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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  great little fellow - 2003 Hyundai Accent
  By mary - December 2 - 10:50 pm

  I may not be able to do 0 to 60 in 10 seconds but car holds its own on highways and feels safe to drive at highway speeds. great on gas especially at $3.33 a gallon it hit last fall.

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  Turbo fun. - 2013 Hyundai Sonata
  By clayman100 - December 2 - 1:25 pm

  For some reason I purchased a Turbo Sonota and wondered why since Im 65. But, since Ive been driving it Im finding it is really fun. Very smooth and powerful. I leave most folks in the dust. Ive had Elantras and Tucsons and this is a pocket rocket. I was spoiled by the Tuscons easy in and out because it is so high. But, Im adjusting to the lower Sonota. The regular Sonota was fast enough so you really dont need all this extra power but it sure is fun and not too hard on your wallet, gas wise. And. it really is easy on the eyes. My brother looks at it and says, man, thats one beautiful car.

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  A lot of value in a sharp package. - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Doyle - December 2 - 12:56 pm

  A sharp design: bold yet flowing exterior combined with nice quality touches inside as well. Cruises on highway with little engine effort or noise. Feels stable and sure footed with standard electronic stability control and traction control. Only downside I find are that seats are a bit firm to my liking.

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  right - 2000 Hyundai Accent
  By g - December 2 - 2:21 am

  bought w/32k in dec 04, its noisy (weather stripping stinks) the dash sounds like a kitten, rear struts squeak (probably leak), replaced oil dipstick at 37k(rust...hmm?) mass air flow sensor at 43k, remapped the computer (whatever that means) 2nd & 3rd gear grind,driver and passenger side window rattle when down, speedometer or tach make noise, cup holders in a odd place.new front brakes at 48k.warranty is up in jan 06 eek!...so whats next to fix!

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  Best Car Ive Ever Owned - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By dave_k1 - December 1 - 3:01 pm

  We purchased our Sonata Limited in November 2010. The car is approaching 5000 miles now with mostly around town driving but several 250 mile plus trips. We moved into the Hyundai from a 1999 Toyota Avalon. We had test driven almost every model out there. Honda Accord, Toyota Camry and Avalon, Mazda, Ford, Chevy Nissan. Everyone had issues that kept us going back to the Sonata. I think the word here is "balance". This car is a value and I was willing to spend a whole lot more. I did not want to pay for Lexis, BMW, Acura features. We dont feel anything is missing. We did not opt for the Navigation system. Our Magellan GPS works great in the cubby below the HVAC controls.

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  Hyundai is a hidden GEM (MORE FOR $$$) - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Tim Wiley - December 1 - 7:46 am

  Own a Fully loaded Honda Oddysey and a Toy Matrix... We did not enjoy the Matrix... we did enjoy the resale value. We looked at everything... Honda Pilot, 4-Runner, CX7, CX9, Kia Sorento... then in the car area we almost settled on a pre-owned(10k) Infiniti G35 but we have 3 kids so we were looking for blend of what our Oddysey and our Matrix gave us... Plenty of space inside for trips and modern functionality in a cool package When we drove the Santa Fe we fell in love and knew it... not only is the car briliantly engineered inside and out... The build quality is visible everywhere..hence the 5 star rating. This is truly a unique vehicle with the entirety of its features/warranty

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  Good buy - 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Homerlly - December 1 - 1:03 am

  The Santa Fe is a very pleasant SUV. After owning a Honda Pilot for 3 years, I found the SF to be a worthwhile transport. It does ride more like a real SUV as where the Pilot was more like a car. I believe the 18" tires have a lot to do with this. The ffit and finish of the SF is now up to Honda standards in every way and at a much fairer price($4-5K saved). I do find the ride is much better than my 09 Sonata which I traded in( it had a noisy suspension). My only complaint is the driver seat is hard to adjust to my liking though not terrible in its feel. I have to be picky to say this as the SF is a joy to drive and with the 6 engine has great road power. Believe me, try it!

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  Great Value - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By ChrisSD - November 30 - 2:00 am

  I didnt even consider Hyundai until I got to the dealership. I test drove it and loved it!

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  Every College Student Should Buy One!!!! - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By bigballer9036 - November 30 - 2:00 am

  This is the first new car that I purchased and am glad to say that I choose Hyundai. I went to the dealership told them what I wanted and they delivered. I recently took my elantra on a road trip and it performened wonderfully. This is one car I would buy again.

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  Hyundai Sonata - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By MARC - November 29 - 3:50 am

  CONGRATULATIONS HYUNDAI! THE PERFECT SEDAN! I think any family, bachelor, single mom, single dad, all types of buyers will appreciate the looks, value, performance, safety and warranty of the new Sonata. The quality is amazing, I look at Hyundai a lot different now!