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:

• 

  After a long wait - 2002 Hyundai XG350
  By agb - January 24 - 10:00 am

  My last two cars were a Toyota Corolla, and a Toyota Camry. I would have purchased a Toyota Avalon. I waited two years for them to build one with black or dark grey interior. When a friend told me of his good fortune with Hundai, I decided to take a look. I am glad I listened and went with the Hundai.

• 

  Solid Choice - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By JLC001 - January 24 - 10:00 am

  My Elantra is still only a month old but Im looking forward to many years with it. This car drives great! It has smooth gear shifting (manual), handles bumps well, nice acceleration and all for a great price with a great warrenty.

• 

  First Hyundai - 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By John - January 23 - 5:13 am

  We drove various Suvs,Cuvs and we kept going back to the Santa Fe as a basis for comparison. The Santa Fes cost to value ratio when everything was considered (styling,warranty,level of interior trim, resale value ect)the Santa Fe was the clear winner. Would not hesitate to purchase another Hyundai.

• 

  Gregg from Pittsburgh - 2007 Hyundai Entourage
  By Gregg - January 23 - 5:06 am

  Recently bought the SE model with the PE package. Only wanted the base SE, but couldnt pass up the price after the rebates. The standard options in the Entourage is incomparable to other models. It rides and handles GREAT. The sound system is fantastic (PE package) and the wireless headset for the DVD is nice. (only get 2,I need 3,$60 for an extra). I would highly recommend taking it for test drive. This van is a force to reckin with.

• 

  Great Little Poor Mans Saab - 2001 Hyundai Elantra
  By SurferDude - January 22 - 4:31 pm

  This great little car has been an insane deal. Ive had no major problems in 66,000 miles. Minor problems repaired under warranty by dealer. Fun to drive. All the luxury items of European cars for less than half the price. Ill only sell it because I need to tow a camper.

• 

  Nice Car, but Bad in the Snow - 2013 Hyundai Sonata
  By mccarthr - January 22 - 3:32 pm

  I love this car, but Hyundai seems to have chosen wheels and tires that were not designed for winter driving. I bought the car in Green Bay late in May 2013. I live in Michigans Upper Peninsula. When I first started driving in the snow, I couldnt believe how poor the tire traction was. I was so bad that I didnt feel safe. After buying new all season tires (rated good on snow & ice) for the fronts, I could tell a big difference. The back original tires still would slide out on turns so I bought the rears too. Also, the wheels are beautiful, but they suck up snow like a magnet on the inside. It quickly will throw off the wheel balance. I constantly having to clean out the snow.

• 

  accent 2005 - 2005 Hyundai Accent
  By accent 2005 - January 22 - 1:27 pm

  I would buy this car all over again. It is a hatchback, people look at it as there not many of this style around my area.

• 

  Amazing Coupe - 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe
  By flashgordondayton - January 22 - 10:46 am

  I bought my coupe Saturday June 13, 2009 and it is amazing. The ride, power and comfort level are great. I get looks from people driving corvettes, porsche and Nissan Zs. It is a great value at a low price. Its 306 hoirse power is refined and the ride is smooth. I am very happy with my purchase.

• 

  Awesome car!! - 2005 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Banana - January 22 - 8:40 am

  I love this car! I bought my Tiburon new in 2005 and have never had a problem with it. It is Super fun to drive and speeds up really nice. Very smooth acceleration and great gas mileage. Interior design is incredible as well as exterior. This car comes equipped with tons of features and is definately worth the money. Trunk space is enormous for such a small car. My massage table fits in there perfectly. Only problem is if you have someone who is 6 in your back seat. haha.. not too comfortable. But otherwise the car is very comfortable and a great ride!

• 

  Hundai elentra 2010 - 2010 Hyundai Elantra
  By Bi - January 22 - 8:36 am

  Car is piece of c...