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 customer - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By James E Gibbs - October 19 - 10:00 am

  It has every thing that I want in a SUV. I had a 2002 with a 2.7L engine and traded it for this 2004, 3.5L SUV Hyundai Santa Fe. This is a well built vehicle that will last a long time for me. It has a very good ride and smooth handling, and a good amount of power, and I approve of this make for anyone. The Buchanan Jenkins Hyundai in Bradenton is one of the better dealerships that I have dealt with.

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  Great - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Hunnday - October 19 - 10:00 am

  I love this SUV

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  From 2003 to 2006 - 2006 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Edward Z Wronsky Jr - October 19 - 6:20 am

  This is my fourth Hyundai, and my third TIBURON. I was unhappy with my previous dealerships service manager. When I took my 2003 model to my new dealer for routine service, I saw a 2006 on the lot, took it for a test drive, and fell in love. Its loaded with bells and whistles. Its handling is great for city and interstate driving. I can transport bulky items in my trunk, and the rear seat is available for small friends and/or my dog. It draws favorable comments from other drivers and parking valets. Im trying to limit my response to strangers who compliment the car to "thank you" and not feel obliged to tell them how little it cost!

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  Best car Ive owned yet. - 2008 Hyundai Sonata
  By Nick - October 18 - 6:46 pm

  Got a great deal on the SE V6. Extremely comfortable, very roomy even in the back seat. Love the safety features you get that are standard that many other manufacturers charge extra for. Great trunk space. Love the sound of the stereo, especially XM, with the exception of the readout...could be better as it truncates the info. MPG in city driving is so-so at this point. Great power, smooth ride. I just wish it had a sunroof, but I couldnt argue with the deal that I got. As I stated, best vehicle Ive owned yet!!

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  I had a surprise! - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By Silvia - October 17 - 4:40 pm

  My husband chose this car for me, and I was not quite happy because I wanted a Toyota. Today, seven months later, I am so grateful, because I love my Sonata, its so nice to drive, I feel so safe in it and so comfortable that my next car will be a Sonata.

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  Great car! - 2012 Hyundai Elantra
  By Pat - October 17 - 11:07 am

  I (still have) a 1998 Jeep wrangler with big tires and a lift and needed a better vehicle to commute back and forth between Jacksonville, FL and Pensacola. Bought it new 4 years ago and there has never been a moment where I havent been happy about my decision. Only 2 things I dont like: you literally have to slam the trunk to close it, and if youre going 40+ and hit bumps it has very unstable handling.

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  I LOVE this car! - 2008 Hyundai Elantra
  By tinkzcandy - October 15 - 10:33 am

  Ive only had this car for a little over a week, and Im already in love. This is my first brand new car, so Ive been doing plenty of research. Everything led me to this vehicle. The price is great, I got a great deal on mine. The exterior is very stylish, not to boxy. I have it in the carbon gray color and that helps so it doesnt look so dirty! haha The interior is a nice light gray color. A lot of compartments inside to store anything you could possibly need in a car. Lots of cup holders. Big trunk, it fit everything from my big trip walmart last night. Overall the inside is very comfortable for long trips. I drove up north yesterday, 2 hours both ways and no complaints here.

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  FAST GT FRANKLIN - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By dhyde1 - October 15 - 2:00 am

  I really like this car. I got a nice deal on it. I only paid 13,650 for it. I wish it had more HP but it fine at 135 HP.

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  for price great suv - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By sham - October 15 - 2:00 am

  what a great suv for the money

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  Features and performance that undercuts the segment. - 2011 Hyundai Genesis Coupe
  By compugeek5150 - October 12 - 4:48 pm

  2nd owner 2011 3.8 RSpec Imola Yellow. After looking at several vehicles and test driving even more at the $20k pricepoint, theres just not a lot of other cars that ticks of as many checkboxes that this does. My only real gripe is the lack of cruise control on the RSpec (but its standard on the Track edition - wat.) This car compares favorably to the 350/370z, although interior materials fall a bit short of a G35/G37. I cant comment on the stock navi, as the previous owner has replaced it - no complaints with usability however you might want to look to other reviews if this is a must have feature for you.