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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  Electrical problems??? - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By Laurie - July 27 - 6:56 am

  This car has had problems from the very beginning. A week after we bought it, my husband and I left the car parked in the garage while went on our annual week-long vacation. When we returned, I got in the car first thing Monday morning to go to work and it wouldnÂ’t start at all. Completely dead. (We had not even made a single payment at this point and the odometer read 400 miles, most of which were accrued when the car was shipped up from South Carolina for us.) I called the dealership and the Sales Manager told me that someone else had called previously about the trunk popping open..

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  Huge Advance - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By BorisB - July 26 - 10:13 pm

  My driving and ownership experience are really excellent. I am the owner of Santa Fe 2000 and next year I am planning to buy new Santa Fe 2007. I have already tried it and I can only say "HUGE ADVANCE!"

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  Nothing Special - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By cubdust - July 26 - 6:45 pm

  I bought the Elantra GT used (45,000 miles) and have owned it for 4 months. Like every vehicle on the market, you truly get what you pay for. Its been very reliable in getting me from point A to point B, but other than that, it offers very little. I feel its way too low to the ground and the pickup is as good as a lawnmower. I made the dealer replace the brakes because they were so loose, and on a few occasions it had trouble switching gears despite its automatic transmission. The stereo is weak and the "dinging" noise the car makes when the door is open is excruciating painful. Other than that, it has performed well and met my expectations, but I will upgrade within 6 months.

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  not bad - 2006 Hyundai TUCSON
  By d. - July 25 - 10:10 pm

  ok... not bad. nice little suv for the price.

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  Not your average Hyundai - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By SG - July 25 - 6:36 pm

  Many people have a stereotype of Hyundai cars for decades when it comes down to its built quailty or reliabity. Hyundai has been working hard and improved their product quality dramatically since late 90s. They say the new Sonata is a conerstone of their companys new image and the future. I was very impressed by its design when I saw the car in the showroom. It had Japanese sharp looking and European- like elegance at the same time. I was very impressed again by its Toyota and Honda like built quality when I test drove the car. Yet, class leading powerful V6 3.3L engine was more than surprising. Now manufacturing in New State-of-the-Art plant in Alabama, Hyundai is really moving forward.

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  Excellent car for the money! - 2003 Hyundai Accent
  By Rami - July 25 - 4:38 pm

  This car is great for the price!! Been driving it for 2 years now, and it drives like a champ. I love the stereo system! But i wish it had cruise control. It also looks pretty good. My personal preference is White color with cream interior! Awesome!

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  Happy with Hyundai - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By Happy with Hyundai - July 25 - 9:56 am

  For business I rented several of the competing mid-sized vheicles that were available from Hertz, Avis and National. I put them all through some rigous perfomance testing with the idea of purchasing the best. The Sonata was the clear winner. A great bonus was that the Sonata was also cheapest car with the best warranty. Money is tight so spend it wisely and buy the Sonata.

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  safety in an accident - 2000 Hyundai Accent
  By sincity - July 24 - 9:33 pm

  We were in a car crash that involved a wall with three kids in the back seat, NOT A SINGLE PERSON WAS INJURED. . . they car took all the force of the collision so that we were uninjured. . . That one accident sold me on that. . . sure it could have more guts and other stuff, but you cant buy a cheap car and think how safe it truly is. . .

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  Fun to drive little car - 2005 Hyundai Accent
  By Dereck - July 24 - 12:03 pm

  My only complaints of this car are where the cup holders are and the gas milage is lower than i expected. Other than that car is a blast to drive.

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  HAD A JAG - 2005 Hyundai Sonata
  By WISEGUY - July 24 - 8:38 am

  Didnt want to spend money on gas anymore. Checked the Hyundai and its better than the Jag, less expensive, roomier, more comfort, and practically the same extras. Almost looks like the Jag too. Gls special value pack is a bargain.