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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  Gen Coupe for the Win - 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe
  By Draven - August 4 - 10:53 am

  I ordered my 3.8 Gen Coupe in Feb of 2009 and didnt get it until July of 09. Why? Hyundai underestimated demand for the car and ran out of limited slip diffs on 3.8s. Now I know why. The Gen Coupe is a MONSTER ride, and a complete departure from previous Hyundai vehicles, including the modest Tiburon V6 Tuscani. Its a loud-mouthed monster that VERY much hates being driven slow. In fact, driving around in normal city traffic can be a bit less comfortable than opening it up outright. Once youre out of 2nd gear, the car shines. Its responsive as hell, its 0-60 is fantastic for a companys first time RWD car, its features are great, and it turns heads like a Ferrari.

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  transmission leaks - 2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid
  By alisa - August 4 - 12:50 am

  Really loved this car the first 2 weeks of owning it. It has everything we were looking for in a affordable, roomy, stylist hybrid. The bluetooth and xm radio standard features work great. Unfortunately after 600 miles we noticed drips on garage floor where vehicle was parked, then engine light came on. Found out it was a tranmission leak. Now we have a rental car for I dont know how long. The dealership has been very accommodating and the corporate office was very reassuring they will correct asap. Great 100,000k warranty, we may be needing it. We hope it is just a fluke, time will tell. We also own high end luxury vehicles too and they are no better. Time to get a bicycle!

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  Tiburon 2001 - 2001 Hyundai Tiburon
  By TJ - August 3 - 11:33 pm

  I purchased this car new in July 2001. I love the sleek design; exterior and interior. For the price, its not bad. My issues with this car are the lights, the trunk and the seat belts. The seat belts are very "sensitive." If I make even the slightest move, it locks up on me. I have to literally slam the trunk so it can close; if not, the trunk light will stay on. I think this car might have electrical issues; headlights constantly need replacing, sometimes, theres a ringing noise that goes off after the car has been running for 15 minutes. The tires that came with the car are horrible, especially in the rain and snow. Explains why they have such a great warranty.

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  Surprisingly fun - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By sonatame - August 3 - 9:30 pm

  Hyundai Sonata fun? You bet! I would have never thought that I could get 80% of an A6 for less than half the price. This car has people staring trying to figure out who makes it. I thoroughly enjoy the comfort, quietness and overall performance of this vehicle and would recommend it to anyone looking for a sporty midsized car with a modest, but stunning look.

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  Cant Beat it for the Money - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By CD - August 3 - 7:38 pm

  I was transferred to an area where I now have a 120 round trip commute to work. This car performs flawlessly and is comfortable even for the long drive. This car is fun to drive and has plenty of power for a 4 cylinder. The transmission could be improved, but it does the job. At cruising speed the Elantra is suprisingly quite and smooth. The sound system could use an upgrade, but it performs ok. I drive this car pretty hard, and I have not had any problems with the engine or transmission. The radio was replaced due to a short, but that is the only problem I have had. Reviews in some magazines say this vehicle gets poor gas mileage, but I have been averaging around 32 miles per gallon

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  Hyundai is junk - 1999 Hyundai Sonata
  By Hyundai hater - August 2 - 5:05 pm

  I got this with 39K and I now think it was traded in initially for poor quality. Had a $500-$700 engine repair every 6 months or so. My trusteed mechanic said that parts were very expensive compared to more common makes. This was a very poor quality car and I will never go near Hyundai or KIA again. It was a little cheaper than Hondas and Toyotas but nowhere near the quality. Lesson learned. I simply couldnt stand owning this thing any longer.

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  2003 Santa Fe Base - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Mike C. - August 2 - 9:40 am

  I have tested and drove almost all the SUVs, except for the real expensive, over $40,000, nothing compares. The RAV- 4 was like driving a bus. The CRV was very narrow inside and was not comfortable to drive more than a few miles. The Santa Fe has superior room and drives better. The drive is good.

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  Jittery suspension - 2009 Hyundai Genesis
  By Mike - August 2 - 5:03 am

  Have owned my 4.6 for four months. it is a great car and excellent value for the money compared to MB,BMW and Lexus. Ive put 6500 miles on the car and the only thing that I dont like about the car is the jittery, bumpy ride on uneven roads, it is fine on the highways and on smooth streets. I live in South Florida and the secondary roads here are pretty good compared to areas that get bad weather, however any imperfection on a road and this car goes into convulsions. Ive complained to the dealer and basically the said there is nothing they can do about it.

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  First thousand miles - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By Pghstarz - August 2 - 2:00 am

  Purchased 2004 GLS Sonata on Feb. 2. Now have 1000 miles. I am more impressed with the car the longer I drive it. Besides getting a great deal the car is super fun to drive. It rides smooth with the 16" Michlin tires and the V6 has enough power for hills. All in all, well satisfied.

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  Great vehicle for the price - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Mikeraxom - August 2 - 2:00 am

  Great car, good milage for a SUV. Fun to drive. Graet front, rear and side vision. We picked the Santa Fe after test driving the Kia and found the Kia to ride rough and have a cheap interior.