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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  Won over - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By RN - October 4 - 5:34 pm

  I bought this car at 99,000 miles to get out of a gas guzzling van. I was wary, but now Im won over. I love this car. Good pep,good nimbleness, good gas mileage, good comfort. This small car even has leather seats and a sunroof! I looking for another Hyundai for my kid and stating to look for another used elantra in a more recent model year for me.

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  Reliable and Affordable - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By Reliable! - October 3 - 1:55 pm

  I bought this car new in 2003. It is the base model GLS. It is not fancy, its only a 4.0 cylinder, but it is very reliable. It now has 105,000 miles and has not needed any major repairs and still running great! Im looking to get a new vehicle and after the experience with this one, Im thinking it will be another Hyundai. My husband bought a 2001 Ford Taurus in 2003, when I got my Hyundai and has had all types of problems with it.

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  Problem-free at 100k - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By Ian - October 1 - 12:54 pm

  Purchased for $6900 with 35k miles on it. Good condition. Manual. Handled well, peppy for an economy car. I have only had the following problems: A leaking radiator hose Suspension squeaks and creaks I get regular oil changes, replaced the timing belt at 90k miles and had it tuned up, and have replaced the tires once. Very low maintenance costs overall. At this point, the performance is suffering a little (diminished torque at high rpms), but Ive driven this car hard for about 70k miles now. Still extremely reliable, and I wouldnt think twice about driving it cross country. I had a 99 Elantra before, and my friend is still driving it in San Diego at over 160k miles.

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  Great Car - 2002 Hyundai Sonata
  By Jay J - September 28 - 9:04 pm

  I bought this car off the showroom floor and it has been the most reliable car that I have owned. I have owned a Chevrolet, an Oldsmobile, a Ford, and a Mitsubushi. The only I have done on my Sonata is oil changes, a new set of brakes and two sets of tires. I have 125,000 miles now on my car and I plan on buying a new Sonata in the near future. The only issues I have had is a "phantom" stereo. The CD player died at 100,000 and I cannot turn the radio off. There has been little paint peeling on the roof.

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  Great car for my daughter - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By Ed Lee - September 24 - 5:01 pm

  Purchased car for my daughter with 61,000 miles. Car now has 138,00 miles and going strong. Car is dependable beyond expectations. Only routine maintenance has been done on car. Car is comfortable to drive with good acceleration for a 4 cylinder. Good gas mileage.

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  so far, so good! - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By kkdog - September 22 - 11:13 pm

  Ive had this car for almost a year, and over 18,000 miles later, no significant problems to report. For the money, its been a good investment - secure handling, decent factory sound system, airbags everywhere, comfortable ride. Minor annoyances include a drivers side seat that "rocks", it never really feels like its locked completely in place. The wheel covers are CHEAP and easily scraped all to pieces (or maybe Im just abusive and used to alloys?). Gas mileage isnt as great as Id hoped (mid-20s). Just this morning I heard a squeal under the hood - will be going to the dealer to have that checked. Lastly, the check seatbelt alarm could cause incurable insanity. Worth a 2nd look!

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  Water and oil. - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Dkaiser - September 21 - 10:00 am

  This car is great for a first new car. It has great looks great handling great performance overall. Car takes corners quick, and has tourque to pull you out quickly. However the build quality is weak. My interior plastic coating flakes apart. It has already been replaced once. Also, while going 90mph, the front airdam flexes alot, and the wheel dam cam apart and got trapt under the wheel ripping it apart. It was scarry to say the least. If you live in the snowy states, be sure to buy snow tires for it, the tires are great for the street, but had NO TRACTION in the winter time.

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  Excellent choice - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Kim E - September 21 - 10:00 am

  After reviewing saftey ratings, I chose to go with my first new car --and upgrade because I am now a parent. Great design, decent fuel econmy, BEST warranty ever, cant go wrong ehre!

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  some problems, but a good car for the $$ - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By laurelg9 - September 21 - 10:00 am

  We purchased on a friends advice and for the waranty. Day after delivery, the a/c stopped working. The trunk hood needed to be adjusted (it was off center and leaked). Three weeks after delivery, a hose clamp in the engine broke & leaked antifreeze. Weve been into the service dept. three times in three weeks! The car *is* fun & very comfortable, but workmanship could be better. Waranty is a real selling point, esp. the extended bumper-to- bumper 100K mile, which we got...and they did offer a free oil change. Overall, were pleased, but tentative to reccomend b/c of workmanship issues.

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  a superior car - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By Russ - September 21 - 4:30 am

  an excellent car. traded in a 2004 Pontiac GTP for it. is superior in most respects to Pontiac esoecially in comfort