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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  First 3,000 mile impression - 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By santafejoe - July 23 - 12:25 am

  After reading the reviews and testing the vehicle for ourself we bought one, but not the one we test drove. The steering problem was not in the first one we tested but slightly in the one we bought. Switching to Sport pretty much made it go away. In my opinion its non exisistant now because you adapt and I think they put the front wheels very parallel without much Toe-in and that makes for in very good fuel economy. I normally average 31 MPG! with a mix of 60 mph highway and town driving. Top Highway for me is 34MPG and this makes vehicle outstanding! I have the FWD and my previous vehicle was a Nissan Murano AWD, which I dont think I ever used the AWD. I could not be more pleased.

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  Better than I ever thought it could be! - 2009 Hyundai Genesis
  By Chris - July 22 - 11:33 am

  After turning in my lease and getting bait and switched by the dealer on my Infiniti G35, I decided to test drive the Genesis, as I had followed since seeing the Super Bowl ad. All I can say is I am so glad the folks at Infiniti BSd me on the new payment! I would have missed out on the best vehicle I have ever driven. Everything from top to bottom is so well done. If this is Hyundais first attempt at a luxury vehicle, I can wait to see what they come up with next. This is a $60-70K car with a $35K price tag!

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  Good Car - 1997 Hyundai Elantra
  By Ech - July 22 - 2:00 am

  I had VERY VERY FEW problems with this car. It still runs well. It is a steal for the price.

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  very good, but... - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By Alex - July 21 - 4:56 am

  Very good car, not expensive, looks great, powerful

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  It works for me - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By tampadave - July 20 - 2:36 pm

  The price was unbeatable. Ride is smooth. Acceleration for passing is super. I get 24 mpg combined city/hwy which is slightly below my expectations. Ride is smooth. Overall, I believe this auto has great value for the dollar without sacrificing ride or quality. A nice ride, nice looking, and it comes loaded with an awful lot of standard equipment.

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  A True Believer - 2001 Hyundai Elantra
  By 2HyundaiDave - July 20 - 10:00 am

  This is our familys second 01 Elantra. Our daughter researched and bought the first one a few months earlier. The dealer was a one-price no haggle store. While not a $40,000 Bimmer, for under $12K, its tight, fast, economical (33mpg suburban driving). I am bothered by back pain, more so in the Elantra than in my Mercedes SUV. But the warranty coverage, maintenance costs and requirements make the Elantra a much better vehicle. Love it, love it, love it. Finally, there is a l

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  Great Spunky Coupe - 2004 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Mike_man44 - July 20 - 10:00 am

  In a field of cars that is vastly growing, the Hyundai Tiburon stands out in a crowd. I bought the GT-V6 6- speed manuel as my new car. Let me say that althought this car has its flaws, I believe that its the best Sport Coupe on the market. With everything you would ever need, a pumping sound system, 170 bhp engine which is great and it still has room to go much higher. This is a great car for customizing.

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  fun for the money - 2004 Hyundai Tiburon
  By dahl - July 20 - 10:00 am

  A lot of fun for the money. Best looking sports car and one that will out handle all but the most expensive sports car.

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  fun!! fun!! fun!! - 2004 Hyundai Tiburon
  By rousse le femme - July 20 - 10:00 am

  Brand New so not alot of behind the wheel time yet. I do love the way this car feels. It is very comfortable and feels solid around you. Not cheap feeling at all. I actually test drove 3 tib models and 3 Jetta models. I preferred the tib for handeling, smoother clutch... the Jetta clutch was "springy", less road noise and a much sportier look and feel...intimate. LOVE my "just for fun car!"

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  Best little hauler out there - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Skuuter - July 20 - 10:00 am

  After test driving and researching all the small and mid-size SUVs that we were interested in (Kia Sorento, Ford Escape, Saturn VUE, Mazda Tribute, Suzuki XL-7), the Santa Fe was the winner based on value, driveability, safety, warranty and style, in that order. Its taken a while to warm up to the unique styling, but when youre driving this vehicle, looks are secondary. Its enjoyable and comfortable to drive on long trips. Lots of room for front and rear passengers. I do feel the 2.7 liter V6 is adequate for most people who dont plan to tow anything and use this as a daily driver.