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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  Warranty is Worthless - 2000 Hyundai Accent
  By HaveToyotaNow - May 24 - 2:00 am

  The car was ok at first. When, I moved north and commuting 80 miles a day(highway)trouble started. The car lost control allot even going slow. Parts cost allot and are only avail through Hyundai. The car started running poorly once the miles started going up. Final straw was a minor repair that cost 200. Only a dealership 1 hour away would look at my car & I was w/o it for 3 days because the closer ones couldnt be bothered and normal repair shops wouldnt do the work. BTW it wasnt covered under warranty and they blamed the place I had my oil changes done till someone from there called them. You get what you pay for!

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  My 1st Hyundai Elantra - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
  By harold reed - May 23 - 5:33 pm

  This car, considering its initial cost, is about THE best value on the road. Its very economical (getting a solid 34 mpg overall). The enterior, exterior, overall body quality work is absolutely excellent. I would put this vehicle next to a Honda Civic any day. That includes all the rest of its competing vehicles as well.

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  Love it - 2008 Hyundai Veracruz
  By namwal - May 23 - 10:40 am

  I have only put 800 plus miles on the car but have to say it has been all and more than I expected. Quite ride loaded with extras good power but a little disapointed in the gas mileage. Only getting about 14 MPG all in town though. Over all best vehicle I have ever owned. This is my 2nd Hyundai and cant say enough about them. $4000 rebate and 1500 owner loyalty when I walked in the door was a big plus also.

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  Excellent All-Purpose SUV - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Sally - May 23 - 9:33 am

  I absolutely love my new Hyundai Tucson. It drives beautifully, is comfortable, is good on gas, and is very stylish. My only disappointment is that it is sluggish on hills even though it has a 6-cylinder in it. It often has to shift down, just to maintain driving speed when going up inclines. Otherwise, I havent found a small SUV that fits my own personal needs as well.

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  I love my Veracruz - 2007 Hyundai Veracruz
  By inlove89 - May 22 - 7:36 pm

  The minute I saw this CUV I knew I would have to own one. I bought the GLS because my husband has a santa fe limited and I dont use half the things in his car. I love it, its drive is so smooth and its pretty much soundproof. My daughter just turned 16 and with all the airbags and safety features I dont feel like im going to die when she is driving it. I never thought that Hyundai would make such a beautiful vehicle with so much space, the third row is great for toting around my daughters friends and the gas MPG is amazing for a car of this size. I would reccamend this car to anyone. People always ask me about it and want to take a look at it, and im always happy to show them.

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  Excellent - 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Sold - May 22 - 5:06 am

  Ex-owner of a Pontiac Grand Prix I was somewhat apprehensive about getting a Santa Fe. However after 2 months I have no regrets at all in having purchased the Santa Fe. The interior is spacious and well made. The exterior is an eye opener compared to the previous models. The drive is smooth and very comparible to the Grand Prix which was superb. The handling is very good. No regrets what so ever would recommend it to anybody.

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  Couldnt be happier with my decision - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By hyundaiowner5 - May 22 - 5:00 am

  I have about 40,000 miles on my sonata and have not had one problem. Aside from replacing the brake pads, thats the only work its had to have. It will be a sad day when I have to sell this car. I absolutely love how it drives. It is quiet, and everyone who drives it always remarks how great it handles and how fun it is to drive.

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  nice car for the price - 2001 Hyundai Tiburon
  By andrew - May 22 - 3:06 am

  Ive had this car since 2006 and have put 24,000 on it so far. Ive replaced the belts and front brake pads; done my own oil changes and had the atf replaced. The automatic tranny has never felt right, it shifts weird but has never broke down. The power is decent and the handling is ok. The brakes are fantastic but to sensitive at times. I locked the left front wheel only in a sudden stop and the car had handling issues after that. Its noisy even with the windows rolled but the sunroof is a great feature. The fuel regulator leaked so I replaced it but the new one started leaking after a year. The stereo is possessed. Cant skip forward on a cd just back, changes from radio to cd on its own.

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  Great deal on a great car - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By LAZ - May 21 - 7:30 pm

  We bought the Sonata as a second car. We checked it out because of its outstanding standard safety features and ratings, great warranty, good reviews in the auto press and outstanding value. Originally was shooting for a 4-cylinder but the prices were so good we ended up with the 6. The fuel economy is somewhat worse but you sure feel the additional power. Its a very quick car. Compared to the Kia Optima - I actually preferred the V6 Optima (dynamically, its looks and the dash design) except for very uncomfortable seats in the Optima. The Sonata is comfortable in town, easy to drive, quiet, roomy, and initial quality is very impressive.

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  Hyundai Bests Honda and Toyota - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By Mike - May 21 - 4:40 pm

  My 2007 Sonata Limited is best combination of price and features in its class. Offer more features than either Honda LX V6 or Camry SE V6 yet beats them in price by over $4,000 dollars and has much better waranty coverage. Car is quick, comfortable and materials are excellent. Anyone looking for a mid-priced sedan should see the merits of the Hyundai over Honda and Toyota.