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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  Amazed by this car - 1998 Hyundai Elantra
  By Jim D - February 9 - 4:27 pm

  Bought the car in 2000 with 24K on it. Other then normal wear and tear parts, I have spent less then $300 on repairs to this car. It has over 90,000 miles on it now and has been through the hard New England winters and still runs great. I will be looking to get a new one whenever this one dies.

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  Its a Winner - 2005 Hyundai Sonata
  By FAKEIDEE - February 8 - 8:02 pm

  Bought this honey with NO options. The LX is LOADED. Best buy at this price...$4-5,000 less than Accord or Camry. The editors rating here is a little off.

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  Irene loves her Sonata Hyundai - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By Julia Powell - February 8 - 10:00 am

  I love my Sonata. Its stylish, reliable and is great to drive. It is also very luxurious looking, inside and out. For the money, it is an excellent value. It is roomy for the passengers in the back seat as well as for us in the front. I get compliments all of the time on what a sexy looking car it is. I cant think of another car which would even come near all of the wonderful extras which are automatically a manufactured part of the car. I wish that American auto- makers would come up with just such an automobile for me to buy. I have tried for many years to find American autos which compare to my Sonata Hyundai.

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  i love my santa fe - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By ken wagner - February 8 - 10:00 am

  I LOVE MY SANTA FE,IT VERY ECONOMICAL AND ITS FUN TO DRIVE!

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  Former Honda Owner - 2007 Hyundai Azera
  By HappyAzzyOwner - February 8 - 6:10 am

  I want to drive the Azera. Going to the store for my wife is a pleasure.

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  Like it better than the Civic EX-L... - 2008 Hyundai Elantra
  By chris88 - February 7 - 8:56 am

  Wife wanted small car with auto, leather, and good mpg. We only buy Japanese. (American cars still not made as well) we looked at the Nissan sentra sl&Honda civic ex-l. Sentra-wierd feeling steering, rear drum brakes, &torsion beam (cheap, non-independent) rear suspension. Civic rode low, wife thought it was boring & spaceship like. We drove hyundais after seeing the new consumer reports mag. Drove a 09 sonata 4 cyl limited & a 08 elantra se with leather/auto. Sonata is great, but we wanted better mpg. Elantra drove almost as well as a new VW jetta & better than the civic or sentra. Pros-ride, handling, steering, grip, warranty, brakes, overall quality, mpg, price&rebate. Hyundai is now making good cars!

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  Best in Its Class AND Best Value - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By greatpr - February 5 - 10:00 am

  Love our new Santa Fe! Hyundai has turned it around! Great SUV. Smoothest ride in class (we drove them all)! Roomy interior. Loaded. Powerful engine, w/ sporty auto-stick. Great service during sale! Plus, it was THOUSANDS less than its closest competitors! Came with a standard 5-year/50k bumper-to-bumber warranty, plus the touted 10-year, 100k powertrain warranty. Headlamp goes out? They fix it! Same w/ the battery! Plus, amazing roadside assistance - 5 yrs, unlimited miles, & average response time = 12 minutes! Added peace of mind for the car my wife and child will drive most often. Highly recommend this over anything in or even above its class!

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  Hyundai on the move to the top!! - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
  By 1SweetV6 - February 3 - 12:56 pm

  We traded in my wifes 01 Neon, it stunk on gas. We went with the Hy Elantra because of the warrenty. She drives 100+ miles a DAY!! We couldnt find any other car for the price+value+warrenty. Nothing came close to it. All power options+ Sun R, CD, Keyless, etc. Rides very nice, nice seats, nice looks, not much road noise, less then the Neon thats for sure!

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  Fell apart on 20 mph impact - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By Texas - February 2 - 10:13 pm

  This is a very nice car. It moves very well. It sits comfortably. Power when you need it and a nice growl on acceleration. Quiet with great Infinity music setup inside. Major problem: I was hit by a Saturn turning right from a left turn lane in front of me at an intersection. The drivers front headlight area took the hit. The bumper popped loose, the fender was pushed back against the tire and drivers door which wouldnt open and the hood was bent beyond repair. Normal fender bender speed of less than 20mph... normal repair cost $2500... this one $5000. Now the worst part: Depreciation in 8 months and 8500 miles was 54%. Even Without an accident, Hyundai said it would be the same.

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  Very good car for the money - 2005 Hyundai Sonata
  By johnny medinilla - February 2 - 9:15 pm

  Very good car for the money