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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  good hyundai - 1995 Hyundai Sonata
  By Youngjoon Park - March 2 - 10:42 am

  This car has almost wonderful equipments. Wonderful with cheap price. But there are minor problems.

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  Cant belieive I bought it - and LOVE it - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By WAhusker - March 2 - 7:10 am

  I have been looking for about 6 months and have driven everything from an 04 Lexus ES, to every new 07 in the same class, including the hyped Camry and Accords (which are nice cars). After driving by the Hyundai dealer many times looking at others, I thought Id drive one. Wow. For about $8,000 less than a similar optioned Camry I drove off in the new black leather Platinum Edition and have no regrets. Guess I cant tell any more jokes about this company. They truly do make a fantastic car. If your looking for a new car, you owe it to your wallet to drive one of these. Either that or settle for a cloth interior and 4cyl. Accord or Camry and watch me wiz by in comfort and style!

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  Excellent auto for cost. - 2012 Hyundai Sonata
  By Jim Comer - March 1 - 11:09 pm

  Drives like sport car. Very durable for low mileage car.

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  Good 2nd car - 1998 Hyundai Accent
  By indycolts - March 1 - 4:43 pm

  I bought this car for my wife 2 years ago. Ive had nothing but good luck with this auto. The car averages over 28 mpg in town, the only complant I have is that I didnt buy one for her earler. Thanks, Ed

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  A Great Car - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Jeff Martinez - March 1 - 6:40 am

  This has been an awesome vehicle. Very Dependable. Very trip friendly!

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  No major problems - 2001 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Joshua - February 27 - 10:00 am

  Overall have had a good experience with this vehicle. Only owner. Have had to fix both windows ($300-400 each) and the drivers side is acting up again. Tape deck went bad within a few months, replaced under warranty. ~110,000miles and have changed oil and spark plugs, no issues with engine or other components. Have been in a few (not too major) accidents and was impressed by the safety of such a small car. Handles great in good conditions. So light that drives horrible in snow, not that good on very wet surfaces, and only OK on dirt/gravel. Not enough weight on tires to keep enough friction. Backseat is hard to fit anyone over ~55".Trunk is surprisingly roomy.

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  Superb sports car for the money. - 2011 Hyundai Genesis Coupe
  By UpInSmoke - February 27 - 10:00 am

  After researching various vehicles, I decided on the Genesis Coupe, and boy am I pleased with my decision. Walked into a dealership without any intention on buying that day, but after one test drive, I was sold. The car handles great, performs even better, is surprisingly refined inside (especially with the new 2011 interior changes), and literally screams "Look at me!" from the outside. Even things that other critics cited as potential issues, such as a very bumpy ride on the track model and sub par sound from the infinity sound system, didnt seem justified from my experience so far. My only advice, leave the ESC "ON" until you become accustomed to the power and handling of this beast!

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  Great commuter! - 1995 Hyundai Accent
  By Valorie - February 26 - 2:01 pm

  This car has been a great commuter car. great gas mileage, has some pep to it. Fun and dependable little car.

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  So Far, Very Happy - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By Dixie - February 25 - 7:26 pm

  I purchased the car earlier this month (July, 2008) and Ive been very happy with it. The dealership included a full tank of gas with its delivery. I literally went 10 days in 3/4 of a tank of gas. That totaled about 375 miles. The tank is 16.9 gallons and dare I say one would get 500 miles on a single tank during highway driving. The Sonata is the first Hyundai Ive owned since I bought a Scoupe in 1993 in Southern California. That car had the best paint job Ive ever had in a car. I love the XM Radio in the Sonata. So far, its all good.

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  Outstanding Value - 2004 Hyundai XG350
  By Bill OD. - February 23 - 2:00 am

  This is my first foreign car and so far im very impressed. I researched and test drove a lot of cars before I made this purchase and nothing came close to the XG with the styling, features and options for the price. It is very responsive with respect to handling and has teriffic acceleration.