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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  No Buyers Remorse Here. - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By Mark Man - October 18 - 6:10 am

  I have the Limited with Nav. Now have 1200 miles. I love this car. Beautiful exterior and interior. I look at the car more then I look at my wife lol. Look at the Consumer Ratings under Edmunds and Yahoo Auto and then look at the same reviews for the Camry and Accord. They have buyers remorse. We dont. If someone were to ask me to trade this car for their $38,000 Taurus or Lacrosse I would say NO. Knowing what I know now I would have paid $3000 more to own this car.

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  My Tib - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Bizzen - October 17 - 10:00 am

  Well Ive got 11,000 miles on my tiburon and I have to say its a great car. No problems as of yet, and I dont see to many of them so people are always doing double takes. There is no car on the market in its price range that matches. you would have to get a G35 coupe and thats 35 grand.

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  You mean that car i drove was a Hyundai? - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Blacktibby03PA - October 17 - 10:00 am

  The title was exactly what I said after my boss pointed me to the Hyundai dealership after they bought one of the new XG350 luxury cars. I picked out the sharpest black tibby with the 17inch wheels, 6 spd, spoiler etc. After taking it down the road and putting it through corner after corner and running it hard light to light I kept saying to myself... Is this really a Hyundai. I told the person riding with me (not a guy from the dealership) maybe we can just rip off the H off the steering wheel. Having been a previous camaro owner looking for something a little more reliable this defintiely fit the bill. Even my muscle car friends like the styling.

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  7K miles of reliability - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By IngridFlagstaff - October 17 - 10:00 am

  Bought the GT 8 months ago, put 7K miles on it, changed oil once. No other maintenance or any problems or rattles to report. This is the first new car Ive ever bought. Did a lot of research and havent regretted spending less money than my friends who bought Hondas and Toyotas. Ill be done with payments a year before they will be... If you want a reliable, sporty, economic, AND comfortable car consider an Elantra GT.

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  Excellent Value for Low Price - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By BLTELP - October 17 - 10:00 am

  Buy this car. Researched 6 months on Focus/Contour/Neon/Strattus/Galant. My GLS has a 5 speed that shifts like Benzs or BMWs; has A/C, tilt wheel (really useful since Im 61" tall); cruise control, ABS on front and REAR disk brakes; excellent head room and leg room in the front,roomy in the back seat, high volume trunk; handles very well; unique side air bags, good seats, excellent visability and superior tires [treadwear 400/Temp A/Traction A]); Good power for a 2.0 liter;has traction control.

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  Go Get One - 2002 Hyundai Accent
  By Richard - October 17 - 2:00 am

  Ive had the car for three months and it has performed flawlessly. It is very comfortable to drive, with good power and lots of features that are standard. I test drove a Honda Civic and Toyotta Corolla before I made my purchase, but neither beat the Elantra. This is a quality car, which for the price, people should run to buy.

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  Love, Love, Love a Hyundai! - 2008 Hyundai Sonata
  By Melissas toy - October 16 - 8:10 pm

  I went to one dealership. I was looking at the Elantra. Way too small. I asked the salesperson about the Elantra deal and they said "You mean the Sonata deal!" I had no idea. I got over $1400 off. It is a beautiful color and there is as much room as my old Camry. The kids like it. I just need to get used to a standard. The car handles great and I like how huge the trunk is. The glow in dark emergency release lever is great. I love showing it off. I got every kind of warranty that was offered. I feel like I am riding around in a safety bubble.

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  Superior Performance Sedan - 1999 Hyundai Sonata
  By inkslinger - October 16 - 2:00 am

  I sell new Hondas and all sorts of used cars...and would never switch from Hyundai! This is one high quality sedan. Includes everything the 02 Accord LX sedan has for thousands less and a longer warranty. In fact, this is one of the best warranties in the bussiness, but Ive never had to use it, since this car has never caused me ANY problems!!

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  AWESOME!!!! - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By Randy B - October 15 - 7:20 pm

  Great overall experience. I had my mind made up on a Tuscon, saw this beauty on the lot and said lets give it a try. This car is unbelievable for the price. Looks and rides like luxury car, but its $10k less. Great experience at the dealership This Car is HEAD TURNER!!

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  Glad I got it - 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By denvertrakker - October 15 - 11:00 am

  Im a little over a month, and 1500 miles from purchase, and Im a happy camper. This is one of the nicest vehicles Ive ever owned - better than my Acura, Subaru, Nissan and most everything else. (Well, my Vette was more fun) I have had no concerns with the transmission as a few others have. Ive gone on a few trips, including up into the high country in Colorado, and the car is a delight. Comfortable, stylish, convenience features galore, decent sound system, and never less than 22 MPG. Ya just have to drive thoughtfully, folks! All in all, an excellent experience.