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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  2002 Santa Fe Review - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By rebecca morehead - February 16 - 11:33 pm

  I have driven my Santa Fe since September 2002 and, without any hesitancy, purchase another Santa Fe. Its maneuverability in town traffic and over the road is outstanding. Im been proud to recommend it to others.

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  BEST CAR EVER! - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By Lizz - February 16 - 4:06 pm

  I love this car. We came to the dealership just for a test drive and immediatly fell in love, we just had to buy it. I mean it felt oh so comfortable, was safe and everything we wanted and more.I think the car is meant more for a family of 4 though, because there isnt a middle head rest.At the dealership we were at we traded in a car and they gave us big bucks more than what is said for excellent. They wernt too pushy either like most other dealerships weve been to. I reccomend this car to families who love spacious feelings, having a smooth ride, like getting a good deal on a car, like to have fun while driving it and pretty much everyone!I love it so much!

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  Great car Low price - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By Joel - February 16 - 12:36 pm

  I have only owned this car two days and have driven a little over 600 miles. It is not only fun to drive, but very comfortable. I had no idea Hyundai had improved their cars this much. I have a Cadillac Seville in the garage and this car is on a comparable level as the Caddy and at a fraction of the price.

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  What a steal. - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By ZZ - February 16 - 2:00 am

  For those who have been looking for a car under $15,000, look no further. The Elantra GT as well as the base Elantra have no current competition in the value to price game. After 32,000 miles I have had zero problems with a car that is fun to drive and loaded with everything from sun roof to leather seats - all for under $13,000. My daughter just bought a base 2003 GLS yesterday - with an owners loyality discount of $2,000 plus rebates - - out the door at a price of $8,800....

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  I love it! - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By James - February 15 - 2:13 am

  I traded a Ford Escape for this vehicle for a variety of reasons, most prominent the lack of power for my trade, and the awesome power of the Sonata. I live in Los Alamos NM, with steep mountain grades and a base altitude of 7200 and rising. I test drove a Sonata GLS for a weekend prior to buying (with the same V6 powertrain) and was quite impressed. The Limited that I recently bought is even more impressive, quite a bit more so than even the Hyundai Azzera, which I also test-drove extensively. This is an EXTREMELY FINE automobile thus far in all respects, even though I paid too much due to the negative equity on my Ford trade. Nonetheless, I have NO REGRETS whatsoe

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  BEST PACKAGE FOR YOU $$$$ - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By beck117 - February 14 - 10:00 am

  WE JUST BOUGHT LX IN THE THE PEWTER COLOR. IT DRIVES LIKE A CAR AND NOT ALL THAT ROUGH. IT CAME FULLY EQUPPED AND FOR THE PRICE THAT WAS GREAT. GAS MILEAGE COULD BE BETTER BUT THAT IS THE ONLY THING THAT COULD BE IMPROVED. HANDLES VERY NICE AND MY HUSBAND IS 64 AND HE FITS IN IT NICELY. I HAVE LOTS OF ROOM IN THE BACK FOR GROCERIES. AND I CAN FIT 5 PEOPLE IN IT NICELY. A+ A+ A+ A+

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  Better than a Honda - 2002 Hyundai XG350
  By artcat - February 14 - 10:00 am

  I cant beleive the editors rating is so low! This car is a dream to drive. It is very responsive unlike the sluggish Honda I used to drive. It is roomy and VERY comfortable. I also really enjoy the fact that the options available on cars like Lexus, Camry and Lincoln come standard on the XG350.

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  My 09 Sonata - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By Jeremy - February 12 - 11:06 pm

  I picked this up at the dealership where I work. After talking to the techs, they all told me how well they ran and how reliable they were. I am seeing my vehicle get on average 24-26 miles to the gallon. I love my vehicle and I am glad I purchased it.

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  Gotta love this ride! - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Laurie - February 12 - 9:40 pm

  I had a 2006 Tucsan, and really had no problems with that vehicle. When I was researching the Tucsan,in January, 2006, I saw that the Santa fe was being redesigned and would be out in the summer. I liked it, but didnt want to wait. Well, I love the Tucsan, but test drove the Santa Fe, and I was hooked. I was fortunate enough to pay cash for the Tucsan, and did not lose much on the trade in. So, I got a very luxurious car, and a very small payment. I love this SUV. It is beautiful, and the ride is sweet!

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  1 Year Down and Loving it - 2008 Hyundai Veracruz
  By Augie - February 11 - 5:03 pm

  Today completes my first year of ownership. After nearly 16,000 miles I like it more every day. First thing I added was a trailer hitch. I towed my boat over the Cascade Mountains this past June with no issues and regular lowland towing is a breeze. Plenty of power, torque, and the suspension is satisfactory for towing. This vehicle is stout but still drives like a car. The ride is smooth and quiet and the handling is too. I recently did some dirt road driving on logging roads in Oregon and I hardly noticed the lack of pavement. It handles seven normal sized adult passengers comfortably or just me and all my gear with room to spare.