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 reliable Car I ever had after 5 years of use. - 2010 Hyundai Veracruz
  By wizeman10 - November 7 - 10:34 am

  The car is great in comfort and amenities as of 2010 cars go. I have travelled long distances and the car performed flawlessly in many regards including road noise and acceleration. Gas consumption is normal for a 3.8L engine if you drive responsibly. The only problem is the driving range -around 250 miles. The gas tank can be larger for sure. But reliability is extremely high as is comfort level ans spaciousness.Could it be better? Sure, but compared to my Highlander it beats hands down.

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  Hyundai is a very good vehicle - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By Walter Crawford - November 7 - 10:00 am

  Ive had my Hyundai Elantra for about two months. I am really impressed with the performance and quality of the vehicle. I feel you really get alot for the money. I have told everyone about my Elantra, the great ride. It actually rides like a much bigger car. Hyundai got it right!

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  KING OF THE ROAD - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By KEVIN COSBY - November 6 - 8:56 pm

  I had driven most of the sedans in this class before I was exhausted with inequities in the american car market.The Hyundai is by far the best deal on the road .Bigger than the Altima, Accord,and Camry, all foreign but better than the Malibu or the Ford Fusion.Handles the best of all that I drove.Only Nissan was close to the ride, but for the money you will not beat it! The one I bought is the SE model fully loaded with sunroof,v-6 all electric seats and windows ,cruise tilt,with alarm. All for 21,900.Five star crash rating which is the best on the market,and that is what makes this much improved HYUNDAI a key player and the KING OF THE ROAD

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  Not what I expected! - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By genemullen - November 6 - 5:21 pm

  I bought my Elantra as a commuter car. I have moved recently to the "ex-burbs" of Chicago from the city proper, and needed a fuel efficient vehicle with a low sticker price.I have owned Mercedes,Toyota, Mazda and top of the line U.S. built cars and I am extremly pleased with the Hyundai.It is the only vehicle I have owned that surpassed my expectations! I thought I would be sacrificing comfort, power and handling when I bought this car...WRONG!

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  Bought with 3ish now at 120,000 going strong - 2008 Hyundai Veracruz
  By Deb Cha - November 6 - 1:54 pm

  Well you wont find one so you can forget about if. But if you do, what a deal! I purchased my Veracruz for something like 19K around 2010. Ive had it for 5 years and put about 90K on it. It has been amazingly good. It was purchased to replace a Murano which I loved but which pretty much imploded at about 100K. It was leaking oil, burning oil and Id sunk too much money into it. I was looking for practical and that is what I got with the Veracruz. It has been as frugal as I am. I dont know why they stopped making it. I bet it cost more to make than it brought in. I also like driving it because it seems to be surrounded by comfort foam. I cant tell if the engine is on or not because it is just that quiet. You can hear road noise while driving but you wont hear the engine. It is also safe. I drive in an area that gets snow from October through May. The vericruz has had no problems with the snow with all weather tires.

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  Hyundai just earned a loyal customer - 2006 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Tahoe Commuter - November 6 - 12:03 pm

  I never thought Id own a Hyundai but after driving it, pricing it out at $7,000 LESS than a similarly-equipped 06 Toyota RAV-4 Limited V6, and examining the unbelievable warranty (100,000 miles on the powertrain), I was sold. I got a great deal, too, under invoice. Unless youre worried about overpaying for a nameplate to impress your neighbors, this is a no- brainer if you want a small SUV.

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  WHAT a Car! - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By ktb - November 5 - 7:36 pm

  Ive owned my Tucscon just a little over a year and absolutely love it for so many reasons...1) its comfortable; 2) its storage - thats AMAZING...it is like an optical illusion, so much can fit into that car with the seats down, its unbelieveable. This is my second Hyundai and while I initally bought for value, I will continue to purchase cars by this manufacturer because my experience have been nothing but positive!

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  Its still just a cheap car. - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By Big Muggle - November 5 - 11:31 am

  This car has a few things going for it: leather interior, blue dash lights, fog lamps. It seems reasonably solidly built, and the engine is powerful enough for me. However, I think the essential cheapness of the car is evident in some of the mechanical and safety components. There have been 2 safety recalls, the catalytic converter had to be replaced (warranty) and the transmission had to be reprogrammed (warranty). The transmission is still clunky, the car vibrates under braking (cheap rotors), and also at highway speeds. The steering is totally numb (think 72 Olds), so the car is no fun to drive. Headlights awful. Windshield awful in rain. Hey, it was cheap. Next time, Mazda 3.

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  Nice Car - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By Quite Satisfied - November 4 - 4:55 pm

  Nice car! Good handling, comfortable.

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  Do Not buy a Hyundai - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By jackiefran - November 4 - 2:11 am

  Do Not buy a Hyundai! They do not stand behind their products! Warranty sounds good until you go to use it !! Hyundai dealership scammed me all the way !! After they they screwed me the salesman hit on me and tried to .. too !!