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 car, XG350L - 2002 Hyundai XG350
  By daeboo - January 18 - 10:00 am

  Looked around and test drove BMW, Lexus, Honda, and Camry. The sales people at those dealers werent reasonable and they just wanted my wallet. Went to a Hyundai dealer, no hassel, no pressure, and great people. XG350L had more standard features compared to other brands and it was an AWESOME value! After purchasing it, I drove to a mountain... handles & responds VERY well!

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  I Call It My PseudoSaab - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By Bushwatz - January 18 - 10:00 am

  First the cons... the trunk cover panel rattles slightly at low speeds and my AC fan developed a rattle after 10 months. Now the pros... Of 5 new cars Ive owned, only my Honda Accord gave me less complaints in the first year. Its a true pleasure to drive. Great, responsive handling, generous driver and passenger room, solid passing power, and that gorgeous styling. Im just sad to say that in 6k of driving, Ive seen another one on the road once.

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  I love my car - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By meffagogo - January 18 - 10:00 am

  Its so good, comfy and an awsome sound system, throaty valve system on the exhaust an responds well to tuning.

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  Elantra GT, the best in class - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By marex - January 18 - 10:00 am

  After trying almost all small sedan/hatchbacks for my wife decision was easy. No other one offered so much space, features, usability, power and luxury at once in that class for that money. Even as VW Passat driver I enjoy driving GT. Hope the brandname would get more recognition for the quality not only the price. Thanks Hyundai for this beauty!!!!!

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  Hot Little Number - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By FlyDriver - January 18 - 10:00 am

  Plenty o character in this car with the best apparent value of all I researched and tested. Hot, fun, practical, and a bit different (read: better) than your neighbors. Im consistently glad I chose it, and my friends are pleasantly surprised when they check it out.

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  1 year review...so far so good!! - 2011 Hyundai Elantra Touring
  By gwilly - January 18 - 8:27 am

  We already have a 07 AWD Santa Fe, with a pretty reliable record. Didnt know about this car 1 year ago, but it fits the bill perfectly. Mileage is 25-28 city and 31-34 highway with a light foot, car coasts very easily in neutral, I throw it there often. Ride can be harsh on the freeway in So Cal, my wife dislikes this bumpiness caused by the perpendicular cross-cuts in the pavement for water drainage. Overall no problems at all, with a few rattles coming from the shifter and occasionally the car idles like a diesel for no reason. I would recommend the manual shifter if you want to have more control over the driving experience. Older people with bad backs will not like the SE.

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  tremendous value - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
  By wonderwall - January 16 - 7:39 pm

  I bought this car to replace a much beloved Mazda Protege 5 which was totalled in an accident. The Hyundai is more comfortable at the expense of handling, but I am very pleased. Initial fuel economy wasnt so great, but is improving with each tank. I am impressed with how quiet it is once speed has been reached. The cargo area is quite spacious and the seats are almost as comfortable as Volvos Ive ridden in. Fit & finish are top notch and I found material quality better than the Honda Civic that I looked at. Feels like a more expensive car than it really is.

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  Chirp has always served me well! - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By catt33 - January 16 - 6:18 pm

  Yes, I named my Santa Fe "Chirp". It has been a great vehicle. I bought it used in 06 and until this year, only needed routine maintenance (Crank Shaft Sensor went out in March). I just rolled over to 90,000 miles last week and I am looking forward to many more miles with Chirp!

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  The First New Car - 2005 Hyundai Accent
  By Aimee - January 16 - 12:00 pm

  Well I guess this is a decent first car for someone but it has its drawbacks. The backseat is pretty small. The front may feel a bit cramped for larger people. The gas milage is only good if you never leave the highway. Hopefully we will figure out why but so far we avg. just under 20mpg. Thats about the only downfall to the vehicle also no abs brakes.

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  Great Hybrid Car, But not great MPG - 2012 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid
  By vijayrkp - January 16 - 7:16 am

  I bought 2012 Sonata Hybrid last week, I drove on the local roads & highway, Its averaging 36. I was expecting 40mpg on highway, but it was 38 only on highway. Car has great interior, beautiful exterior, comfort ride. I love it. I guess, the mileage will improve after 1st oil change.. not sure, will see. Still 36 is okay mileage compare to other cars.