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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  Sonata Hybrid Limited - 2016 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid
  By Arthur Zipin - July 19 - 4:21 am

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  I Never Would Have Thought... - 2002 Hyundai XG350
  By RGarner2@aol.com - July 19 - 2:00 am

  Everyone always asks me if it is a Lincoln, a Volvo or a Jaguar. Im proud to say its a Hyundai. Im a pretty knowledgeable consumer and my only concern in buying a Hyundai was reliability. Ive had no problems in 20,000 miles. It looks great, drives like a dream and is so full of features.

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  This SUV is absolutely AWESOME!!!! - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By deethebee - July 19 - 2:00 am

  Im a mother of two small children, and to me(and Im sure every mom out there in America)safety comes first. I have reviewed alot of SUVs and for some reason I always came back to the Hyundai Santa Fe. I think its not only fun to drive but, I feel safe driving my little ones in it. Women look for safety, comfort, style and luxury. And this has it all. Hyundai built a great SUV....Thanks!!

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  great car for the price - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By cadetarotc - July 19 - 2:00 am

  I recently bought this vehicle, and have so far had a good experience. Great fuel economy and comfort, but picks up a lot of road noise. If you are looking for a good first new car, and dont want to spend a bunch of money this car is for you. Plus it has an unbeatable warranty.

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  Hyundais little gem. - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By PuppetmasterMD - July 19 - 2:00 am

  Ive had my GT for about 6 months now and I love it. Its a carbon blue 5 speed. Its quick, reliable, and fun to drive. The interior is both cool looking and comfortable as well as practical. Its great around town and on long highway trips (I do a lot of both). I average 31.0 mpg during the school year (long commute) and 30.6 mpg during the off seasons. My Elantra has more features than my friends 2002 Accord. Everyone who sees it is both suprised and impressed. I got it in the 4th of July for $15,500 out the door, but I know that some Elantra owners have gotten paid even less. This is the best car Ive ever owned.

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  Bad paint - 2016 Hyundai Elantra
  By Michael - July 18 - 11:52 pm

  The paint started peeling, dealer tried three times to fix and did a real crappy job. Tried to contact Hyundai and they wont even respond. Bought the car for the warrant, but Hyundai wont back the warranty, will never buy a Hyundai again. No support.

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  I love my new LX Sonata !! - - 2005 Hyundai Sonata
  By Black LX Sonata - July 18 - 4:43 pm

  After 12 years of driving a 1994 Ford Taurus, I finally made the jump to a new car...I like many did much research and you just CANNOT beat the value this car offers...completely loaded with everything an average driver needs for less than $20,000...I receive a ton of comments because it looks more expensive than it is and the black color just adds to it...Ive heard the paint quality is not the best but that will be something Ill only be able to see after time...I plan on waxing and polishing the heck out of it to keep it looking as good as I can...HIGHLY recommend the Sonata !..btw, 1,700 miles to date and no problems...

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  Surprised - 2003 Hyundai Accent
  By Mickey J - July 18 - 4:36 am

  Ex wife took my cadillac so I bought this small car. I did not think I would be happy but to my surprise I really like it. It has been trouble free unlike my cadillac, It has enough power and the comfort is surprising for a small car. Gas milage has been 36.5 overall which is better than the sticker. It has been a great value for the money.

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  Problems Galore! **Rebuilt Warranty** - 2006 Hyundai TUCSON
  By akkyle - July 17 - 9:13 pm

  My family bought a new 2006 Hyundai Tucson GLS 2.7L 4 speed Automatic in the fall of 2006. We have had it maintained every time at or before 3000 miles or 3 months (It has under 50,000 miles as of now, fall of 2011). When it was 3 years and approx. 30,000 it started having significant problems with the 4WD, transmission, and power steering. Now it has been sitting at the dealer for a month (NO JOKE!) for a ***REBUILT*** transmission to be put in and rear struts that recently started leaking. So far the dealer has not done anything to the car. We will never buy Hyundai again. RAV4 is the replacement SUV!

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  ok for the money - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By toyota - July 17 - 6:12 pm

  Good enough for a first car. Many small problems for a car with <35,000 miles. If you dont have alot of money its ok and better than a used car, but for a little more a Toyota has much more value and quality. Would not get another one.