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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  So far I love It - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By darkclouds - July 9 - 3:36 am

  Was a Volvo S60 2.4T owner. Just bought the Azera and have been driving it for a couple of weeks I do the long commute every day so comfort and noise are key. Nice ride, good handling, and its a much lower noise level than the Volvo

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  Great Car, Great Deal, Great Dearship! - 2006 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Louise - July 8 - 2:36 pm

  I drive over 70 miles a day to and from work. This car is great on gas milage, confort and performance. I bought it in October of 2005 and have put about 11000 miles on it already. It runs real quite too. I have enjoyed owning this car a lot!

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  MUCH better than our old 04 Lincoln LS - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By David & Mary Weber - July 8 - 11:46 am

  Wifes car,I drive a Vette.I like the looks and quality of this Azera.The V-6 has some guts and the tranny shifts smoothly.We had an 04 Lincoln LS,what a piece of crap compared to the Azera.Ride is nice,car is super quiet,all of the gadgets and options are great for the money.Mileage is somewhat low,but regular gas is a huge plus.It is great to go from the Vette to the Azera, like going into a sound proof booth.Not many on the road in So. Fl.,but Im sure that will change.The trunk is so huge, as is the rear seat room. Fit and finish are very nice for a Korean auto, they hit the mark with this model.

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  The new hyundai - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By drb6207 - July 8 - 10:36 am

  This is a beautiful vehicle inside and out. The fit and trim inside is very good and the leather quality is awesome. If Hyundai can get people to take a test drive, they will have no problem selling as many as they can make-Drive it and you will buy it!

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  awesome - 2004 Hyundai Tiburon
  By kenny27 - July 7 - 10:00 am

  What a fun car. Add a fresh air intake for a true 15 hp increase you can feel. No regrets or complaints...

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  mici car - 2004 Hyundai XG350
  By rutledge - July 7 - 10:00 am

  After driving this car 3,ooo miles and looking it over, I believe the xg350l is put together better than the 1997 lincoln town car that I traded in for it. It also has more pep and horse power than the Linc

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  Hyndai Elantra GT 2004 - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By SmithVincent - July 7 - 10:00 am

  Bought an Silver Hyundai Elantra GT 2004 Model in third week of June 2004 in the state of NJ. Paid $13900 OTD ( incl taxes etc). Excellent car... lots of power. Delivers avg mileage of 28.5 mpg. Was debating between Civic, Corolla, sentra and Elantra. Civiv would have been the first choice but its expensive even with the most basic features. Corolla has no power at all. Seating is a bit awkard too. Little more pricier than Elantra. Sentra has bad crash test ratings and looks are a turn off. Elantra has a good balance of all.

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  A Lot of Car For The Money - 2010 Hyundai Sonata
  By Mike Budget - July 6 - 2:26 pm

  After a pleasant ownership experience with our 2007 Tucson, we traded for this Sonata after researching all the sedans in this general price range. This car offers plenty for the budget buyer, and rivals the usual suspects in MPG, options and quality. I saw the design of the 2011 model and it definitely turned me off. Way too angular and edgy, IMHO. This Sonata, to me, at a glance reminds me of one of my favorite cars, the Toyota Avalon. There is plenty of room inside, a HUGE trunk, and a peppy (if not tire-squealing)4cyl that seems to just sip gas. I wish the headlights did not have such a marked line between the light and dark, and the speedometer needs to be redesigned.Overall, great car.

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  Great Limited car - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By Alan Bankhead - July 6 - 11:43 am

  We looked at several autos and for the money and options and styling. GREAT The car was a dealer trade had a stiff ride. My dealer checked the air pressure. Was 38 psi should be 33psi. Now the ride is normal. Always check everything before signing.

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  Had to have two ! - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Steve - July 5 - 9:23 am

  We had been reading about these SUVs for months and couldnt wait until they hit the showroom floor. After we drove one we were hooked ! Love the size and V6 and its a kick to drive. We ending up buying two ! Fit, form and function on both of our SUVs are excellent and they are just really fun to drive.