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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  Fun! - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By tibowner - May 18 - 4:20 am

  I love my Tiburon, its a wonderful car. I get complimented a lot on the looks of it. I have never had so many. My car has been with me for 3 years, and despite a slow start with some recalls and the sunroof recall its been running beautifully. I would recommnend it to anyone who wants a cute, fun sporty car to zip around in!

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  Great for the Price - 2002 Hyundai Sonata
  By nighthawk - May 18 - 2:00 am

  I bought the car because of the price and my wifes Elantra. I commute everyday and in 43000 miles, all that I have done is change the oil. Great car for the price!!

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  Outstanding Vehicle - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By FL - May 17 - 5:13 pm

  Just purchased this Azera! Wow, my wife had a Lexus, I had an Acura, and believe me, they dont even touch this car when it compares to the ride, handling, quietness and fun to drive!! I initially purchased this for me to drive, but my wife fell in love with it! Cant say enough good things about this car. Got the cloth seats which are very upscale, didnt want leather because too hot in the summer.

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  Love the 3.5 L engine!! - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Christina Alsaady - May 17 - 9:46 am

  We initially bought this vehicle for the warranty but found it to be an incredible SUV! We opted for all the extras & are completely satisfied. The 3.5 L engine is very quick & powerful. The comfort is great & we use this for every family vacation. We have put around 70000 miles on it & only have had to change the front brakes!! (Even has the original tires) Just change the oil every 3000 miles & watch her go!!

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  Warranty Issues - 2000 Hyundai Sonata
  By Honest J - May 17 - 2:00 am

  Please who ever may read this. Be extreamly Cautious to the Warranty in which Hyundai offeres. Beware that THEY chose whether to honnor the Warranty!!! I have less than 80,000 miles on my car and the engine blew. Ive have had to Hire a Attorney due to Hyundai refusing to Honoring the Power Train Warranty. I maintained my car and have all the reciepts. But that did not matter in regards to Corp. Hyundai when it came to honorring the Waranty I have read other complaints online. You might want to check out Hyundai before you even purchase one!!!

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  Excellent - 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Rolando - May 16 - 12:50 pm

  We purchased this SUV a couple of months ago.I trade in a Dodge Caravan 2005. This Santa Fe 2008 so far is an excellent vehicle inside comfort for family. Kids love it. Gas could be better but not that bad.

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  Overall a great car - 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By paulsparrow - May 16 - 10:46 am

  After we drove ours off the lot we immediately had two problems. Paint was flecking off and our transmission went. The paint was redone on the trouble spots at no charge and we havent had issues since. The transmission was replaced only to be replaced again a few months later. Since then we have had no troubles. Outside of oil changes, the odd light etc this car has been for the most part great. Two issues we have had to date have been the speedometer has gone four times now, each not covered. The other is the one power window has gone twice now. No engine problems or other cosmetic problems. Overall a fantastic deal

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  Great Car - 2002 Hyundai Sonata
  By M Bartels - May 16 - 2:00 am

  Battery replaced under warrenty in the first year, no other problems. everything has been trouble free. I shopped Toyota Camery, Nissan Altima, Mitsu Gallant. I believe this represents the best value for the money. I get many compliments and questions about my satisfaction. I am waiting for the new body style before committing to another new car. I bought because of the warrenty and styling. Very happy with the car as a Real Estate Salesman that often carries rear seat passengers.

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  My Tibby - 2004 Hyundai Tiburon
  By ViperVin - May 15 - 10:00 am

  I have had my tibby for less than 3 months and already put 4300 miles on the car. I absolutely love driving it and wouldnt trade it in for anything else. I get so many stares everyday because of the rarity and exterior beauty of the car. I had only one minor alignment problem a few weeks ago, but my dealership quickly took care of it under the warranty without any problems. Hyundai truly surprised me with their eagerness to please their customers, awesome warranty, and very low price compared to other sport coupes.

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  Well it "Looks" really good - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By AaronDaPyro05 - May 15 - 10:00 am

  I owned a 94 TransAM, when it came time to lay her to rest i didnt have a lot of money but i didnt want to buy someone elses problems. So i bought a tiburon. It was a very affordable price and the big warranty gave me some piece of mind that it would be reliable...... But now it has 17k miles on it and ive had a new clutch and transmission, ive spent over 5 thousand dollars in repairs from the clutch, 1600 dollars, and then a wreck from the brakes locking on a turn. Overall its a good car but its not made to be driven like a sports car without some major mods.