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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  What a surprise - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By bshartley - October 8 - 10:00 am

  Bought this for my wife a year ago. She likes is better than her 1996 Saturn which we now seldom drive since it has become the dingy for our RV. We both feel with higher seating and more leg room up front it is more comfortable than the Saturn on both short and long trips. It is well appointed with all of the controls in easy, logical reach. Its peppy and handles well in traffic. Our friends who are rather tall even have room in the back seat. And to top it all off, it looks great.

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  Try it u will like it!! - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By nsvusa - October 8 - 10:00 am

  Great car for the money. Warranty and 0% for 5 years did the trick. I can drive it for 5 years and not have any repair bills. Detroit can not match it. Fun to drive.

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  Good bye BMW - 2009 Hyundai Genesis
  By Claudio - October 8 - 6:50 am

  My last two vehicles where the 528i and the 745i. Hallelujah Hyundai Genesis! What more can I say, the car is great and without considering the price differential. The few detractors are simply jealous and it is all about status symbol for them. When I drove it home 3 weeks ago I found myself 50K dollars richer as I was about to buy the 750.

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  Tremendous value, remarkable performance - 1999 Hyundai Elantra
  By DP - October 7 - 3:10 am

  Purchased new in May 1999. Have over 80000 miles on it. For less than $13k, this a very capable car for commuters and first-time drivers. Nicely designed. Very reliable, no major problems or repairs. Good convenience and safety features overall, but compared to later models some drivers will want more. This car DOES require scheduled maintenance, like tuneups, oil changes, fluids, etc., in order to operate efficiently. Gas mileage has steadily decreased since when new. Stock stereo has fair sound quality. Road noise is loud for passengers and driver alike. Engine noise is quite loud at more than 50% throttle. OK for long trips. Overall, this car has held up pretty well over the past 6 years

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  awesome car!! I love it!!! - 2001 Hyundai Accent
  By Synka - October 6 - 11:48 pm

  I have never had a problem with my Accent. I commute back and forth to school, and this car does the trick. I have left it stock, except for some changes to the interior. This car is also used for drag racing, in which it does pretty well. It is consistent, as well as responsive. Like I said, this a great car, for a great price. And thats not even mentioning the fuel economy!

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  Excellent Car - I was Surprised!!! - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By Nate - October 6 - 9:31 pm

  Im at 35,000 miles on my Elantra GT and have loved every bit of the driving. Car warranty is excellent and valuable. The car has just been fantastic. Im glad I did not buy a Honda or Toyota based on reputation alone. Rather, I did my research on Hyundai, found out that their mgmt changed in the late 1990s and that their new focus was on quality. That shows through with their new models, so if you are a Hyundai hater, then you are just misinformed. Take a test drive! These are fantastic cars and I have high standards!!! Hands down better value than civic or corolla, plus you get the warranty. Only downside is resale value. If you buy one, plan to drive it for a long time.

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  Too early to tell.... - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By Draft Owner - October 6 - 9:20 pm

  Honestly, I just bought the car for an UNBELIEVABLE price. My out the door price was almost $2000 UNDER invoice! This included tax, tags, title....everything! I wanted to get an 08 4-cyl. because of the $3000 rebate they were offering, but no one had any left, so I "settled" for an 09 for a few hundred dollars more. Im really glad I did. I love the new interior compared to the 08s, and the extra horsepower and better fuel economy are just added bonuses. Im used to the old days of smaller cars with better fuel mileage, but the Sonata doesnt do bad for a mid-size car. If its anywhere near as reliable as C******** R****** says it is, we should be enjoying this car for many years.

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  Looks sharp, performs well - 2001 Hyundai Elantra
  By john lees - October 5 - 2:20 pm

  The car is laied out well with simple yet ample controls. It is loaded with standard features and the extras are nice too. Has a lot of zip for a 4 and corners well too. Fuel economy was about 35 highway and 21 city. Doors sound solid when closed. Hatch is nice and roomy. Stereo good, but audiophile will want aftermarket sound.

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  Really a great car for the price - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By David - October 3 - 7:24 pm

  I rolled off the showroom floor with 4 miles and have had little to no problems. Initially, had some problems with the transmission mounts but Hyundai was quick to fix with no cost. Also some stereo issues. Keeps shorting out for some reason. As it gets older, the engine makes a little more noise. Exhaust sounds from the engine compartment is the most noticeable. Overall, Id buy another one in a heartbeat. What an awesome car with excellent features. IT ALWAYS STARTS!!!!!

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  Fun For Less - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By RONSTER - October 2 - 12:16 pm

  Solid well built SUV, had a RAV4 which was great but underpowered. This has everything you could want except power seats and NAV system but at a price you cannot beat at any other make, best bang for the buck, will put the others to shame.