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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  I get asked about my Santa Fe a lot... - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By aquacies - September 22 - 2:00 am

  I always tell people that we love it and that the warranty cant be beat. You would pay $5000-7000 more for any other car in its class with all its features. The styling is sporty, yet carries 5 people comfortably. The cargo area is roomy and the fold-down rear seats expand that more. It also has get- up-and-go that you wouldnt expect. We are very satisfied with our purchase and what we received for the price we paid. We would also recommend our dealership to anyone - they treated us far better than any other we tried dealing with.

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  hyundai - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By paulfiquet - September 22 - 2:00 am

  overall the elantra is a very fine automobile for either highspeed driving on the interstate system or work time freeway driving to and from work.

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  New Car - 2016 Hyundai Azera
  By Matt Schock - September 21 - 2:00 pm

  Traded in 2013 Santa Fe Sport base model. Wanted something nice but also with a little more power. Drove the Chrysler 300 and Dodge Charger and the Impala. The Azera beats them all on value. You get a fully loaded car for the same price as their base models. I love this car and recommend to anyone looking for a full size sedan that is also a luxury sedan

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  Another Sleeper from Hyundai!!!! - 2010 Hyundai Elantra Touring
  By Russ - September 20 - 3:26 pm

  This is my third Hyundai, and our most impressive Hyundai so far. The perfect little Euro-Style hauler for my wife and I, with just enough room for our dog in the back. I love the way it drives and handles, and for the price I dont think youll find a more feature packed ride. AC, Power Windows and Doors, ESC, Traction Control, ABS, Tire Pressure Monitor, XM Radio, MP3/IPOD plug-in on a base model GLS? It even tells me the outside temperature! Try getting that in any other vehicle! I used Edmunds.com TMV and competing dealership quotes to purchase for $1900 UNDER the invoice price. Best car buying experience of my life. Thanks Edmunds!

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  Fun to Drive - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Michael Miller - September 20 - 12:43 pm

  I have never had so much fun driving this car. The response and the way the car handles is excellent and I continue to be surpriseed at what this car can do

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  The Best small SUV - 2010 Hyundai TUCSON
  By George - September 20 - 12:40 pm

  This is one of the best vehicle that I have ever driven. It has a quick response and a great fuel mileage.The design is very artistic. Plenty of room inside. I like the manual transmission mode combined with the traditional auto shift. My salesperson was excellent and I would buy this crossover again. The interior is of a luxury kind since I bought the gls extra pkg. Have on fear this vehicle has it over the Mmurano or the Toyota kind.

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  Wolf in sheeps clothing - 2006 Hyundai Tiburon
  By spc4artillery - September 20 - 7:18 am

  Purchased the car for about $12k with 32k miles beginning January of 11. Had the car for about 5k miles now and its been a great car. Only major complaints with the car is the clutch rattle, which Im told is normal. Rattle happens at idle in neutral with the clutch engaged. Other than that, the stereo is kinda hinky. A loud pop and it will quit. Turn the radio off and it will work properly. Car has plenty of low end grunt, handles on rails, and feels like a more expensive car than it is. Overall, Im happy with my purchase and would recommend it to someone else.

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  Surprised - 2002 Hyundai XG350
  By Riveria owner - September 20 - 2:00 am

  I feel like I found out some secret, a car of this quality and luxury for that price. Sticker was 27k, I paid 23.2k. It has everything. Nice ride, great stereo system, good quality leather, nice european interior styling, a very smooth car to drive. So quiet. Everyone is shocked to find out its a Hyundai. Must be a stigma to that name. If your thinking about one, go for it, you will be glad you did.

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  Best Car I Ever Had in 28 Years Driving - 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By satisfied - September 19 - 9:53 am

  Ive been driving for 28 years and this is the best car I ever owned. It seats 4 comfortably and I can haul a lot of stuff when I put the seats down. Fuel mileage is excellent for a car with this much storage. After reading about terrible problems in the automatic gear shift from 1st to 2nd, I made sure to check this out repeatedly during the test drive. 10 months later, I have zero problems with that or anything else. I got all the upgrades except for the navigation system and the roof rack. Im thinking of getting one for my wife and get the $3,500 govt "CARS" plan since the MPG difference qualifies. Unless you get a rare lemon, this is really a great crossover.

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  Awesome Car - 2011 Hyundai Genesis Coupe
  By Zach - September 19 - 2:00 am

  This is an awesome ride. looks amazing, have gotten a ton of comments from family and friends, but even more from complete strangers. quick and light too, love the acceleration and power it has. styling is sick, both inside and out. all around really fun to drive around town and zip down the freeway in. have yet to take it on windy roads to really see what she can handle. and for the money theres no better car.