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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  Test Drive this Car and You Will Love It - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
  By Tim - November 14 - 4:36 pm

  I just bought a new 2005 Hyundai Elantra GLS 4 Door Sedan Automatic Transmission about a week ago, and I love this car. The styling and standard features of the Elantra rival that of a luxury car, but the price tag is $10,000 - $15,000 lower. It has a lot of power and size for a small car, and gets good gas mileage. I have only had the car for a week, and have been driving it around the city, and have put 200 miles on it, and I still have about a half a tank of gas on it. Trust me, test drive this car and you will love it.

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  HyundaI Elantra GT - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By NMayer - November 14 - 3:42 pm

  I think it is a GREAT car. Would buy Hyundai again.

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  Happy Owner - 2003 Hyundai XG350
  By dsd1994 - November 14 - 10:00 am

  Ive had my XG350L for 6 months now and am very pleased with its comfort,features,quality,reliability,war ranty, and at a remarkably low price. My wife loves it too and is very impressed. Whats not to like? Its as solid as a brick and Im saving a ton of money compared to similarly equipped luxury cars! Why pay thousands more for an overrated name.

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  1-Year Eval - 2004 Hyundai Tiburon
  By aragornVA - November 14 - 10:00 am

  I love it. Just wish it had better noise suppression. Lots of road noise. Thinking now that it may be the result of a problem in the rear axle. Good fuel economy. Fantastic looks!

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  Top Notch - 2004 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Dogmeister - November 14 - 10:00 am

  I bough this car on my birthday for a cheap price and went for a "joy ride" with my dad in the passenger seat. We drove for about an hour and then went home. When we got out of the car. Both me and my dads hands were pure white! This car is really fun to drive. I got it up to 90 on the highway and it flew with no problems. I had the sound booming and the air blowing through my face. I have never felt so alive. I driven a 1995 Pontiac sunfire and it doesnt even compare. I wish I turned 16 alot earlier than this year

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  ONE YEAR IN THE SADDLE - 2004 Hyundai XG350
  By TOM WILSON - November 14 - 10:00 am

  I HAVE OWNED MY XG350 FOR ONE YEAR NOW. AFTER 35000 MILES (I TRAVEL A LOT) THE CAR HAS NOT SEEN THE SHOP EXCEPT FOR OIL CHANGES. I LOVE IT! I DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHY CAR REVIEWERS COMPLAIN ABOUT THIS CARS HANDLING. THE CAR IS FAST, TIGHT, AND VERY QUIET. 70MPH=2100RPM,THE RED LINE IS 6500RPM ENOUGH SAID! IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A GREAT CAR FOR A REASONABLE PRICE CHECK IT OUT.

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  cheep cheep - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By mr man - November 14 - 10:00 am

  Yes this is a car that you will pay well under 20,000 for. The ride is very stiff and if you have to spend any time in it for traveling or camuts, you will need to get out to strech you legs. All i realy can say is get a good acupunchest or ciropractor (youll need it anfter a few weeks of driving). Though it has a nice warrinty the factory mantaince can get a little pricy. The gas milage is great. I would never buy this car again and never recamend it to a friend or family member. It could be a good interductry car for the 20 somethings just starting out in the world.

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  someone made a mistake on price - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By happy cons - November 14 - 10:00 am

  i cannot believe the price of this little vehicle i got a gt hyundai w spoiler leather interior mp3 cd player bucket seats fold down back seats room enough in back for passengersto sit confortable large trunk sunroof and really sporty look plus i did not go broke amazing

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  restaurant Mgr - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By BertFic - November 14 - 10:00 am

  over all i am very happy with the car, it handles great 80-90 mph and the ride is sooth i had a elante ran great but i just want to up grade.I am glade i did also went from M to A hurts on gas mile but a comfortable ride

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  Best little SUV Ive Ever Had - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Gale - November 13 - 8:30 pm

  I have had larger SUVs and sedans and this is the best car I have had. It is great around town and for those trips to Home Depot or the Vet with my dogs, all the seats fold down.On the highway it is a joy with a large windshield to see and the height of other large SUVs . I cant see how the Sante Fe would be bigger because the layout and extra details in the Tucson are so great. Plus curtain airbags and ESB stablizer to help with over correction makes me feel so safe. The only draw back is the gas mileage is a little les than they promise , but I still drive for about 2 weeks on a tank. This is a great car!!!