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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  Luxury Car at Bargain Price - 2008 Hyundai Veracruz
  By Vlad - July 16 - 2:16 pm

  This is my second review of Veracruz. With 1500 miles on it Im enjoying the vehicle more and more. Prior to car purchase, id thought "Well, this is not Pilot or Highlander or CX-9, but it costs about 6 grand less". What i realize now Veracruz is actually at least AS GOOD as any competition, has a superior warranty AND it will leave a bunch of green in your wallet. It doesnt have a big name yet, but a brand name is probably not worth this much money.

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  I always come back - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Sledfour - July 16 - 10:00 am

  Believe it or not, this is my 4th Hyundai. I never thought I would have bought the second after buying my first at 16 years old. But I always came back. The warranty cant be beat, and the vehicles have gotten better looking with each model year change. People still say "youre getting a Hyundai?" with an all too familiar tone, but that will change when they see the Santa Fe up close. Even my wife was a skeptic, but was pleasantly surprised when I pulled into the driveway. If Hyundai keeps improving the looks, styles and amenities of its vehicles, this will not be my last.

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  greatest cheap sportscar ever! - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By jamesbgood - July 16 - 10:00 am

  handling is great! and pick-up is even better

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  Get One While You Can! - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By howdymax - July 16 - 10:00 am

  I dont know how they do it for the money. Once Hyundai realizes what a bargain this car really is - they will probably raise the price. I traded in my 2000 Beetle for a GLS 5 spd w/ all the standard features plus cruise, remote entry and alarm, stereo CD, woodgrain trim, moonroof, mudguard, and cargo net for $13,840. The dealer was polite, helpful, and gave me a great price on my trade-in. I took my Elantra home for $2500.00. This car is comfortable, logical, and a dream to drive.

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  Sante Fe - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Sharon46 - July 14 - 10:00 am

  I owned a 2001 Santa Fe and I made the mistake of trading it in. It was awesome in the snow and it had power. The ride was smooth and it was a reliable SUV. I recently bought a 2004 Santa Fe and am so glad that I was able too. Ill never trade this in unless it is for another Santa Fe

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  do check out this car! - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By Ingrid - July 11 - 10:00 am

  I researched new cars for over six months and just couldnt help feeling ripped off by all other makes after taking a closer look at Hyundai. All the features I wanted, for $3000 less than a Civic EX! (And a 10-year warranty to calm my fears about reliability...) What about resale value? What Ill get less for it in a few years is in my bank account now--collecting interest. Love the responsive ride, ergonomics, large load capacity, Euro styling. Nothing rattles, automatic transmission shifts as smooth as butter.

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  Wow...and I only paid $14,366.00!! - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By Timbo - July 11 - 10:00 am

  What can I say about this car only that Hyundai must be losing money on this one. I think they are trying hard for market share. Man...I love this car....Black and fine. In a few years I will put 16s on it and mabye lower it about 1 1/2 inches. If this thing had a turbo...Im telling you there would be no need to even test drive anything within 10K of its price.

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  Just bought it. - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By MarkV - July 11 - 8:40 am

  Runs great, sounds and feels great. Few points deducted on interior of the LX for little things like the incomplete audio controls on the steering wheel (seek/skip), and the placement of the audio equipment, which is a good reach from the drivers seat. The interior is spectacular for the price but isnt luxurious as its more expensive competitors (accord, g6). Handling is excellent. Power and response is again, great for the price. Not a G6, but pretty close. Equal to the Mazda 6. And although it doesnt "feel" like it has the power of the malibus 3.5 it responds quicker. The "manual" feature is fun. Gas mileage isnt great in the class. Overall: Good car, but a great value.

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  my tuscon - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By lynzee - July 11 - 2:26 am

  Weve only had it for 3 days, but so far we love it. We shopped around for about a month and the Tuscon was by far the best small SUV.

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  Best Value for the Dollar - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Dennis - July 9 - 1:26 pm

  I picked up the FWD drive version of this great car after looking at the Saturn VUE and Toyota RAV4. For all the standard features the other two couldnt compare. The VUE didnt have most of the saftety features available, and while the RAV4 did the price was substantially more. Even though we live in a snow-belt area, weve always been happy with our FWD sedan so we stuck with the FWD for our CUV mostly to save on fuel. The snow has fallen and, despite my best efforts, I cant get the FWD to do any sliding or slippping - and thats with the stock All-Seasons! Overall - this car is an excellent value for the money!