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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  excellent value - 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By suzannaski - March 8 - 2:00 am

  The warrany is excellent, theyve taken care of any problems (faulty sensor recall, corroded chrome handles, interior door panel) It is very reliable, and better in slippery weather than my husbands rwd/4wd truck. the downside is that there is a lot of highway noise, so if youre on the phone or listening to the radio, the volume needs to be turned way up.

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  love it - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By jlong - March 8 - 2:00 am

  overall comfort and solid styling makes this car a pleasure to drive. probably the only real down side to buying a Sonata is the low resale value.

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  my fun car. - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By frankenberry - March 8 - 2:00 am

  fun to drive.gives you a feel of real ruggednees.intera greater desinged very well.agreat pricei love it. for agreat suv.i love it.

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  Fantastic car - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By jlm255 - March 8 - 2:00 am

  Ive had a great time in this car so far. It handles very well in the snow and the stereo system is great! Shocks and suspension are good. The tires werent balanced right, but that got fixed and I didnt have to pay for it, I dont know if that was the dealerships fault or Hyundais.

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  Quick but thirsty - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By big john - March 7 - 8:43 am

  Have had this car a little over a month with 2000 on it now. Goes like a bat out of hell but only averaging about 19 mpg in town. Dealer says they get better at about the 6k point. Well see.

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  thrilled then concerned - 2009 Hyundai Genesis
  By spadesman - March 6 - 11:56 pm

  I bought the car on labor day, loved the car. Everything I had wanted in a car and more. No problems first 2200 miles, other than transmission jerk off a start thought it would smooth out eventually. Than I learned about recall, hmg interface problem car could lock up at anytime. On sept 15 I was going up steep incline back wheels hesitated twice from there tranny shifted out of SYNC. Then burning smell in cabin at acceleration to higher speeds. Car now shimmys in idle. Its at the dealer now they just called me and told me the smelled the firey smoke smell also. Wondering if I made a 40,000 mistake. I will update with more info as I receive it

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  Who needs a Hybrid? - 2017 Hyundai Elantra
  By Steven K. - March 6 - 6:12 pm

  One of my specs when car shopping was it NEEDS not less than 35 mpg. Since I bought this a month ago, Ive been to Tn and back with a total mileage of 1950. Most fill up worked out at 40 mpg or more. My last fill generated 44 mpg. My previous car gave 27, so this is quite impressive. This has ample trunk space, great a/c and the front seats may not be fantastic, but they are very sufficient. I plan on owning this car for 20 years.

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  1993 Sonata/STD/5-speed trans - 1993 Hyundai Sonata
  By Sonata01 - March 6 - 2:00 am

  I bought my Sonata brand new in 1994 (it was leftover stock from 1993) for the price of a used Ford Tempo. In other words, I got a real bargain on a brand new car (I knew the risk I was taking on Hyundai in the early 90s). Ten years later, I still own the car, and havent spent a penny on anything but oil, fuel, and windshield wiper fluid. I bought the base version, which came with standard air conditioning (still works), tilt steering wheel, and a good stereo. The interior is quite roomy and the drivers seat has a height adjustment for short drivers.

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  96 Elantra Wagon - 1996 Hyundai Elantra
  By JD2618 - March 6 - 2:00 am

  Overall the vehicle performed well. It was reasonable on gas. It seemed to require more brake maintence than normal. The extended warranty was worth the cost as several items needed to be replaced before 75,000 Scheduled regular maintenance by Hyundai is pricey, especially the timing belt. The Dealer fixed items at no charge that were no longer under warranty for Good- Will. I would recommend the purchase of an Elantra if you get rebates and a good price.

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  A lot for a little - 2004 Hyundai Accent
  By Valuman - March 6 - 2:00 am

  I bought my first Accent last year and it was a sporty little GL 2 door. It had a very comfortable power to handling ratio. It is obviously not a performance automobile but it never lacked the get up and go I needed, even with the a/c on. Unfortunately, a renegade truck wheel bouncing along the interstate put an end to that nice little 2 door. During the accident both airbags deployed and I suffered no injuries whatsoever. My wife and I just bought another one, only this time we went for the four door.