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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  I LOVE IT - 2004 Hyundai XG350
  By Tabatha...Ky - November 18 - 9:10 pm

  I just bought my car last night. I was looking at another car but once I saw this and test drove it I was hooked. I have received so many compliments already. This car is totally awesome and is so smooth on the road. It is so quiet that when you start it you wonder if it started...lol. This is the best car I have ever owned and I know its only been 24 hours but my gut is telling me I did the right thing. Love everything about it. Im not big on all the extras on cars but am certainly enjoying them on this one. It looks like a rich persons car and trust me I am far from that...lol. I am glad to have a nice dependable car like this. Got a great deal. I believe I am a true Hyundai fan now.

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  By REGINALD T H WONG Vehicle: 2016 Hyundai Tucson - 2016 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Reginald T H Wong - November 18 - 5:09 pm

  On July 3 and 15 almost within a 2 week span, I was driving slowly uphill on a slight incline hill for about 1 1/2 miles and through 2 different tunnels. I was caught in 2 traffic jams. A vehicle stalled in the tunnels that caused only one lane to be useable and caused the traffic jams. The traffic was merging from 2/3 lanes to 1 lane, and moving slowly, bumper to bumper. I had the warning messages and sounds that the transmission was overheated and to stop my car. Since it was unsafe to stop in the tunnel, I forced my vehicle move out of the tunnel. I was only allowed to drive very slowly. Even by pressing the accelerator pedal, I could barely get the car to move. I could only stop at a safe location outside of the tunnel. Although there were numerous cars that got stuck in the traffic jams, they did not have problem like me and were able to drive faster once they passed the stalled vehicle and the other lanes opened up. I was lucky for not being stalled in the tunnel that could have caused a hazard condition and a safety problem.

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  Very Nice! - 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By paulnz - November 18 - 11:33 am

  Consumer Reports summed it up in one word - pleasant! It is an all-around nice vehicle. Nice ride, comfortable, good power, safe, and very quiet. After putting 1,600 miles on it, I am more impressed with it now than when we originally purchased it. We tried the competitors - Rav, CRV, Forester - but the Santa Fe beat them all in our book. We were hesitant to purchase because of the past unreliable reputation of Hyundai, but took a chance. Hopefully it will prove as reliable as a Honda or Toyota over time. The long warranty offers some peace of mind as well.

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  Veracruz 2012 Limited - 2012 Hyundai Veracruz
  By wakaz - November 18 - 8:05 am

  good solid ride, nice interior, versitile, so so gas milage

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  Leather Seats - 2008 Hyundai Sonata
  By Mike - November 18 - 6:43 am

  The 2008 Hyundai Leather Seats are totally unacceptable. I owned a 2006 Sonata and the seats were perfect. My Neighbor has a 2007 Sonata and the seats are perfect. Hyundai must have lowered their quality standards: Michellin Tire are no longer Standard on the Sonata and the seats front and back have are wrinkled as much as 1/2". Why pay $1,000.00 extra for sub-quality leather seats? The local Hyundai order a new seat for me and it was worst than the original one. Is this a recall issue?????

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  Just What I Was Looking For! - 2006 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Adam - November 18 - 2:26 am

  This car is GREAT! I was looking for a car that was a 2door 6 cylnder with some power style and at a good price all togather and the hyundai Tiburon was deffently the best choice... I luv this car from the front to the back the rims the leather interior the INFINITY speakers with subwoofer with i also luv the Sun Roof Good to have when the weather is right

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  New Genesis Coupe - 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe
  By Myls-O2L - November 17 - 3:40 pm

  Have only owned for a week, but what a great week. This is definitely a sexy looking Hyundai. The styling reminds me of the Porshe 944. The sheet metal Z-styling and wide rear end make a nice statement. Power is not a problem with the 3.8L V6 and it features a nice exhaust purr at start up and acceleration. For a coupe, the interior is quite comfortable (at least in the front)and well appointed at the price level. Ride comfort is what you would expect from a sports suspension and low-profile Potenza tires. The vehicle is longer than you would expect for a "Sports Coupe". Overall, if you are looking for a fun, great looking car you cant beat the 2010 Genesis Coupe. Big bang for the bucks!

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  love my car - 2004 Hyundai XG350
  By Janet - November 17 - 12:26 pm

  The minute I saw this celadon green car on the lot I knew I had to test drive it. It was easily the sharpest car in the lot. When I tested it, my husband and I were hooked!!! The car is so luxurious and quiet,and has a powerful engine that zips in and out of traffic. The air conditioner blows ice cold and I especially love the back seat air vents and console for the kids. I feel safe in this car, and the 10 year warranty cant be beat. Everywhere we go someone tells us how elegant our car looks. I bought it 1 year old, (Let someone else pay for the depreciation) and the dealer provided us with all service records. We are thrilled that we chose this car over the toyota camry.

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  Extremely Satisifed - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By CallmeJoe - November 17 - 10:00 am

  Well let me just say this car rocks. Well coming from a Ford, how cant it??? The dealers were awesome, the overall experience so far has been great. Ive owned this baby for a week now and I love it. Comparing to the previous tiburons, and the other autos i have looked at(eclipse, celica, RSX), this one takes the cake. My only misfortune was the defect on the sunroof...but hey mistakes happen and its all done and working fine.

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  Love this SUV - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Kait - November 17 - 12:06 am

  This is a great truck. It meets my needs for something fun to drive, comfortable, and with a good basic sound system. It meets my husbands needs for something that looks "rugged" that can handle hauling all of our camping equipment for our trips to the North Shore. It handled great through the MN winter and is a fun truck to zip around in.