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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  60000 miles and going strong - 2005 Hyundai XG350
  By JackP - December 30 - 7:06 am

  Bought this car figuring it was worth a shot for the price and with its great warranty. I was very surprised to find it to be very reliable, comfortable and fun to drive. No complaints at all. One of the best cars Ive ever owned and I have owned many fine cars including a Mercedes. This car is a steal!

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  Great car - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By SantaFeDriver - December 29 - 10:00 am

  Has always had doubts about Hyundai, but was pleasantly surprised with the features and nice handling of the Santa Fe.

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  Fantastic little wagon :) - 2009 Hyundai Elantra Touring
  By happycat - December 28 - 10:40 pm

  Have had the Touring for a few months now and am very happy with it. Fuel efficiency with 60/40 hwy/city miles sits on 29.9 mpg. On 2-3 hr. trips the average has bumped up to about 31 mpg. I have never cleared it completely out to measure efficiency on only a long trip. The back is huge, both in terms of seating room and storage. Loading and unloading is a breeze as the cargo area is wide, flat, and at a good height. The hatch door is not too tall to reach when I need to close it and I am short (52"). Visibility is amazing out the front and the rear is okay--the d-pillars create a bit of a blind spot, but it is well compensated for with the mirrors. Lots of cubbies. Comfortable.

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  My ownership - 2010 Hyundai TUCSON
  By G. Forshay - December 28 - 8:53 pm

  I love my new car. Its performance and gas millage have exceeded expectations. I have had many people come up to me at stores gas stations and neighbors compliment me on the look of my new Tuscon. It rides so smoothly and steers like a dream. No complaints in that department.

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  Love it! - 2013 Hyundai Veloster
  By A Mccloud - December 26 - 8:31 am

  Almost a year in and I am still smiling behind the wheel. Im 64 and totally comfortable in this car. Great gas mileage too! So happy with it and hyundai service.

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  Quality car! - 2011 Hyundai Genesis
  By Dean Deangelis - December 25 - 11:21 pm

  great car, attractive, comfortable, decent power, quality materials, reliable!

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  Awesome! - 2006 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Niki - December 24 - 4:16 am

  I love my Tiburon! Its fabulous. A great guy car or girl car.

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  Just what I have learned to expect from Hyundai - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By deking - December 23 - 11:41 pm

  This is the 4th Hyundai I have owned and again they did not disappoint me. I have never owned a Hyundai that gave me any problems so this was no surprise. The new sonata outdoes them all. The car feels and drives like I spent at least double what I did when I traded in my 2008 Sonata. This is just an amazing car, quiet as an empty church , stable and sure on country roads and highways. As with all of my other Hyundais, not a hint of a squeak or a rattle anywhere. No wonder they are selling so many cars.

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  Love it - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By mark - December 21 - 5:36 pm

  Almost at 1000 miles and loving every minute of it. We just had a bad snow storm here and this car didnt slip once while driving.

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  Lots for the $$ - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By Yorkie Girl - December 21 - 11:06 am

  Was set to buy an Avalon and was just browsing through the Hyundai parking lot when I ran across a gentleman driving a Lexus whose brother had just bought an Azera. Both men felt the Azera was just as nice as the Lexus but thousands cheaper. So I decided to drive one before finalizing my Avalon purchase. I am so glad I did. I have had my car a month now and love it. It rides so smooth. It is the most comfortable car I have ever had. The trunk is very spacious, fold down seats (which the Avalon does not have) come in handy. This is the first car I have bought in 26 years that is not a Honda or Toyota so it was quite a leap for me to buy a Hyundai. Time will tell regarding reliability.