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 SUV! - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By PRecor - October 7 - 2:00 am

  My first new car has been wonderful. There have been no performance issues, the V6 has power and the ride is comfortable.

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  The Hidden Secret - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By andrew forrell - October 7 - 2:00 am

  You dont hear much talk about the Santa Fe compared to hondas, nissans, or toyotas. Its value & Quality is like a hidden secret. I feel that it surpasses them all in value and its solid construction is all anyone needs. Only two things I dont like about my hyundai is gas milage and the fact that the bumpers have no protection from scratches. Obviously the people who designed this car dont drive or have to park in NY city. People continually bump into it scratching the painted bumpers. They need to think about some bumper guards or grills at least as an option with the car.

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  Great Value and Performance - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By NAN - October 7 - 2:00 am

  We have taken our Santa Fe out on the beach this summer and we never once got stuck. We have driven it in ice and snow and it gave us a real sense of security. It got up icy hills with no problem! Before we bought it, we did not like the design, but after awhile we actually grew to like it so much! It does not look like every other SUV and the distinctive, flared front fenders gives it a classy, designer look. The 2.7 engine can be a bit sluggish at times, but the Santa Fe gets 18-22 miles per gallon, and that is quite acceptable.

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  MY SANTA FE - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By IZZY - October 7 - 2:00 am

  THE DRIVERS SEAT COULD BE A BIT MORE ROOMY AND MORE LEG ROOM. IF I HAVE A BEVERAGE IN THE CUP HOLDER MY RIGHT KNEE IS RIGHT UP AGAINST THE MUG OR BOTTLE. ALSO THE RADIO DOES NOT HAVE ENOUGH BASS.THE SOUND COULD BE MUCH MORE FULLER, ESPECIALLY SINCE ITS CALLED "MONSOON".

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  LX: Worth the small increase in price - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Magellan - October 7 - 2:00 am

  Hundai, like Toyota did years ago has held down the price in order to build acceptance. This is an excellent value for a compact SUV and comes with the best warrenty I know of.

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  excellent value - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By JTIB - October 6 - 9:33 pm

  I have owned 16+ previous cars, and I love this hyundai.It even handels better than a previous sport type car I had.I bought the gl manual because I drive about 100 miles a day and for the warranty price,style,and overall driveability,I didnt find another vehicle even close. It came with v performance rated tires and you can really throw the car into a corner.Dont get me wrong you arent going to be winning any speed contests with it but overall very fun to drive

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  Nice car for a little $$ - 2001 Hyundai Elantra
  By matto2001 - October 6 - 10:00 am

  Went originally to buy an Accent. Dealer was out of 2001 Accents, so I looked at a base model Elantra GLS. Was very pleasantly surprised by the quiet yet powerful drivetrain. Has been a very good vehicle so far (10,500 miles).

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  The car that turned it around - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Rider - October 6 - 10:00 am

  I traded-in a 2001 VW Jetta for this new inovative car. The V6 engine is smooth and has plenty of extra power. The interior is better than the Jetta. Front seats are comfortable and very supportive. The handling is nice and predictable. The styling is great, car seems to turn heads every were I go. The best thing is when people ask "What kind of car is this", its so funny to see their reaction when I tell them its a Hyundai. If you are looking for a fun and exciting car this is it. I dare anyone to find a more impressive car for under $20,000, with this warranty at no extra cost.

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  Fantastique !!!!!!! - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By Judith - October 6 - 10:00 am

  I just bought a Elantra GT and it is absolutly amazing. It looks like a SAAB.

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  Tried The Rest Picked the Best - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By Ward - October 6 - 8:43 am

  I checked out Nissan Maxima,Toyota Avalon and VW Passat and kept coming back to the Hyundai Azera. Best value for my $. Just completed a trip to the west coast 6000 kms-No problems,lots of power and averaged 33 mpg. Very comfortable ride-best seats in the industry.