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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  Best car Ive ever owned - 2003 Hyundai Sonata
  By Fredric Hirsch - July 17 - 5:57 pm

  easy entry/exit. great visibility, good drivetrain combo, but could use a little more power. logical and easy to use controls, versatile interior appointments (2 tiered console, useful door and seat pockets). has been low maintenance outside of routine maintenance (tires, brakes, tune-ups and fluid changes) the only repair has been front wheel bearings..., oh yeah, Ive got 198,000 miles as of this writing, in 2-1/2 years. I am a delivery agent for UPS doing interstate computer parts deliveries, and this car has been just about flawless. kudos hyundai!!!

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  Poor quality - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Christopher Herrman - July 17 - 4:16 pm

  I have owned this Santa Fe since it was new. A lot of repairs. Most were covered under warranty. The worst is the valve cover gasket. It has been replaced 5 times. It drips oil on the alternator then it shortens the life of the alternator and then the battery. The alternator replaced 3 times and battery 2 times. Hyundai did finally own up and reimbursed me for the repairs. But now I dont have a Hyundai dealer. There was a recall on the alternator/ valve cover replaced both 9/15. There is oil on the alternator again. Plus the power seat is junk too, replaced twice. The rear tires are very sensitive to alignments. Im on my 3rd set, less than 100,000

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  Fantastic & Beautiful - 2008 Hyundai Veracruz
  By Glenn - July 17 - 6:40 am

  This is my 3rd Hyundai, I just love this SUV, it handles just great, very powerful and extremely comfortable. Wow, this is the best car I ever bought. Its a head turner!

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  The Perfect Economy Car - 2005 Hyundai Accent
  By mjs - July 16 - 10:35 pm

  I bought the car because I needed a small, economical vehicle that I could depend on, and that wouldnt let me down. The Accent is just that. With the price, the mileage, and the warranty, I am sure that the car is more than enough to suit my needs. Additionally, the car is extremely comfortable, tricking the buyer into thinking it would be small from the outside. In fact, the interior is large enough that you could fit four adults COMFORTABLY. It is definitely a great buy!

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  Fun to Drive - 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By refusetostop - July 16 - 8:40 pm

  I love thge warranty but after the purchase I dont have to think about it because everything works great. This vehicle is very fun to drive and has alot of get up and go with the 3.5 v6.The heated seats are a plus in the cold weather months and the leather cleans up easy when my kids make a mess. The only down side is not having power seats. That one option would make my Sante Fe perfect.

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  love my car - 2005 Hyundai Sonata
  By tammy - July 16 - 4:33 pm

  love it !

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  New car review - 2005 Hyundai Sonata
  By LaTonya - July 16 - 4:15 pm

  I have only had this car a month now and it seems ok.

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  Better than the rest - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Bizzenn - July 16 - 11:53 am

  Traded in an 05 Sonata which was an excellent vehicle but the 06 just rocks. Much better than anything else I have owned. Build quality and drivability is a top. I would reccomend to anyone. Paid $20,100 for the LX V6 with the sunroof and sound package. Nothing comes close.

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  great - 2005 Hyundai Accent
  By g.jones - July 16 - 4:44 am

  we have had a great experience with our new car. we have been on a long trip and got great gas mileage

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  good car - 1997 Hyundai Sonata
  By alex fong - July 16 - 3:00 am

  more power is better!