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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  My Car - 2004 Hyundai Tiburon
  By J Dillinger - June 1 - 10:00 am

  This is my third brand new Tib. I got on in 2002,2003,2004 and the only reason i keep going back is this car is just plain outstanding.I have beaten 325 BMWs on the highway. This car is the best

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  Te-Dos Evaluation - 2004 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Ted Kozikowski - June 1 - 10:00 am

  My Tiburon was purchased in Dallas, Texas. After driving the car back to Colorado Springs through the high plains of New Mexico and the mountains of Colorado I can honestly say this is the first coupe Ive ever owned that climbed Raton Pass, NM in 5th gear. It was an eerie feeling knowing that I had to keep an eye on the speedometer otherwise I would unknowingly exceed the speed limit because the car held the road so well. The car overhead is too low to offer seating comfort in the back seat for an average adult. Otherwise I am thoroughly impressed with my Tiburon.

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  WISE CHOICE - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By MINI TERMINATOR - June 1 - 10:00 am

  GREAT BUY. THE CAR IS FUN TO DRIVE AND GETS EXCELLENT GAS MILEAGE. THE STANDARD FEATURES AND WARRANTY FOR THE PRICE OF THE CAR CAN NOT BE MATCHED. BUY ONE!

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  Great Car! - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By AndreaCarrot - June 1 - 10:00 am

  Very comfortable and affordable. This car looks expensive but isnt! With a warranty like Hyundai offers- you cant go wrong.

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  I love the Santa FE! - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Santa FE - June 1 - 10:00 am

  I have loved my Santa FE. It is a great car. It is stylish, economical, and has been a great investment. I would recommend it to anybody.

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  buying a hyundai - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By ricky28 - June 1 - 10:00 am

  its a great car highly recommend hyundai santa fe

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  Sonata - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By Scott thomas - May 31 - 8:23 pm

  The sonata was a dependable roomy car that served me very well

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  Love it, love it, love it! - 2006 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Janice - May 31 - 9:40 am

  Ive only had this SUV a few months but I find that it is the perfect fit for me. I wanted something with more cargo room than my previous car but didnt want to be driving a ship. The Tucson fits the bill. It has a ton of cargo room when needed as all of the seats except for the drivers fold completely flat. This is done easily, too. It handles well and has a very tight turning radius. The sound system is excellent and the back seat is comfortable.

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  Finding excuses just to drive somewhere - 2010 Hyundai TUCSON
  By AnonymousBean - May 31 - 6:43 am

  I am loving my new Tucson! Ive been finding reasons to go out just so I can drive it (i.e. more coffee runs, sightseeing). Its very zippy and I am super comfortable driving it. Ive seen some people mention in other reviews & articles the tightness of steering is hard to get used to or seems rigid. I got used to it really fast. I think it handles great. The steering is sensitive, but I find I dont have to turn the wheel as much to make a turn, change lanes, etc. My friend came over and walked right past my car. She said "Oh, I thought for sure that wasnt your new car. It looks like a luxury SUV." She didnt believe it was a Hyundai. I was all smiles.

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  simply amazed.. - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By USCtrojanMan - May 29 - 9:36 pm

  I must say that Hyundai really did it with this one..I needed a reliable car that was comfortable and classy and the sonata was a natural choice. The car has been treating me well/