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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  Passed the crash test - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Speed_Demon - April 6 - 2:00 am

  Encountered "black ice" at 70+ MPH left road did a barrel roll hit a pole. Got out without a scratch. Center pillars and seatbelts saved my life without a doubt. Would buy another in a heartbeat. 69,500 miles in two years without a problem.

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  Frugal, but its a workhorse - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By JT SMITH - April 6 - 2:00 am

  Traded in a Lincoln.Needed room for more hauling.lawn tools,retaining wall blocks,back-fill mat.topsoil and mulch just to name a few items. Also took it on vac. to beach, carried our stuff plus 2 other couples luggage, golf clubs, beach stuff and 4 coolers.Has proven to be a good all around SUV. Also great in the snow!

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  My wife is in love. - 2013 Hyundai Sonata
  By sjspanich - April 5 - 9:35 pm

  Just got my wife the 2013 Hyundai Sontat SE, and she is in love. The exterior is sporty and the interior is luxurious. We couldnt be happier with our purchase. I definitely recommend this vehicle!

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  not to bad - 2001 Hyundai Accent
  By tom434 - April 5 - 2:00 am

  great gas milage the rides not bad for a small car and the price was great considering toyota,honda and such wanted much more for basically the same thing.The engine performs well it has alot of zip manuvers well doesnt strain a bit even in the mountains.

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  Ive had my car for 2 weeks - 2001 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Scar - April 4 - 10:00 am

  Includes 17" factory alloys. Gets fairly good gas mileage and performance on premium fuel. Handles great on standard factory GT tires.

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  Fun and Fast - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Bobby Mora - April 4 - 10:00 am

  Ive had this car for about 3 weeks now and it is so fun to drive that Im trying to put in the 1200 miles recomended to break in the engine. I have about 1000 so far and is fun leaving all those civics all fixed up with all this extras behind. People pull next to me and try to take off fast when the light turns green but like I said I dont have that many miles yet, although a couple of those times I did push it and there I go right by them. It is fun to drive, Ive had several people asking me for the make of the vehicle and they seem to like it too. Love this Car...

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  Great Car - 2006 Hyundai TUCSON
  By NYCDriver - April 4 - 4:06 am

  I bought the car new. I have 60,000 miles on it. Tires are still like new. Have not had any issues. Had a 99 Elantra wagon before that was great. Hyundai makes great cars with an excellent warranty. I service it once a year and change the oil every 3,000 miles. I average about 25mpg.

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  A Great Car - A Great Surprise!! - 2000 Hyundai Sonata
  By prlhrbrkid - April 4 - 2:00 am

  When I first took a test drive I fell in love immediately. The handling was smoothm the shifting was easy and the ride was comfortable. An the power - at 170 HP it purred and was so smooth. I love this car. Gas mileage could be better but is it comparable with others in its class. The styling is great and I would favorably compare it to the Honda.

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  under rated - 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Jay J - April 3 - 10:50 am

  Fit and finish excellent engine smooth interior excellent, AC and heater top notch, windshield wiper system better than my Honda SUV, Radio better than average. Stock Tires poor at best . changed tires , switched to synthetic Oil and a performance air filter--increased gas mileage by 2.5 per gallon

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  Best Of The Best - 1995 Hyundai Sonata
  By Likewise - April 3 - 2:00 am

  If this car in not better than HOnda Accord, Then Accord is not either. Very Cool Car. Loved it. Highly reccomended, Cheap Price, compatible.....Beautiful.....