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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  Will Miss My Hyundai - 2000 Hyundai Elantra
  By Teacher Mary - January 17 - 2:00 am

  I have had my Elantra for 3 yrs. This past week I was in an accident, I was hit almost directly head on. My airbags deployed perfectly and immediately, my seat belt held firm. My Elantra is totaled but I walked away from the accident with only bruises from my safety equiptment. I am definitely buying another.

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  Good car - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Just me - January 16 - 2:10 am

  Good car, sharp appearance, good legroom in back seat. Good head room and shoulder room in car

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  3 out of 5 stars - 2016 Hyundai Accent
  By Jay - January 15 - 3:14 pm

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  2005 Santa Fe Rocks! - 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By ica - January 15 - 9:06 am

  Love the truck, hate the gas miledge! Im driving 450 miles/week to work on mountainous roads and through mid-size cities. Even using the cruise and a K$N filter, getting 18-20MPG.

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  2007 Hyundai Santa Fe FWD Limited - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Collyer Burbach - January 15 - 3:56 am

  Purchased this vehicle two weeks ago for my wife. She and I both love it. We had a power seat switch fail within a week, but the dealership addressed it quickly. Power is good with the 3.3L. The 2.7L would not be enough. Turns tight, quiet on the road. Seats have enough adjustability to be comfortable. Good leg room in 2nd row.

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  love this car - 2004 Hyundai Accent
  By melissan - January 15 - 2:00 am

  love this car.. use it to commute over 100 miles per day.. quick, easy to drive, fun , reliable !!!

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  2x accent owner - 2004 Hyundai Accent
  By danie c c - January 15 - 2:00 am

  this is my second hyndai accent and while the people at the dealership were less than friendly, I overlooked that 2x because hyndais are made with such great quality and the warranty is the best out there.

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  My Cars Name is - 2004 Hyundai Accent
  By Angilee27 - January 15 - 2:00 am

  I am a repeat Hyundai owner. My brand new 2003, 4-door, silver Accent with power everything is awesome. It might not be a fancy, expensive sports car, but it is reliable, has an exceptional warranty (just in case), and its comfy. The new hood design actually gives it a more "esteemed" look. Im seriously contemplating tricking it out with dark tint, trunk spoiler, spinners and round tail-lights... I know its only an Accent but it feels like an IS300 to me!! Lots of Love to Hyundai for my Beastie #2!!

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  Excellent Value, Strong Competitor - 2008 Hyundai Sonata
  By Chris - January 14 - 2:40 pm

  Excellent driving characteristics, hard to find a 5 speed 4 door sedan that is fun to drive. Considering everything else I drove (Altima, Accord, Fusion), this was definitely the best value. Quality seems very good, and much better than my previous Dodge Ram (07). Need better gas mileage, and the sonata fit the bill.

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  Great Car! - 2000 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Russ Ross - January 13 - 10:00 am

  I purchased my Tiburon new and its been running great ever since. Fun to drive, excellent styling and the best warranty around. The price was very reasonable; this baby comes loaded with goodies that are standard equipment. Power seats, windows (including side view mirrors). Its got cruise control too. The interior is user friendly with all controls easily within reach. The front sets are comfortable with lots of leg room. The back seat is ok for kids and midgets or aduls on a short hop. A great car for commuting or just for fun!