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 value, warranty - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By Billbill - March 21 - 2:26 pm

  Very attractive styling, comfortable seating, drives/controls well. Calibrated the speedometer - right on - have to watch the speed, as it easily goes 80.

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  keyless entry - 2007 Hyundai Entourage
  By donna - March 20 - 7:16 pm

  I have been very dissappointed in regards to using my remote to get into my car. I have taken it to a local hyundai dealership, it spent two weeks there, I went to down the first week they said everyhting checked out fine when I went to use the remote to unlock the door it wouldnt open. So I left it for another week they called me and said that they had to put in a new module. Went to pick it up drove it home it still doesnt work sometimes it does and sometime it doesnt. I will be taking in back again this wekk.

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  best car yet - 2016 Hyundai Genesis
  By salvatore gglia - March 20 - 12:10 pm

  had a lot of cars over the years, this by far is one of the best. more people should get over the standard brands and try these cars they are amazing in every way

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  Very good for price - 2007 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Dan - March 20 - 6:36 am

  Liked the look and features. Really liked the price and loved the drive. I went from a large SUV and Im happy I chose the Tucson. I golf a lot in summer (room for two bags and two carts with shoes, etc.)and ski a lot in winter. Plenty of room for our gear and roof rack for skis. Nice tight suspension. Handles very well. Plenty of clearance for driving on Vermont roads during ski season. Heater works very well. Vehicle is very warm. Seats firm and comfortable.

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  Dollar for Dollar: Best Buy! - 2006 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By bmchism - March 20 - 3:10 am

  I bought a used Santa Fe and within six months turned around and purchased a new 2005 Santa Fe LX. The power is perfect for the size and the gas mileage is great for an SUV. The car handles very well and has a sporty feel to it. It is easy to park and easy to drive. It is high enough for good clearance, but still stays on the road. The pricing allowed me to get all of the features I wanted for a very reasonable price. I am very pleased with this SUV and recommend it to anyone looking for a mid-sized SUV.

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  2001 Hyundai Sante Fe GLS - 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Barbara - March 18 - 4:00 pm

  Next to a B210 (Datsun) I drove for years, this car is built to last! I cant say enough about it.

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  2007 Tib - 2007 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Felecia Roden - March 18 - 12:06 pm

  Love love love the Tib. Great gas mileage,hugs the curves, sporty and fun. Did have the sunroof to break a part, the dealership handled without event. Seems to be fixed. This car has been enjoyable to own, havent no regrets, even when the payment is due!

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  2001 and 2004 Owners - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By starref - March 18 - 10:00 am

  This is my second SantaFe. I thought the first one was great. (Passed it on to my college daughter and she loved it too.) Yhey have tweaked just enough things to make the 2004 noticeably better. Power steering is smoother than our 2001, heating/air conditioning system seems more efficient and easier to operate, stereo is improved. We were glad we had upgraded from the 4 cylinder to the 6 when we went through Colorado last week! Fuel economy is still a pleasant surprise for an SUV, maybe not record breaking but not budget breaking either!

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  Santa Fe - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By timmyg - March 18 - 10:00 am

  This is a consumer friendly SUV, and takes the highway well. Has a lot of safety features for the family. The only thing I would like to see on it, would be automatic door lock when in gear. I forget to use auto lock sometimes. Otherwise it is a great SUV!

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  Love this car! Probably last car Ill buy - 2009 Hyundai Elantra Touring
  By Blingsupreme - March 16 - 7:03 pm

  Love the exterior, interior, displays, comfort, got to use the Clunker program on it. Only had 1 week, but it is so much fun to drive! Turns easily, parks easily, love the fold down rear seats and the cup holder arm rest in the back seats. Can carry my things to craft shows easily as well as friends when necessary. Great car for the money!