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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  Drive to believe! 04 Santa Fe is great! - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Vanessa G. - KY - June 8 - 6:50 am

  I have owned may cars including BMW, Audi, Land Rover and more. The 04 Santa Fe has exceeded my expectations with quality and comfort. Its reliable and eye catching. I get lots of compliments from people who think my car is brand new. No mechanical, exterior or interior problems. Gas mileage isnt great, but most SUVs arent. Get the larger 3.5L engine for the the best experience.

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  Best Luxury Sedan available - 2009 Hyundai Genesis
  By Rich - June 7 - 8:46 pm

  The Genesis is actually the best stereo you can buy that that delivers you to your destination in fine luxury and comfort. The balance between comfort and being close to sporty is outstanding. Car & Driver and Road & Track can gig the car for Sportiness - not all of us like the taut, firm ride of the BMWS and Audis. The gas mileage is better than expected, especially cruising at 75. As mentioned by many, dealer support for a luxury car needs to be better. Hyundai does stand by there warranty. Our dealer gave us 2 years worth of oil changes and car washes, and has a very good reputation. I would advise finding a good dealer when buying. The value of this Luxury car is outstanding.

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  Great SUV - 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By justfawcett - June 7 - 6:06 pm

  This has been a great car. It got about 26/27 mpg on highway and about 22/23 combined since I do mostly local driving. It is comfortable, quiet, and fun to drive.

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  nice car for great price - 2005 Hyundai Tiburon
  By nate - June 7 - 12:30 am

  this car is an awesome buy. it has great accelleration and controls and handles beautifully. its sleek design is comperable to others in its class. when this puppy is put to the floor she can give you some nice speeds. had her up to 125 the other day without even thinking. quiet and comfortable ride makes this car even more intruiging. you have to test drive this thing.

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  Surprised Convert - 2007 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Dave - June 6 - 9:10 am

  I started out looking at the Ford Edge, the Honda CRV and the Mazda CX-7. The Tucson wasnt even on my radar. The need for premium gas nixed the Mazda and $34,000 plus change for an Edge with the sunroof gave me pause, but I was ready to buy. The warranty and standard saftey features of the Tucson made me take a look. I expected to be underwhelmed during the test drive, but was pleasantly surprised. After driving a Jeep Wrangler for 11 yrs, the Tucson had the soft, quiet ride I was looking for. The Limited offered a lot of bang for the buck and I bought one for $24,650 OTD. The $10,000 dollar savings sealed the deal. Very pleased after 1,100 miles. Still in love.

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  Great Value!!! Nice ride! - 2008 Hyundai Veracruz
  By Kandue - June 5 - 10:03 am

  Have owned the Veracruz for 3 weeks now and am thoroughly pleased with my choice. Previously owned a 2004 Kia Sorento EX which was a good vehicle but wanted a smoother ride. Was considering the Santa Fe when the Veracruz caught my eye. After the test drive it was a done deal. The Veracruz is very luxurious and has a very quiet and smooth ride. Performance and handling is very good considering engine size and weight. The best part is the value...a lot of car for a small price.

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  Great Car - 2003 Hyundai Sonata
  By MK1 - June 5 - 10:00 am

  We purchased the car after many weekends shopping other dealers like Honda, Toyota, and Nissan and opted for the Hyundai. Not only is it a great looking car with many options that the others dont offer on the base models it is less expensive. The warranty is great! Unfortunately at the rate I drive I should have over 100K miles on it by the 5th year. Which means the extra 5 years on the 10 year warranty will be wasted. This is an awesome buy if you only drive 10K miles a year. We got the V6 model and it has a lot of get up and go with little noise. We have traded in a Mercedes C230 Kompressor and I do not regret it in the least.

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  Merlot GLS 3.5L - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Gpritch - June 5 - 10:00 am

  After 1,500 miles, Im very satisified with my Santa Fe. I opted for the FWD, not the AWD - I didnt see the need for AWD in eastern PA (Snow?-Yes, but so what?). The Santy is quite peppy and responsive.

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  I Like it - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Joe in Maryland - June 5 - 10:00 am

  I really like this car. Its just the right size, but high enough so I dont feel like Im going to get run over by big trucks. Lots of great standard features. Rides beautifully.

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  Love It - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By fancy - June 5 - 10:00 am

  We are happy owners of our new Santa Fe! At 1000 miles,the ride is great, the seating and roominess of the vehicle is fantastic,sun roof helps quite a bit with ventilation(Im a smoker) the combo cd & cassette is wonderful, The vehicle is smooth riding and peppy. We averaged 26 mpg (mostly highway). Its stylish and fun to drive. We did comparisons of other SUVs and based on ride,fuel efficiency, this one came in first.