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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  Great reliable car, yes reliable - 2003 Hyundai Accent
  By KD - February 4 - 12:22 pm

  We bought this car as a cheap commuter car and figured we would maybe get 100k from it. Well at 120k now and still going strong. Only issue was lost a crankshaft sensor around 90k and one battery but that was it. Regular fluid changes and the car is happy. Still get around 34 MPG.

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  Looking forward to owning this for years - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By djali79 - February 4 - 12:12 pm

  I previously owned a 2001 Elantra GLS, which I drove from 31k to 191k on the odometer. I bought this Sonata with 25k on the odo. Hopefully it can get me beyond 191k. I love the bigger engine, even though there is a little sacrifice with fuel economy. The car is put together very well and is a great car for highway driving. Granted, the suspension doesnt shield noise as well as the Accord, but given the price difference, its hard to justify buying the Japanese brands. For the money, this car is difficult to beat.

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  Great for a lil beater - 2000 Hyundai Elantra
  By NYSchenkel - February 4 - 9:00 am

  I bought this car to commute to work .. I live in upstate NY and commute to westchester, NYC and Long Island for work depending on the day. This car is great. Shifts smooth [ I got the 5spd ] I have 232,789 miles on it and it runs like it is brand new .. Everything works [ pw, pl, and mechanical ]. I would definitely recommend this car to anyone. Fun little car to drive. Although it could be easier on the eyes.

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  Practical yet Charming - 2008 Hyundai Accent
  By thesouthernaccent - February 4 - 1:03 am

  The Accent drives quite smoothly and in that way, it fits my driving style quite well. The most pressing complaint I have is its long shift time, which makes the GLS 4-speed automatic feel kind of like a manual. The suspension is loose too, which makes curves a little wobbly. However, it returns good real world MPG figures, and is very economical in other categories. Accent offers plenty of trunk room, passenger area and leg room, rear head rests, height adjustable seat belts, and many other features I probably still havent discovered. For what it is, Accent is an excellent car.

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  Excellent alternative to Civic/Corolla - 2009 Hyundai Elantra
  By DavidC - January 31 - 10:35 pm

  I am a loyal Honda Civic owner, and my wife is a loyal Toyota Camry/Corolla owner. So we are still in shock when we are shopping for a replacement car this past month we decided on the 2009 Hyundai Elantra SE. What made us make this decision? For me its not really hard to make after a comparison of features and pricing. Its really disappointing how much Civic/Corolla has really jack up their prices, now youre paying more for the "brand name" then actual product. The Elantra, by comparison, no longer just offers a cheap car at a cheap price, but its a great car (by comparison) at an incredible price. Anybody looking to buy Civic/Corolla should definitely give Elantra a hard look.

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  worth the money - 2003 Hyundai Sonata
  By Hyundia - January 31 - 8:20 pm

  I bought this with 14,000 miles. Put a lot of miles in 4 years, about 165,000. Ac compressior went out quickly, leaking oil. Dealer refused to fix because of miles, even though it was under normal ac warranty period. You must change timing belts, all! As scheduled as I done. Faithfully changed oil. Trans started acting up, again I faithfully serviced. I still would buy another one, looking now at 04, getting rid of a 2008, dont like the ride as much as the 03!

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  My Hyundai - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By cmwolff - January 28 - 2:05 pm

  I bought my car used about 11 months ago with 23000 miles. I now have 28000 miles. In that 5000 miles, it has been in the shop twice for engine knock. The second time they had to call Hyundai tech support twice. I didnt pay anything,and it doesnt knock anymore, but hmmmmm.... I also think the rear suspension has always been a little noisy, but now after the coldest January in 30 years,it sounds like I may have a rear strut problem. It kinda sounds like the car is banging on the frame. I will have this checked next time its in. Im disappointed because I really do like this car. Hopefully its nothing and I will be a happy girl for a long long time. Wish I would have gotten the xm radio.

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  Love my Tuscon - 2007 Hyundai TUCSON
  By melanie maranise - January 28 - 3:20 am

  I did a lot of research before this purchase knowing I would keep this car many years. My family (husband and 2 kids)are all over 6,so I needed a car with legroom. This suv has plenty of room in the front and back. I also have all the cargo space I need. The Santa Fe has more cargo space but I liked the interior design of the Tuscon better. Just a personal choice.

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  Wide grins for me and wifey - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By weeeeeeee! - January 27 - 10:00 am

  The wife and I bought a 6-cyl, 5-spd Tibby and we just love it! Its got plenty of power for around town. I mean, lets face facts...where do everyday joes get to use 250 or 300hp anyway? The 170ish hp that comes outta the box is sensible yet still fun. Gotta go with the 17in wheels though. They look kewler and help to stiffen the ride a bit. Otherwise, the car is keen on standard features and the exterior is better than the RSX and not as goofy as the celica. For the money, I feel the Tib fills a niche between bland status symbols (RSX), overpiced and under powered cliches (Eclipse), and over done sillycars (celica).

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  2003 santa fe 3.5 awd - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By pss - January 27 - 10:00 am

  Vehicle has very slight lag on initial acceleration to about 2200rpm and then its very good. Ride is firm- seating very comfortable. Slight reflection of dashboard in windshield and of rear brake light under some lighting conditions. Gas mileage about 13 mpg under suburban non highway driving. Engine smooth- trans shifts smooth and not overly active.