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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  Great value, Fun to drive - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By dsmith - October 8 - 2:00 am

  Test drive was the selling point for me.It is a hot looking car and performance was everything I expected. The five speed manual was fun and responsive. Interior had style and sleek. Exterior is a head turner. Will buy in May. Cant beat the price for all the standard equipment. Had two Corvettes and a Toyota Supra. This compares very nicely except the price is better!

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  Lovely little brute - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By skuuter - October 8 - 2:00 am

  Ive owned several "sports" cars since the mid seventies and this is one of the few that I not only love to drive, but also feel absolutely confident in. That may seem an oxymoron, but this car is so well built and handles so well, I respectfully disagree with many professional reviewers who seem to think the car is lacking performance-wise. The Tiburon has plenty of oomph and I look forward to every drive including the twisties.

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  Happy so far! - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By Jessica - October 8 - 2:00 am

  have to say that the biggest appeal to this car is the fact that not many people even know about it yet, it hasnt become the standard like the honda civic

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  2002 Sonata LX - 2002 Hyundai Sonata
  By gordon - October 8 - 2:00 am

  Ive owned a Tiburon for a year and a half, so I wasnt afraid of the quality. The Sonata seems to be a well built car. It drives smooth and is quiet inside. After owning several GM products that ended up costing me a fortune on repairs, I decided to get a vehicle that had some warranty to it, and a company that would stand behind it. I am very satisfied with the hyubdai products, and can safely say if the quality stays up, my next vehicle will most likely be another hyundai.

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  Hooray for Hyundai! - 2007 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Sunny Raye - October 6 - 4:26 pm

  Bought it for my wife and daughter, now they cant get me out of it! This is my 3rd Hyundai acquisition this year, Sonata for business and Sonata for personal use. Hyundai is on a roll, keep up the good work.

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  LOVE IT! - 2013 Hyundai Elantra GT
  By demarcho - October 6 - 9:42 am

  Ive been driving it for about 2 months now and I absolutely love it! Previously I had a 2005 Elantra... and it is a big upgrade with heated leather seats, Bluetooth, iPod, and Panoramic Sunroof. Lots of options....! This car feels heavier than sturdier than my previous car which makes me feel safer. Mileage... I am getting between 27~29 City and 32~34 Highway (going 75mph). I believe I will get better mileage in milder weather.

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  Love our elantra! - 2008 Hyundai Elantra
  By dtiman - October 5 - 1:19 pm

  Bought our 2008 Elantra GLS sedan in early March 2009. I was a little disappointed with the high 20s MPG at first, but by the time the odometer reached 1000 miles, we were routinely getting 33mpg in 70/30 highway/city driving. 31-33 is what we routinely get in mixed driving recently. Overall, we really like this car. It has a good feel and is fun and easy to drive. We are closing in on 6,000 miles with no problems yet.

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  2006 Sonata Great Ride - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By g_man - October 5 - 3:33 am

  This is my 3rd Sonata in 10 yrs. The last one was a 02 Sonata. Had 55,000 miles on it when I traded it for the new 06 GLS Sonata. Still drove like a brand new one. Main reason for trading was the new design and the 3.3 6cyl with the dual exhaust. And ofcourse the peace of mind of having the new warranty for 6 more yrs (bumper to bumper) Very quite ride and very fast. Got the cloth seats instead of leather this time. The seats are very comfort and fit to you body. Saved alot of money by going thru this site and doing your homework on prices. Get the dealer quotes from the links off of this web site. You will save thousands before you walk into the door. Internet Sales Dept is the best way.

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  veloster turbo replacement - 2018 Hyundai Elantra
  By herbs sport - October 5 - 2:40 am

  first of all,stay away from the dual clutch transmission,as i had in my 2016 veloster turbo..its horrible.the ride of the elantra sport is just the icing on the cake.mine is a 6-speed manual with the tech package..enough said..you must drive this car..gas mileage is much higher than hyundai says,too.

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  Great Vehicle - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By Muppet - October 4 - 7:54 pm

  Purchased this car used with 70000 miles on it. This car looks and drives great with the V6. Fuel economy is very good. AC is good. Reliabilty is superb. I put 1100 miles a week on it and have had no problems. In the passed 60K I have replaced two sets of tires, timing belt, spark plugs, headlight bulb, oil and tranny fluids. I am so impressed with this Hyundai and still like its ability...