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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  Happy with the purchase - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Jocelyn C. - November 13 - 1:23 pm

  Great ride on the bumpy roads. Performs well in the difficult weather. Very roomy in the rear. The price is right. I have a positive feeling about the purchase.

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  Love it! - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By SFBlue - November 13 - 2:00 am

  I have had my 2003 Elantra GT 5spd over a year now. It is the best car I have ever owned. It has every option I wanted... and more (for thousands less). It is the most powerful car in its class which helps on those steep hills and winding roads.

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  Hyundai reinvents the GTI - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By Mazmanfl - November 13 - 2:00 am

  Hyundai hits a home run with the Elantra GT! Not since I purchased my Volkswagen GTI in 1986 has a car so captured the fun to drive spirit and bang for the buck value of my Elantra GT. It has competent road manners a great ride and is quick and responsive providing excellent driver feedback. I find myself going for rides just because and with gas at almost $2 a gallon it gets decent mileage in the high 20s around town and mid 30s on the highway that doesnt brake the bank. The standard leather interior, great Kenwood stereo and hatchback versatility make this little Saab impersonator hard to beat.

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  second elantra and still happy - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By kcirnev - November 12 - 10:23 pm

  Bought a 2004 Elantra after owning a 2002 Elantra that went problem-free for the entire two years and 50,000 miles. No problems really with the 2004 except for a temperamental clutch that was replaced promptly--seemed to be affecting the cars starting. Im on the road about 4 days a week and continue to be very satisfied after 15,000 miles.

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  Love my Hyundai - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By Janice Greene - November 12 - 8:13 pm

  I would absolutely purchase a Hyundai again. The car has a smooth ride, lots of trunk space, and handles great. I love having cup holders for both the front seat and the back. The seats are comfortable and all passengers have plenty of room.

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  The Elantra Is Raw - 2001 Hyundai Elantra
  By Kdawg - November 12 - 10:00 am

  Ive had my elantra for a year now and in march of 2002 I put 17 inch crome rims on it with some yokahama spec 2 tires. recently I have put an A.O.S cold ait intake and In november I will be getting a cat back exhaust. The car is very fast for its price and is faster than the civic which is signifigantly more money. I have had no problems with my car, no noises or anything. I like the interor but I am going to get racing leather seat covers and door panels. rpms I love my car and dont know why some people are having so many problems.

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  Throw away car - 2013 Hyundai Sonata
  By Dean Hinderliter - November 12 - 5:44 am

  You had better like Sonata because once you buy it the only place that will talk trade is Hyundai They seem to have no resell value at all Really wish I would have went for a Toyota Daughter in-law has one seem to me to be a more and better quality car. We have 25,000 mile on the car and it jut doe not really get me excited just transportation is all it is

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  My Shark - 2005 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Bob B. - November 12 - 5:23 am

  Awesome vehicle! Feels like the Porsch 928 I had when I was a kid. Great power and handling. Gets a lot of stares. The front seating offers a lot of room. Much more than the Mustang we test drove.

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  Great Buy! - 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By AdamJ - November 11 - 10:00 pm

  This is a great vehicle. Rides very smooth and handles like a car. My wife and I traded in her Tiburon so we got the loyalty discount plus some other discounts. The people at the dealership were great and made buying the car a no hassle deal. The gas milage is decent I guess considering it is a V6 and an SUV, but I have been used to a 4 cylinder engine and a small car.

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  Best car for me - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By JoAnn Hunt - November 11 - 5:50 pm

  I just purchased my car recently. I had a 2002 Hyundai just like it. I was in an auto accident, through no fault of my own and my 2002 was totaled, I went out and bought another one within 6 days after the accident.