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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  3.5 litre 4WD GLS - 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Steve - April 19 - 5:50 pm

  The Santa Fe has been a great vehicle with no problems. I have owned alot of different vehicles and the fit and finish of the Santa Fe is excellent. Fuel mileage overall has been 21-22 mpg. not bad not great. The price is excellent compared to other simular vehicles.

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  Fun to Drive - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Gordon Broussard - April 19 - 11:06 am

  Good Pickup, fun to drive, easy to manuever and a charm around parking lots.

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  Hard to Believe - 2000 Hyundai Sonata
  By Nanette - April 19 - 2:00 am

  Its amazing that I love this car as much as I do. I have always been a foriegn car owner because the car needs to be able to handle 200K miles in 5-6 yrs. with no major problems. So far my Sonata is living up to it. The engine isnt "peppy"...its powerful! The body and general feel of the car is solid and the handling is smooth and precise. Sincerely thinking about trading in my Mazda 626 to get another Sonata!

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  AWSOME CAR - 2010 Hyundai TUCSON
  By DRIVER - April 18 - 3:40 pm

  I traded in an 06 Honda crv. The 2010 Hyundai Tuscon is an awesome car. This vehicle has it all... Power... Looks... Style, and is fun to drive. I travel 35 miles one way to work, all highway driving. This vehicle makes the ride very pleasant, on the high way the ride is smooth, and stable and quiet. When you have to pass another car it gets up and moves. I loved my Honda but Hyundai has made a believer out of me. I love this vehicle. If your in the market for one take a test drive and you will be hooked. The interior is well done and driver frendly, not to mention it looks awesome, especially at night. Great job Hyundai

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  Like my Santa Fe - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By taxidriver - April 18 - 10:00 am

  My parents bought the Santa Fe in May of 2003. It is fun to drive and has a roomy interior. Easy access to controls. Like the way Hyundai thought of all the little things... right down to the emergency kit and cigarette lighter in trunk are. Very quiet and smooth ride. I cant say enough good things about the Santa Fe... It will definitely be my next car purchase. I have talked 3 friends into the Santa Fe.

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  very good car for its price - 1993 Hyundai Elantra
  By piotr borycki - April 18 - 2:00 am

  great car for its price. it has lots of errors in design - however they affect only esthetics. the only mechanical feature is really bad is suspension. you feel avere turn and curve. but if you dont treat it as a sport car its still accetable - just driving it is less comfortable and threathen passenger. engine is very good - for this light vehicle 124hp is completely enough to give you satisfactory acceleration even at 80- 90mph - which makes passing pretty safe operation

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  Wouldnt choose anything different <3 - 2012 Hyundai Veloster
  By jbeck204 - April 17 - 1:30 am

  I bought this car used in April of 2013. I absolutely love it!! I did my research, test drove a few different vehicles, but I found myself drawn to this beauty. Some people found that the performance was not to their liking, but I find it quite nice. I dont need a high performance car and this is a perfect fit. I love everything about it, but I really love that you get so much for such a low price. I love the tech and I feel spoiled using my push start button and rear view camera. It is a great economic and safe care for 20 year olds.

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  tucson nice ride - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By cr500mark - April 16 - 9:36 am

  The tucson seems like a sports car when driving on country roads.It reminds me of my old saab.

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  Love This Vehicle - 2006 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Sheranamo - April 16 - 9:03 am

  I was only looking for a vehicle but bought one instead. I like the looks, inside and out, handles great and very fun to drive. I would recommend this SUV to anyone.

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  best vehicle ever! - 2006 Hyundai TUCSON
  By tessm - April 16 - 3:42 am

  I had a Stellar in the 80s and I thought that was the best car I ever had. I was wrong. The Tuscon is now my favorite. I bought it new and have never looked back. I now have over 240,000 km on it and I have never had any problems. Sure I have had to have new brakes and tires put on it but dont you have to eventually on any vehicle? I drive a lot, especially on the highway and I always feel safe and secure in this car. I have moved three times and have loaded more things into it than you would believe. I also have two big dogs and they have never complained about the lack of room.The body and interior still look like new. Its is a truely great vehicle!