300 program car from a Hyundai dealer and couldnt be happier with the overall value this car offers. Fit and finish are flawless, the engine is smooth and powerful, and the ride offers a perfect balance between soft/supple and firm. This is not an ideal car for inner-city driving, but is perfect for highyway and suburban jaunts. Consumer Reports claims the car is "floaty" on the highway; however, I have not found that to be the case during my 40 mile commute to and from work. In fact, this car is highly responsive and comfortable at both low and high speeds and the acceleration is exceptional.

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  Worst car Ive ever owned - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Randon - January 29 - 2:00 am

  I bought this car brand new with all the options, high spoiler etc. I took extremely good care of the car and really babied it. I loved the look of this car, but had a lot of trouble with the electric windows. I tried to lemon law the car on two occasions. Even the clutch had to be replaced at 12,000 miles. Im currently in a class action law suit over the issue. You couldnt pay me enough to own another Hyundai.

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  Who would have thought this is a Hyudai? - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By Jasperblu - January 29 - 2:00 am

  I wanted vehicle that would better accommodate my 2 dogs, passengers, groceries, etc. I also wanted my new car to be sporty with a manual transmission and good safety features that came standard. Very few cars in my price range met my requirements. The Elantra GT did! I do have some "complaints" about styling and layout (the sunroof rattles, the front hood grill is a bit flimsy, no lighting in the backseat, the alloy wheels are easily scratched, the gas tank flap frequently gets stuck). Overall, I am very pleased with the Elantra GTs design and performance. This is a car I expect to drive for many years and I think it will hold up quite nicely indeed.

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  Great little urban runner - 2011 Hyundai Elantra Touring
  By dave - January 29 - 2:00 am

  So far I really like this car, it is a economy car so I dont expect a great ride, but I like the features , like heated seats, and just about every little added feature there is, i used to drive a truck and just got tired of filling the tank up, Now I just drive by the gas station and smile.

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  I love my Sonata 2011 - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By DOROTHEA - January 29 - 2:00 am

  I feel like a million bucks driving this car. Who would have thought that Hyundai would have come out with such an impressive looking car that drives like a dream, and a great value and warranty?

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  Rough idle - 2005 Hyundai Sonata
  By Will - January 29 - 1:17 am

  Good value overall for the price range.Very nice design, features. A few problems - front corners of trunk too tight chipping paint, but mostly very very rough idle. Have had it back to dealer many times and cannot find anything wrong. Getting frustrated. As long as RPMs are over 900 runs very nicely.

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  Why pay more? - 2003 Hyundai XG350
  By Bill Talbot - January 27 - 7:56 am

  All of the luxury features are in this car that other brands charge $15,000 more for, plus it has the best warranty in the business. Smooth, quiet, plenty of power, & otherwise just plain sweet.

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  much better than expected - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By silvereagle - January 26 - 6:06 pm

  Just bought my Sonata 5 days ago. traded a 2003 Mazda 6 s. The Sonata has been better than I could have hoped. Nice interior, quiet(except suspension), good stereo and very pleasant road manners. What really has been a surprise is the gas mileage. I used 5.25 gallons for 202 miles. That is better than 38 mpg and it was mixed driving and a new engine. I did have the dealership replace the original oil with synthetic before taking delivery

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  Nothing but problems - 2002 Hyundai Sonata
  By Laurie - January 25 - 9:14 pm

  Love the style, price, etc.But...Ive had nothing but problems- only had car for 6 wks. rotors had to be replaced- warped,$400+, multiple belt problems, vibration in steering wheel, interior handles cheaply made - caused cuts on hands, brakes not covered under warranty- pulley problem was causing belts to be replaced every 2 weeks.Took back to dealership 5 times within less than 5 months for high pitched noises in front end.The pulley was chewing the belts up.Problems with engine cutting out.Carfax check prior to purchase showed car was clean.Im reporting this under lemon law and trying to get another car, but because of amount owed will have negative equity in car. Very disappointed!