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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  Youll like this car! - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Jeff D - March 21 - 9:03 pm

  Ive logged over 12K miles over the first year and have no substantive complaints at all. The car has satisfied all of my expectations, and I dont consider myself easy to satisfy. Ive had no problems other than a ding on the roof from the dealer which he fixed perfectly while giving me a loaner. Mileage is running only about 22 mpg in mixed driving. You wont do better than this car for the money.

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  Great car - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By Jennifer - March 21 - 6:06 pm

  I looked at buying a new car for a long time and I am happy I went with the Elantra and even happier that I decided on the GT. This is a great car. And as long as it doesnt end up being a turkey like every other car I owned (the latest being a 96 Plymouth Neon) I will remain happy. This car has a good smooth ride, and is comfortable to drive.

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  Great Choice - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By Sassyka63 - March 21 - 5:00 pm

  I purchased this car in August. I have 12,000 miles on it already and have absolutely no problems. The ride is nice and smooth, low outside noise and the gas mileage is not bad either for a V6. The interior is very roomy and the seats are very comfortable. I have a back problem and I have no problem sitting in the seats for 8 hours driving. I would recommend this to anyone.

• 

  Santa Fe - Top Performer - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By James Clarke - March 21 - 3:43 pm

  Great car. No problems and assembly and finish are flawless. Gas mileage is poor and steering tends to be a bit heavy. Aside from this a great family and trip car.

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  Great Value - 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By David Cocanougher - March 21 - 2:13 pm

  Bought the Santa Fe after my wifes van was totaled. My wife is short so driving position and comfort were VERY important for her. Looked at ALL the competition. Came down to a used Toyota Highlander or new Santa Fe for about the same cost. Honestly, we liked the Highlanders better, but the Santa Fe was the best value, had less road noise, and had many features the Toyota didnt, including a long warranty. Just got back from an 1100 mile family trip (4 of us). Great ride, but disappointed with gas mileage. Only getting about 19.5 on the highway. But if the Electronic Stability Control was turned off, got about 22 mpg. This has to be fixed!

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  Great value for the auto cost - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
  By John - March 20 - 7:13 pm

  The car has great lines and is fun to drive. The 10 year thing is great for us retired folks.......

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  good choice so far - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Sandy-1 - March 20 - 10:00 am

  After 18000 miles so far so good. The only problem was when I filled up with gas I kept filling until it wouldnt barf anymore, or some would say overfilled. The warning light in dash came on. Upon check at service dept the computer said gas tank vapor check valve stuck. I wonder why? It was replaced. Dont overfill.

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  Santa Fe All The Way - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By smoothyq - March 20 - 10:00 am

  I bought my Sante Fe June 2001. I love it. I havent had any trouble out of it. Its very dependable and drives great. The mileage is reasonable for an SUV 19/26. The seating is quite comfortable, with many settings. With its 4-wheel independent suspension makes it handle smoothly.

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  01 Elantra GLS @ 18k miles - 2001 Hyundai Elantra
  By djbrowneyjr - March 20 - 10:00 am

  Originally I thought it was an excellent value for the amount of standard features you get plus the warranty. I have not been happy with the Shift Flare problem that the automatics are notorious for. Brought my vehicle in for checking because the transmission fluid was black and smelled burnt. Dealer flushed the system and put in new fluid. 300 miles later the fluid is turning black again. Was told by the dealer that "Hyundai transmissions get hot", that is why the fluid turns black. "Dont worry, you have a 100kmi warranty, if the transmission goes bad we will just replace it". Based on the black transmission fluid, I expect the transmission to fail.

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  Solid car - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Freon - March 20 - 10:00 am

  You wont get a nicer car for under $20k. Thats $2-3k less than a similarly optioned Celica or Eclipse V6. And its LOADS easier to drive than the anemic Celica GT-S which requires revving to at least 5000rpm just to get power. The gearing on the 6M is way too short. 3400rpm at 80mpg? Thats too high. That may be why the gas mileage is so poor (but you can fill with 87 octane, unlike premium only for the Eclipse V6 or either base or GTS Celica). The flywheel is a tad too heavy, but Im really nit-picking. I really like the action on the clutch and the shifter. The spacing is perfect. It really promotes fast and accurate shifting.