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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  Hyundai is great - 2003 Hyundai Sonata
  By Sandtone - January 8 - 2:00 am

  They are comfortable & easy to drive. I just cant find any fault with Hyundai They come standard with stuff other makers charge extra for.

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  No pick up - 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By newcar62 - January 7 - 4:42 pm

  I really want to love this car. I love the exterior and interior design and all the features it has. For these reasons, I would say the car has good value. HOWEVER, I have had the car not even 2 weeks and cannot get used to the 4 cylinder, which Im assuming is the reason the car has NO pick up. It takes too long to get going every time I have to accelerate and this makes me dread every single traffic light/stop sign. Maybe it is because I am coming from the 6 cyl. tuscon, but it just doesnt seem like enough power for an suv. I dont remember my test drive being like this so Im tempted to go drive another one at the dealership andsee if its a problem with my car. Anyone else have this?

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  Just Got My Birthday Card - 2003 Hyundai Sonata
  By JWMcLane - January 7 - 2:00 am

  Just got a nice 1 year anniversary card in the mail from Hyundai. To paraphrase what it said, I Win. I have 3 other vehicles so I only put about 1K miles a month on this car, but I have to say Im impressed. Got the obligatory Benz and Jag comments (not bad company for a car under $20k). After break-in symptoms subsided (burning decals on exhaust,lower than expected mileage but has rebounded STRONGLY) I can say this car has not had a single problem or a dealer visit. Give Hyundai a few years and theyll be selling like Hondas. Id say Hyundai already has the quality and design to take Mitsu out of the picture completely.

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  2006 Hyundai Sonata - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By dfocht - January 6 - 4:26 pm

  We have only had her about a week now and so far I can say without a doubt that this is one of the nicest cars that I have ever owned. I have had everything from Lincolns to Jags. For sheer comfort it is the best. Very quiet and handles like a dream. Corners flat, good engine responce and great breaks. Super quiet, can listen to the radio at highway speed without having to turn the radio up. Even plays MP3s which means one CD is good for about 10 hours. Cant say yet what the fuel milage will be but it is rated at 26 city and 33 highway. I dont know how reliable it is yet eather but with a 10 year 100000 mile warentee and 5 yrs road side assistance. cant be to bad & its made in the USA!

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  Amazing Car, - 2006 Hyundai Tiburon
  By mistermonkie - January 6 - 11:58 am

  Despite what some of the reviews on her say I have yet to have any problems with Tiburon at all. I bought it in early 07 at 13k miles. It now is just under 39k miles. It has driven from Florida all the way to Washington, state not D.C., all it needed after that was an oil change. It is VERY comfortable for a sporty car, The car is very comfortable, the seats support your back very well. Though it is a very cramped if youre over 6 if not it seems very roomy. Interior is very sleek and sporty looking. Sunroof can be somewhat stubborn sometimes. Exterior is beautiful as well. One downside is that though it does have 4 seats the back two are some what trivial due to the lack of leg space.

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  Surprised - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Steve - January 5 - 12:10 pm

  My wife and I were looking for an suv that was still good on gas. It was an easy search thanks to the other consumers on this site. We looked at the pilot, tribeca and highlander. I was scepical about purchasing a hyundai but was very surprised at how this car drove. I call it a car because thats exactly how it drove. Living in massachusetts the rodes are bumpy due to the winters and this car makes the potholes almost nonexistant.

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  excellence at a bargain price - 2003 Hyundai Sonata
  By marcia preston - January 5 - 2:00 am

  My car is beautifully designed, giving me the feeling they have thought of everything to make a great ride with every convenience. I feel sorry for all those people out there who have paid so much for their cars which are no better. Everything works well, and nothing has had to be repaired.

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  Excellent Car For The Money - 2000 Hyundai Elantra
  By mdsi - January 5 - 2:00 am

  I have had only one thing go wrong with this car. Spark Plugs and wires went bad causing the car to run rough and the check engine light to come on. Anyway this also happened to someone else I know, so dont worry if yours does the same thing, just try new plugs/wires first. That is such a minor issue to have happened with my $12,000 Hyundai in 110,00 miles that I can only say that this is one reliable vehicle that will treat any owner well. I bought it for the warranty, assuming they were built to last, and I was right. I love the car.

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  TRUST ME - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By BARE - January 4 - 2:00 am

  FUN, RELIABLE, GREAT LOOKING, VERSATIL.

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  Why spend more - 2002 Hyundai XG350
  By fx - January 4 - 2:00 am

  The XG350L is everything it is supposed to be to compete with Lexus and the other big sedans...roomy, comfortable, laden with features, powerful, torqued and good-looking. And its at least 15gs less. Its fun to drive...not a Ferrari, but what youd expect from a big cruising sedan. The new 3.5 litre engine is a huge improvement; the car gets out of its way and has no problem moving well past 100 mph. Its comfortable, has a great stereo, rides like a dream, handles well, has power and more. Why people are spending so much more for the same thing with a fancier name plate is beyond me.