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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  Dealer wont support warranty - 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Hyundaisucks - December 24 - 10:00 am

  After 600 milse the Alternator went out after the first trip on a dirt road. Dealer wont fix car saying the car was abused. Bewhare of dealships not honoring warrantry. A complaint to the Hundia was usless. Like car but cant trust dealers to honor warrantry.

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  Great Car - Best Warranty - 2001 Hyundai Elantra
  By ItsJustMe - December 24 - 10:00 am

  Good performance and power. Comfortable and very reliable. Gas mileage is acceptable. AC is strong and cools you off quickly on a hot day. Warranty is what sold me. This is the second Hyundai Elantra I own and will not be the last.

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  What a great little car - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By cintidriver - December 24 - 10:00 am

  Bought the car in February and 9000 miles so far with no problems. My wife was extremely skeptical when I bought this car, but driving is believing, and she now drives it more than I do. Purchased without ABS and sunroof for $11,300. Great experience at dealership, and friendly service since. Car handles much better than expected for this class and comfortably seats my entire family. Originally bought as secondary vehicle to get me to and from work, but has quickly become the primary mode of transportation for my family.

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  amazing - 2002 Hyundai Sonata
  By terence Moore - December 24 - 10:00 am

  this car is fun strong and good looking

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  Tuscon - Good Mileage, Interior Room - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By BobG65 - December 24 - 1:53 am

  I drove my 4 Cyl 5 Speed Tuscon 8000 miles from the NY to Oregon and back. Over the trip I averaged 26 MPG (70+ MPH on most thruways). I also found that wind resistance is a major contributor to the mileage. I got much better mileage in the high altitude states of Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana than in the lower altitude states. I also am very suspicious of ethanol because when I used it in Iowa and Nebraska I got by far my worst mileage (22 MPG). I am very satisfied with my Tuscon in most respects. I found that the odometer is off by 3% (you have driven 3% further than it says, so my milage was actually 26.8 MPG). I also am not happy that two levels of my wiper intermitent settings no delay.

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  Impressed buy worried - 2008 Hyundai Sonata
  By Hyundai_1st_time_own - December 23 - 12:40 pm

  Looks, feels, rides great but soon after leaving lot noticed gas gauge dropping below empty. Wasnt even sure I could make it to the next gas station as it continued to drop. Made it though. Next day, Passenger airbag light off message came on. Third day, light comes on even though I am the only person in the car. Forth day, I look up the issue and see it is a long- standing issue with Hyundais that apparently hasnt been fixed yet. First week isnt over yet and I dont feel good about my quick two strikes...?

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  Good Overall Grocery Getter - 2000 Hyundai Accent
  By Mike - December 23 - 1:25 am

  I bought this car new after a recommendation from a friend. Overall good quality. It was in the shop once for a mass air flow sensor. Very good gas mileage, and not too uncomfortable. Im 62 and can ride comfortably. Brakes are fantastic, 38,000 on the first front pads, and 53,000 and going on the rear shoes.

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  A nice little car thats a gas hog - 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Lisa - December 22 - 4:03 pm

  Really love this SUV. A little spongy on the ride, but I enjoy that type of feeling. Gas mileage really stinks, especially with todays prices going up to $3.00. Also disappointed that I have a smell in my A/C after two months of use, and side bumper scrapes too easily -- I already have several scraped areas where doors have hit the side of my car. Instead of creating a ding, the hits scratch the plastic bumper creating more of a deep scratch in the plastic.

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  Cheap wheels, great commuter car - 1999 Hyundai Accent
  By cjkip - December 21 - 10:11 pm

  I needed an affordable car when I got a new job requiring 100 commuting miles per day. 100% reliable, cheap transportation. LOVE the cargo room for such a small car - you wouldnt believe what I have fit into it - my friends didnt! Only complaint before 100k miles was pretty bad paint chipping from the front bumper. After 100,000, small things began to break like a plastic holder for the cargo shield, but easily replaced. Have put a little money into it, but not much, for timing belt, oxygen sensor, exhaust pipe. Still going strong at 116k. A great little car so far and still reliable.

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  a lot of car for the money - 2004 Hyundai Tiburon
  By thejumpinjoe - December 21 - 10:00 am

  was reluctant to buy a "hyundai" you know a cheap, korean car. the jd powers rating helped, and the cost of replacing my 8 year old eclipse with a new (and ugly) eclipse wasnt appealing. ive been pleasantly suprised. i love the look (its a pint- size ferrari 456 gt) the interior is well laid out and the steering/shifter is near perfect. got a great deal on it and the car is very nicely equipped.