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:

• 

  Fabulous Car !!! - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By Sean - November 20 - 2:23 pm

  I cant believe it. Hyundai finaly raised a fabulous car. Ive tested several cars to trade my coupe. Azera was quieter, smoother and more powerful than other famous cars (Lexus ES, Acura TL, Toyota Avalon).

• 

  Anti perforation warranty - Rust? - 2007 Hyundai TUCSON
  By gargoyle - November 20 - 11:23 am

  Pretty good car. Doesnt handle potholes or bumps as well as the Pontiac Torrent, but still very nice for the price.

• 

  I fell in Love!!! - 2002 Hyundai XG350
  By G MAYO - November 20 - 10:00 am

  Hubby decided he wanted Grand Am. I drove Grand Am and decided ok since this was supposed to be his car. Driving home I went by Hyundai dealership and saw XG350 and had to stop! Drove car and called Hubby and told him I had totlly fell in love! I cannot find a feature I dont like about this car! And when I first saw the car I thought that car looks like a Jag! I love the memory seat , mirror adustments since I am always griping about Hubby re-adjusting mirrors, and he complains about me pulling seat up to far. The mirrors atomaticallly lowering when in reverse takes some getting use to but is a nice feature for visabilaty This is truely a excellent car at a great price!

• 

  Awesome experience - 2017 Hyundai Elantra
  By hadis - November 20 - 7:48 am

  So far Im in love with my new car, its so convenient and has the recent technology that I was looking for.

• 

  This car is amazing - 2010 Hyundai Genesis
  By nutsaboutcars - November 19 - 11:03 pm

  I just took delivery of my 2010 genesis v8 sedan with tech pkg,,So far I am very impressed with this fine car, I also have a bmw 7 series and this car is just as nice for more than half the price

• 

  6 Year report - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Kadaro - November 19 - 10:10 pm

  Love the car @ 125K miles. only history to report is Velocity sensor gear failed, P/S pump and lines fail/rust prematurely. Almost impossible to replace P/S pump yourself. Must use hyundai oil filter or you will have engine knock after sitting overnight. Window antenna is garbage on 2004, improved at 2005.

• 

  Roberts Daily Commuter - 2010 Hyundai Elantra
  By Robert in Florida - November 18 - 4:59 pm

  I bought my 2010 Elantra GLS on 9 Nov 09. The GLS comes loaded with standard with features others charge for. The Price & Warranty cannot be beat! Love the Fuel Economy and Quite ride. Standard features include: ABS, Power Windows & Door Locks, Keyless Entry w/Security system, Cruise Control, Heated Mirrors, Tilt Wheel, 6 Airbags, Intermittent Wipers, Lighted Vanity Mirrors, Fog Lights, 160W CD Player with built in XM (90 days free), Stereo has IPOD interface and USB & AUX connectors for MP3 playback. IPOD controlled w/ stereo! Huge trunk and cabin space. Fold down seat backs are hard. 32-34 MPG. Paid right at the Customer Cash Adjusted TMV OTD. Only options were Mud Guards & Floor Mats.

• 

  My first minivan - 2007 Hyundai Entourage
  By Kris - November 18 - 7:23 am

  I have 3 small kids and resisted buying a minivan for years. We drove all vans on the market and found this to be the best value and safest out there. It is solidly built and the styling is unique and still nice to look at. It is easy to move around inside and super comfortable to both ride in and drive. We have driven it 10K miles in 3 months of VT weather and have no complaints. We own a Hyundai Santa Fe and look forward to driving the Entourage in the snow to see how it compares. The Kia Sedona is a near twin, but the Entourage is simply nicer to look at both inside and out.

• 

  What A Deal!! - 2006 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Chris - November 17 - 3:13 am

  How can you beat this suv for the price and the warrenty is untouchable? Drove em all and dollar for dollar this is the top dog by far! Still cant believe it is so much car for so much less.

• 

  2010 Elantra GLS - 2010 Hyundai Elantra
  By NJ Commuter - November 16 - 3:52 pm

  I have 375 miles on my new 2010 Elantra GLS. So far, so good. I went to dealer to test drive and ended up purchasing the car. With the $2000 in incentives the dealer offered I walked away paying just under $16,000 for the car which included all taxes, fees and destination charges. My first tank of gas I averaged just under 31mpg in mixed city/highway driving. Car feels solid, has a comfortable driving position and handles well. Its also a good looking car. Car came with 3 months of XM satellite radio included. Back seat is very comfortable for my teenage kids. Im hoping for many years of trouble free operation - only time will tell.