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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  26K in PA - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By PattyP - February 22 - 10:00 am

  Bought the car nearly 2 years ago, now Im up to 26K. Ive had no real problems with it; however, I did notice that when the automatic trans shifts gear, its a bit sloppy between gears. Took it back to have it checked out and the 2003 loaner they gave me did the same thing. They say its normal. Well see how it goes but everything else is just great...reliable, good power, very comfortable.

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  Former Toyota Owner - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By HappyCamper - February 21 - 10:43 pm

  Ive always driven a Toyota - my first car was a 1970 Toyota Spider and Ive driven Corollas and Camrys. Have always been pleased with the combination of reliability, features and price. When time came to look for a new vehicle, I decided to look at several - the Sonata, Camry, Accord and Fusion. Based on the dealer experience, features and price, I made the switch to Hyundai. Ive been extremely pleased with the car thus far. If the long term reliability matches my expectations, Ill probably get another Hyundai when my wife is ready to trade in her Camry next year. Have had the car for about 30 days and havent experienced any problems thus far.

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  Great Value - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
  By Fred - February 21 - 1:03 am

  Test drove the Civic, Corolla and Elantra. All very nice cars but the Elantra has many more standard features, gives a bigger car ride and is overall a great value. The 138 HP 2.0 Liter engine is in a class by itself in this car category. Acceleration is very good and the engine is fairly quiet. Fit and finish on the car is excellent. Once you get over the bad history and stigma of driving a Hyundai from years ago, you will be favorably impressed and this probably wont be the last Hyundai you purchase. This car is simply a better and heavier car than the Civic or Corolla with a much better warranty. Gas mileage is less than its competitors, but worth it.

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  Better than I expected - 2008 Hyundai Veracruz
  By John - February 20 - 10:36 pm

  So far this has been a great vehicle. We replaced a 2002 Toyota Highlander with the Veracruz. The Hyundai is quieter, gets better gas mileage, and has more room. My wife liked the style better than the new Highlander. After 5000 miles, we have had no problems at all. The quality of the sound system is as good as the JBL we had in the Toyota. The quality of the paint and interior materials is better than I expected from Hyundai. So far, neither show any wear at all. The ride quality is very good for a crossover vehicle and the road and wind noise is almost nonexistent. I would not hesitate to recommend this vehicle to a friend. The third seat is actually usable too. Thats a plus.

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  Love It - 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By gman2705 - February 20 - 10:00 am

  Bought the Santa Fe with 35 000 miles. Now has 75 000 on it and runs like new. Goes great in the snow. Everything is tight, no squeaks or rattles. First SUV, and the next one will be a Santa Fe.

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  Great Car - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By Bill - February 20 - 10:00 am

  I have about 900 miles and cant be pleased more. I get about 35 hwy and 27 city. Im sure those figures will improve. Interior is very nice, more upscale than your typical car in this segment.

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  better than the Lexs - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By revric - February 19 - 7:46 am

  When I stated looking for a mid-size SUV, I narrowed down the choices to Rav4, Highlander, and Santa fe. Im so stoked that I drove the Santa fe first and last, I was sold and the warranty/pricing and craftmanship was icing on the cake. I have had it for 8 months and have over 25K already, mostly highway miles, and I get an unbelievable 25 MPH on Hwy and average 22 in the city. So if your dreaming Bout a midsized Suv, look no farther then the Santa fe

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  New XG350 - 2005 Hyundai XG350
  By jcannaverde - February 18 - 4:03 am

  Traded in a 2002 Buick LeSabre for this car. Drove it 700 miles with no problems and found it very comfortable. Great Long distance car. Was not fatigued after 10 hours. Got a great deal from Harrelson Hyundai in Charlotte NC, They still have 4 new 2005s on the lot. Test 2006 Sonata, 2006 Accord, sat in the 2006 G6, Lacrosse, Lucerne and Ford 500 and the 2007 Camry. We liked the XG350 best. Easy to to drive, Controls logically laid out and more features than the others at a lower price. We even lowered our monthly payment $125.

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  Even better than I thought it would be! - 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By fwc - February 18 - 1:16 am

  Traded a 99 CR-V EX AWD for this model. Came with Option Pkg 3, and everything I could have wanted. Driving on long trips is perfect, good/bad weather makes no difference. Unflappable road manners. Hauls everything I want to carry and has more than adequate power. Fun to drive and does well whether its Manhattan traffic or cruising the turnpike. Added an iSimple Media Gateway to the excellent standard stock radio, allows iPod use via the steering wheel audio controls. iPod output is CD quality. I couldnt have asked for more in a vehicle.

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  love this car!!! - 2007 Hyundai Tiburon
  By h - February 17 - 11:36 am

  Of the cars that I have owned, this is my favorite! Its so much fun to drive, and great if you have to commute a lot because its so easy to zip in and out of traffic. A great looking car too. I have never had any problems with it. Its fast and a smooth ride. Recommended!!