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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  Stews review - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Big Stew - September 26 - 10:00 am

  As you would expect from the way it looks, the car exciting to drive even at the entry level 2.0 engine. For a single man in the later half of his 20s at the time of purchase, it fit me like a glove. The smooth and quickly coustomized interior became better to sit in than my own living room. I still find myself looking at it out the window of where ever I park it at and comment on how good it looks.

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  Great Value - 2004 Hyundai XG350
  By acooker - September 26 - 10:00 am

  Owned the car 3 mos. and driven 4500 miles with no problems. Its a great value for the money. Only feature that I miss from my previous car is steering wheel controls for the radio.

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  outstanding car for the money - 2004 Hyundai XG350
  By kaybill - September 26 - 10:00 am

  For the money you cant get a better car. Imagine taking the interior of the accura legend,rear end of the Lincoln Continental, and front end of the Jaguar,whala there it is! All for under 26k

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  Wow!! - 2004 Hyundai XG350
  By Chris Rainwater - September 26 - 10:00 am

  My wife and I test drove everything, and we were absolutely blown away by this car. For a lot less than we would have spent for a Toyota or Nissan, and much less than Lexus or Infiniti, we got a premium vehicle with the best warranty on the market. Its classy, fun to drive, and offers so many amenities as standard that other models only give for additional dollars. Dont let the Hyundai name fool you - this is one impressive car.

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  Hyundai Elantra - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By jlmcgary - September 26 - 10:00 am

  I have a 5 speed manual trans... and I love it! The seats are comfortable, plenty of room. Back seat passengers have plenty of leg room. Easy to see out of side and rearview mirrors. Controls easy to reach. Comfortable on trips (3 hours +). Turns on a dime, plenty of acceleration. Truly enjoy driving it...

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  I love my Sonata - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By lucynethl - September 26 - 10:00 am

  I bought my first Hyundai in 94 it was an Excel and I still have it, no problems and it has 117,000. We needed something bigger and I bought the sonata. The warrenty is awesome. I love the car and people are always looking at it saying it looks like a Jag.

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  DUMB LUCK - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By MARK MALSAM - September 26 - 10:00 am

  We were looking at Honda CRVs (overpriced) and thought the Rav4 was too small and the highlander was underpowered and overpriced. Domestics not a factor. Took a test drive and got a great deal. Warranty was not a deciding factor. It was a bonus. Ride and power with 3.5 liter was deciding factor. Incredibly quiet. It was supposed to be my car but my wife leaves the minivan in the driveway all the time.

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  fun to drive - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By frogsocks - September 26 - 10:00 am

  i think this suv is a great ride it has good speed and looks cool

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  Santa Fe 2003 - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Tom Stalie - September 26 - 10:00 am

  I drove my Santa Fe across the country from California to Alabama and back. It was a good experience, smooth and was able to drive non-stop for hours. Only stopping to refuel and bathroom breaks. I am 61", 220 lbs and I was very comfortable with the design. I really enjoy it. Best of all was the price!

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  Love Our Hyundai - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By KLSMES - September 26 - 10:00 am

  We were anti-suv because of the poor gas mileage. However, we needed a vehicle that could fit three medium sized teenagers in the back seat that wasnt a station wagon. The Santa Fe does that with amazing comfort, great interior and a beautiful look. The 100,000 10-year warranty cant be beat. Would love a little better gas mileage but its over 20--better than lots of other vehicles. We love it.