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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  awesome - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By liznkew - May 9 - 2:00 am

  firm, tight, lotsa stuff at no extra cost, comfortable and plows thru this miserable winter with ease.....wish it came with a power seat but hey cant have everything at this low cost

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  Sold! - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By 6Deacs - May 8 - 6:43 pm

  Rented the Azera after seeing it on the lot and hearing good things. Boy was I pleasantly surprised and pleased. We drove from chicago to Iowa and back over a long weekend. Great acceleration, very comfortable. In fact, the seats were the most comfortable I have experienced. Recently rented a Chrysler 300 for a similar weekend trip and liked it too but the azera has it beat.

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  2007 Sonata - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By Bob - May 8 - 1:13 pm

  Drove many of usual new car suspects in this class and then just for fun drove the Sonata. I drove one 6 years ago but wasnt impressed. So bought a camry instead at that time. Probably the best car Ive ever owned. But this time I liked the look and drive and the warranty of this car better.Also they had a 5 speed manual available on the lot which I believe makes any 4 cyl a better drive.Also saved at least $3500 over another similar camry,altima,ford focus,or malibu in the 08 models. Nice color selection. Dealership was helpful but not pushy which I like. S0 I decided to give Hyundai a try.

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  Love My Elantra - 2007 Hyundai Elantra
  By POWRBRUH - May 8 - 12:40 pm

  I purchased a 07 Elantra Limited last night and I must say I am very impressed. The dealer had a Carbon Gray color with manual transmission and I fell in love. Hyundai has come along way with the style and quality of their cars. I plan on keeping this car for a long time.

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  You wont go wrong - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By setting the standard - May 8 - 4:23 am

  I am glad we beat our hesitation to purchase the new Santa Fe. after 4mos and 8K I am extreamly happy and sattisfied. Spent two months comparing to Honda, Acura, Nissan, Toyota and dollar for dollar the Hyundai was the best choice.

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  Amazing for the Bucks! - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By zeb - May 8 - 2:23 am

  Ive had my 2009 Hyundai Sonata for about 2 1/2 months and I still love it! I was looking for a reliable, fuel- efficient, roomy, car with leather and I could not believe they sold me this car for $15,990....with leather seats? Its not the Limited model, but it had everything I realistically needed in a car...did I say leather? Best SURPRISE of all is that its virtually MAINTENANCE-FREE(oil and air filter change only) in normal conditions for 60K miles. My Subaru needs something every 15-24K. Who cares about Honda and Toyotas reputation when I have 100k, 10 year PT warranty. Its one of those few things in life that is too good to be true....but it is!

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  Elantra - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By Rocky - May 7 - 6:51 pm

  What I like about the Elantra is that its a good car for a great price. Its affordable to pretty much anyone, even fully loaded. The Elantra has so many standard features, such as power windows, mirrors and locks. I have enjoyed my car, it has 40,000 miles and is running just like the day I bought it.

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  Excellent Little SUV - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By smilinshy12 - May 7 - 5:23 pm

  With two little children, I needed a midsized suv that made me and my children feel safe. This is a cute, heavy duty truck that drives like a car. The interior is great and I dont take a beating at the pump!!

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  I love my Santa Fe - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Whip-it - May 7 - 10:00 am

  Ive had my Sante Fe for about 7 months now and I love it!!!! For the money not only is it stylish but roomy and it has luxury items in it too. When I drive it I feel special. I have over 10,000 miles on it with 3 long trips. If someone is interested in a small SUV than I would recommend the Sante Fe.

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  great Sante Fe!!! - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By paifica - May 7 - 10:00 am

  I love my vehicle, I have 12,500 miles on it and I drives great, I really beat it up in the winter i drve up to tahoe from sf 12 times and it still runs like a charm.