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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  Perfect Car for your teenager - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By Danielle - October 23 - 5:29 pm

  I love this vehicle. My daughter mainly uses it to get back and forth from school and to run errands. It is perfect for teenage drivers because of its hip look and its saftey ratings, not to mention the unbeatable price!

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  we love hyundais - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
  By lionstar0803 - October 23 - 3:07 pm

  We absolutely love this car!!!In fact this is our 3rd hyundai. We recommend hyundais to our friends.. When we look for a new car we dont look anywhere else.

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  Spunky and easy-handling, economical SUV! - 2006 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Tucson mom1 - October 22 - 10:04 am

  That front seats are stiff, not for large people. That while spunky, it is not a race car. My mileage has always been great when I do not go by car door inflation, but rather by the tires. I get 24 in city average, and 30 on highway. KOREAN tires wore fast, I replaced with Michelin Harmony and now General Altimax........wonderful ride. Does have some road noise but I always play radio. Great handling in all weather. No major repairs of late, just replaced radiator hose and had to use double clamp to hold as hose is thicker than original. Maintain oil and filter and transmission as dictated for city. Takes semi synthetic oil. I replace all filters myself, further savings. Dealer replaced engine bushings, worn, which he noticed, and was under warranty. Has never let me down, runs smoothly still in 2016. Bought new with 8 miles on it. Cargo hold is excellent, seats down, holds garden and groceries and building materials well. My back has not hurt at all since buying this, as you sit higher than in a car and at better angle. Recommend it highly.

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  my tibby - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By eyedrivealot - October 22 - 5:56 am

  I have had this car since it was new. I have 174,000 miles on it currently. I have had no transmission issues or engine issues. Have gone thru two water pumps. Two timing belts, one set of rotors and 3 sets of tires. I would say their ac has issues. I had the car in four times and finally at 130,000 miles the regional manager oked them to replace the whole ac system in my car free of charge. I think their paint could be better but I did get a great deal and the car has served me very faithfully. I drive all over the state, thru snow, rain and hot temperate weather. This car has done it all. I am finally letting it go as a baby doesnt fit all that great in it. I will miss my tiburon.

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  FABULOUS!!! - 2007 Hyundai Veracruz
  By Italnskyboy - October 22 - 1:30 am

  OK, So I wanted something nice, good looking, a little spicy and wouldnt be embarassed to bring to a 5 star restaurant. Kinda like my search for a new boyfriend. Anyway, the VERACRUZ is the one to beat! I got the SE with the Premium Package, and by package I mean options... I love the inside and out! I also needed to pull a boat and it does with ease, not a tire squeek at the ramp. (boat is 2800lbs.) The ride is very smooth and quiet. I do mostly highway driving and get 18mpg. Although I do about 80, to get the advertised 26mpg, you have to do like 65-70, not! I have places to be and people to see. Overall, awesome vehicle, worth the look!

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  A Well Kept Secret! - 2007 Hyundai Elantra
  By JEM - October 21 - 5:26 pm

  Looking for better gas mileage on our daily commute, we downsized from a 99 Lexus ES-300 to the Elantra, and we dont feel deprived at all. We test drove the Nissan Altima and Honda Accord and Civic, Subarus and also the Sonata, but we ended up buying the Elantra 4DR SE (with sunroof) because of the interior roominess, comfortable ride, excellent handling, braking and acceleration. Not to mention that all of the safety features are standard. Weve put 500 miles on the car in 2 weeks and are getting an average of 28 MPG or so in mixed city and HWY driving (at 65-70) with lots of hills. This car is a great value with a comfortable ride.

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  JUST A NICE SUV - 2007 Hyundai TUCSON
  By aokmike - October 21 - 4:56 pm

  Every about it is a value for the money

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  Great value - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By Hynundai Fan - October 21 - 3:54 pm

  I bought this car as a compromise between practicality (no more station wagon) and fun. I found the car to have more safety features (ABS, side air bags, TCS) and luxury items (leather seating, remote control mirrors) than any other similar vehicle. Can be stuffed full of cargo for trips, pulls 1000 lb motorcycle/trailer, lots of pep (never felt sluggish except when passing at high speeds - fully loaded - which I shouldnt be doing anyway). No repairs in three years. Great warranty, roadside asst plan.

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  Great gas mileage & fun to drive!!! - 2002 Hyundai Accent
  By kayleigh - October 21 - 2:33 pm

  This is a great little car. It is my first car (I bought it new when I was 16), ive had it for almost three years now and I have never had any problems with it. If you are looking for a car that gets great gas mileage, is fun to drive, and can seat four people comfortably... This is it! This car has everything that you need and surprisingly a lot of stuff that you would want. Have I mentioned the gas mileage... On long trips ive gotten up to 40mpg!!! Amazing car...

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  hYUNDAI SANTE FE - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By adAHER - October 21 - 10:00 am

  I LOVE MY SANTE FE, EVERYONE SHOULD OWN ONE.