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 car I own - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Guy22 - September 12 - 10:00 am

  I love this car. And I believe that Hyundai is one of the best values you can have. What you get for the money from Hyundai cant be beat. I have purchased 3 new Hyundais from my dealer in the past 5 years, thats how satisfied I am!

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  OK Car - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By jaynow - September 12 - 10:00 am

  Nice car for the price. A little jittery at high speeds (65-80 mph). Interior cloth is nasty color. Midnight gray is ok, but a little too purple for me. Would like to sell in a few months.

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  my van - 2007 Hyundai Entourage
  By helhagg - September 12 - 8:53 am

  This is the best van Ive ever owned. The styling, attention to detail, comfort and convenience as well as the larger engine and other features make this the best van ever!

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  Definitely get this car - 2016 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid
  By Treeman - September 11 - 10:30 am

  I owned previously a 2012 sonata limited. Cant believe how much quieter and how the ride quality has improved on this 2016 sonata limited hybrid, I just purchased. With a 50/50 mix of driving, have been averaging over 40mpg. Love the way the car drives, Hyundai keeps making improvements. Interior is so much nicer, leather seats and comfort way better than the 2012 limited. Cabin layout, controls easy to use. Numerous safety features included. Trunk space almost the same size as the 2012, with the new placement of the lithium battery where the spare tire used to be, rear seats fold for longer items if needed. Hyundai is offering great rebates, best to get a hybrid now before gas prices go back up. Hyundai has really outdone themselves with the features offered on this car, even the rear door windows have shades you can raise to block the sun. With Hyundais warranty, you cant go wrong. Had over 36,000 miles on my 2012 , never had any issues. Love the power memory seats.

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  Nice little SUV - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By GoHawks - September 11 - 10:20 am

  Smaller SUV but looks much better than others in the market. Decent gas mileage for an SUV but not great. Runs well, looks good, sounds good, overall a nice vehicle.

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  My first Hydai - 2004 Hyundai Accent
  By Yolanda - September 11 - 2:00 am

  So far its been good

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  Love this one, but wouldnt buy another. - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By sweetjoann - September 11 - 2:00 am

  This cars pros outweight the cons, but one con is so important it cant be ignored. The hyundai sonata is a great car for people who can afford to buy it as a second car. The ride is smooth, the interior is better than average. it has a great sound system for the normal music buff,(hip-hop and hard rock folks would be dissatisfied). The gauges and knobs are in great positions to reach them without stress or confussion, the trunk space is great for easy access and room to load and unload. Now the cons are sensitive body to scrathes and dents, also a loud engine, and a unstable ride up to a certain mph. But the #1 con is a very poor resale value.

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  hyundai 2003 V6 review - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By mrkoality - September 11 - 2:00 am

  Great car for the money! Nice looking styling,most of the creature comforts found in more expensive cars, great free road side assistance, great reliability (this is my second v6 sonota)speaking from 6year experiance.

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  Love my Hyundai - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By MSmith3120 - September 11 - 2:00 am

  This vehicle is so much fun to drive. It makes me feel like a professional driver.

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  sonata lover - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By chicagojoe - September 11 - 2:00 am

  seats are to small,and to low