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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  Better than my 3 past Ford Explorers!!!! - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Destiny - March 18 - 10:00 am

  Love this SUV! I researched SUVs and tested them for three solid weeks before leasing this car! You can not beat the value of this SUV, and it is loaded!Leather, heat seats, moonroof and it is fast! Love the look and feel! I was hesitant of a Hyundai but could not pass this SUV up! I have leased three Ford Explorers for the past nine years and this car beats them all in all aspects! Ford cars have gone up in price and the quality down! Fords service has also gone way down!! This car has quality at an unbeatable price and is better on gas! Faster than my Explorer and has a ten year warranty!

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  2005 XG350L - 2005 Hyundai XG350
  By jimk1947 - March 17 - 9:26 pm

  Great value, comfortable,smooth ride. Hard to beat for the price.

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  Great Value for an SUV - 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Billy - March 17 - 3:03 pm

  Just finished a 1000 mile vacation trip to northern New Mexico. The 2005 Santa Fe 2.7 GLS FWD was outstanding on the interstate as well as the twisting mountain highways near Santa Fe and Taos. Smooth ride, plenty of room for four adults and luggage, and adequate power from the 2.7 for steep grades indicates that Hyundai has a well- thought-out platform for years to come. The Santa Fe is a solid perfomer and a great value--thousands less than competitors.

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  Hard to believe its a Hyundai - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By New2Diesel - March 17 - 11:06 am

  What a great vehicle. Styling is great, comfort great. MPG per tank has been no less than 23.5. Road trip of 250 miles saw over 27 mpg at 68 mph with a/c. The 2.7 is gutless when passing on a hill but fuel efficient. Otherwise engine is sufficient and quiet. Interior is very comfortable and quiet. I love driving to work everyday now! This vehicle hands down trumps the competition. I drove everything !

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  Luv the 2008 Santa Fe - 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Blazinjoe - March 15 - 1:23 pm

  Car is so quiet and smooth. Luv the bigger V-6, almost unnoticeable when it shifts. SE has very nice interior. Very comfortable. Great mileage...21 local...24 highway. Better mileage than 2003 which had small V-6. Had 2003 Santa Fe 5 years..enjoyed it so much there was no question when we went to look for a new car. No mechanical probs on the 2003 & after Id wash it it looked like new car even after 5 years. When u consider the price & warranty, my 2008 Santa Fee is a "no-brainer"!

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  StefsYellow Car - 2004 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Stefaniem82 - March 14 - 4:10 am

  I LOVE IT!!! FUN TO DRIVE LOVE THE LOOK BEST CAR OUT THERE RIGHT NOW!

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  Amazing new look! - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By Karla J - March 12 - 1:56 pm

  Im in love with this car. Lots of compartment storage. I just got this car last week and I already received so many compliments on how great this car looks like interior & exterior. The seats are comfy!

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  my first hyundai - 2008 Hyundai Sonata
  By usmc4ever - March 12 - 7:16 am

  This is my first time owning a Sonata by Hyundai, Ive owned a lot of cars over the years, and I have to say that this car rides smoother than any 4 cyl Ive ever owned, the ride is smooth pick- up is great the trunk is very large. the styling is great ive added the all weather floor mats and the full bra, and the window vent covers it all looks great on the polar white. the fuel mileage is great for this size of car 26 in the city so far and havent taken it on the highway yet. XM is great love the 6 speakers and sound. Saved thousands of dollars compared to the Honda and Toyotas.

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  Great Deal for Fun wheels - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By flavtech - March 12 - 2:00 am

  I have had my Elantra GT for 1 month and about 2000 miles now and can say it has beem a great experience so far. It is stylish has adequate performance (although a closer ratio gearbox and a bit more clutch feel would be welcome) and is pretty comfortable on a long trip. It could also use a bit sportier sounding exhaust system in as the engine is almost too quiet. Overall though it reminds me of the original Volkswagen GTI with an extra set of doors.

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  Loving It! - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Kalahoolagirl - March 12 - 2:00 am

  I have had the vehicle for over a week now: it drives great and the comfort is awesome. Moving form a Kia Sportage to the Santa Fe is liking moving up to a luzury car. I purchased a fully loaded vehicle - encluding the entertainament pkg -for only a few thousand more than my Sportage. The road side service and warranty pkg was not to bad either. This vehicle was worth the shopping around I did. Great product for a great price.