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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  Great Value Car - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By Paul Eo - November 4 - 2:00 am

  Great car. Better than Camry.

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  Great Car - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By meat - November 4 - 2:00 am

  THE CAR RIDES VERY SMOOTHLY.HAS GREAT PICK UP AND COMFORT.HANDLING IS GREAT.

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  My 03 Elantra GT - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By Ronzo - November 4 - 2:00 am

  I am on my second 03 Elantra Gt this year. The first, which I purchased in Feb. was totaled in a rear end collision. It was stopped waiting to make a left turn and was stuck by a Honda traveling about 40 MPH. My girlfriend, who was driving it at the time, walked away without a scratch. I liked the car enough to buy another one.

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  EXCELLENT VEHICLE - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By DARBYDAWN - November 4 - 2:00 am

  LIKED WELL ENOUGH I BOUGHT A SECOND ONE

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  my favorite Santa Fe - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Joseph Lovato - November 4 - 2:00 am

  when i first seen the Santa Fe at a new auto expo i began to investigat them and found them to be such a perfect match for my needs that i set forth in my efforts to obtain one and have been happy with my decision

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  2004 Hyundai Santa Fe - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Jayme - November 4 - 2:00 am

  Very comfortable! Drives like a luxury car, yet performs like an SUV. Everything is within reach which is very convenient for a family or a person who is in their vehicle alot.

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  My Tib is a Shark - 2005 Hyundai Tiburon
  By manderschic10 - November 3 - 6:06 pm

  My Tiburon is probably the best car Ive had so far... Its sporty and fun to drive, it handles well, and mine has been extremely reliable. And, its nice to know that if anything ever went wrong theres a nice 100,000 miles/10 year warranty that comes along with the vehicle!

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  Great Car - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By Julia Hirsch - November 2 - 6:26 pm

  The Sonata has a very smooth ride and great pick-up for a 4 clyinder. You get a lot for the base model including electronic stability control. front and side airbags, keyless entry, power. windows and locks. The interior has very nice upholstery. The workmanship on the car is extremely good. And of course it has the best warranty you can get. I love this car.

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  What a vehicle !!! - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By newsguy - November 2 - 10:00 am

  V6 GLS, front wheel drive, with traction control and ABS. Its bigger and rides smoother than a RAV 4,in my opinion, and is not as bulky as a Ford Explorer. Great warranty !!! Its a blast to drive. The 6cylinder is peppy, and seems to want to leap forward with little nudging of the gas pedal. The chassis smooths out those nasty New England potholes, bridge expansion joints, and ripples. The cloth seats were stiff, and bland, so we added leather seats (Katskin) which have an extra half inch of foam backing. We added seat heaters, and a Webasto sunroof.

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  Desert Tibby - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Mike Allen - November 2 - 10:00 am

  Great little car that is turning alot of professionals heads here at White Sands Missle Range in New Mexico. They think it is an Audi (HEEHEE). So does the Border Patrol. For the price this car has alot of bang for the buck. Only real downside is I wish it had a spoiler.