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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  Best sports car for the money - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By david rodrigues - December 11 - 2:00 am

  This car has it all speed, comfort, and fun. Not the fastest production car, however it can get out of its own way and more. When I get home from work and park the car I cannot wait for a reason to drive it again. Simply put, I love this car.

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  IM LOVIN IT! - 2004 Hyundai XG350
  By TERRI OF B.I.,CA. - December 11 - 2:00 am

  I TOOK A JOB LAST YEAR AT A LUXURY CAR DEALERSHIP. I SOON DISCOVERED I LIKED LUXURY CARS. AND I NEEDED ONE. BUT COULD NOT AFORD ONE. THE TASK WAS SET. MY SEARCH BROUGHT ME THE BEAUTIFUL XG350L FROM HYUNDIA.I GOT BLACK ON BLACK LEATHER, W/EVERYTHING! EVERYTHING THAT LUXURY CARS HAVE AND MORE. THAT CAR MAKES ME FEEL LIKE A PRINCESS. I FIND IT JUST AS LUXURIOUS AS AN INFINITI ONLY MORE STYLISH. AND AT HALF THE PRICE! EVERYONE STARES TOO.

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  Best of the Best - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By El Mac - December 11 - 2:00 am

  Dont look at Honda Civic, dont look at Toyota Corolla, go directly to Hyundai, and buy an Elantra GT Hatchback. I did the research, test drove, did more research, I bought the best of the best. The car is tight as a drum, drives like a dream, smooth automatic, fully loaded costs about the same as an entry-level competitor. Leather seats, Kenwood stereo, fog lights, cute rear and front end...hatchback with rear seats down flat holds almost as much cargo as the Honda CRV I traded in. Quality is outstanding.My wife and I also own a 2000 Volvo C70 convertible...I cant decide which one I like best!

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  great small suv - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By ronzx - December 11 - 2:00 am

  I never liked suv,s, but when we drive the lx model fully loaded,we loved it.It drove like a car ,but you are up just high enough to know its not.The price and warranty cannot be beat for what you get.The v-6 2.7L is enough for us.The paint on clading under door started to chip off in one little spot,other then that no problems.Touch up paint solved it.

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  Awesome choice - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Nelson - December 10 - 3:23 am

  I love it. Had my car a month and I love driving it everyday. Seems to lack a little power while pulling hills in cruse control but other then that I have no issues

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  After 6 months, pretty impressed. - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Chasman - December 9 - 7:00 pm

  My wife and I looked at all of the SUVs / CUVs in this class and while I was trying to steer her other more conservative directions, she liked the Santa Fe the most so we bought. I have been impressed so far with the overall design, build quality, and performance of this vehicle. We have had it back to the dealer for a few very minor warranty issues and everything has been handled in a satisfactory manner. If Hyundai continues this direction then they will no doubt be a serious threat to Toyota and Honda in short order. IMO Toyota and Honda still have an edge in quality and reputation, but Hyundai is a better value...you get much more for your money.

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  BETTER THAN HONDA CIVIC? - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By Thisbemasn - December 9 - 10:00 am

  I own 1999 honda si and hyundai Elantra .. man wow... this car rocks.. i mean it isnt as fast as my si but.. it rides smooth for a compact car.. cant really tell any difference between my si and elantra best thing bout this car is that it looks sharp... LOve IT!!!

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  Elantra GT 2002 Automatic - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By RickJ - December 9 - 10:00 am

  After much research and two test drives, my wife and I turned in our leased 1999 VW Jetta and purchased a red 2002 Elantra GT demo w/pkg. 11. We love it and cant believe the price we paid. The car is powerful, quiet and well laid out. After 3,000 miles we dont have one complaint. Go Hyundai.

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  GOOD VALUE - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By Son Son - December 9 - 10:00 am

  Well done,Hyundai, for providing a sufficient price for a good amount of features!!!!!

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  Best Bang for your Buck - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By Alex C - December 9 - 2:33 am

  I bough the limited with the navigation and I do not regret. Money well spent. I bought this vehicle for my wife. She wanted something to keep up with my car I have a tiburon with many extra performance parts. And let me tell you this car kept up with my much lighter tiburon all the way past 130 mph I was surprised. Navigation is easy to use. However the voice comes a little late when you are at the turn instead of before. That would be my only complain. Also wished they had change more of the body to distinguish from the 2008 other than the tail lights and headlights. But overall Im satisfied and so is my wife she loves it. We drove the altima, g8 and the sonata came way on top.