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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  Im crazy about my Santa Fe - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Doll Fairchild - January 2 - 10:00 am

  This is my second Santa fe. Its easy to park anywhere. Its got great pick- up,and handleing too. Not to mention its so cute!! The collision safty equiptment is incredible. It saved my life in a accident I had in my92 Santa Fe. The car was totaled,but Im still here to brag about it.What a blessing I was driving my Santa Fe That day. It is worth everycent

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  2007 Santa Fe Ltd AWD - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By mike - January 2 - 5:20 am

  Overall I really enjoy my Santa Fe. I wanted a vehicle that was upscale, but not over the top, being a college student. I make regular long drives and the vehicle has very good room and comfort. I live in a big city and I have no difficulty getting around town either. The vehicle looks great, drives well, and costs much less than many other vehicles of similar features and quality.

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  FUN TO DRIVE - 1999 Hyundai Accent
  By KDNGIRL - January 2 - 2:00 am

  Bought 1 year ago in the worst Alberta weather and it started no problem. It handles great on the snow and ice. A simple basic car for transportation. Good fuel economy. Very little engine noise for a car at this price.

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  Small Car, Big Car Feel - 2001 Hyundai Elantra
  By tbilla - January 2 - 2:00 am

  This is my commuting car, 58 miles each way most days. If you are looking for a car with decent room, all the comforts (CD, Leather, ABS, power everything) & great mileage (I average 29.2 mpg, 90% highway), but dont want to pay for a luxury car, this is the unit for you. I picked mine up online at the end of the design year for 16K out the door. Plan to drive it until the wheels fall off. Problems fixed under warranty: rattle in headliner, A/C compressor whine & loose air bag light connector.

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  Entourage Best of the Best - 2007 Hyundai Entourage
  By Russ - December 31 - 7:20 pm

  Surprising amount of power, room, bells and whistles. This minivan MOVES and looks great. Put the pedal down and it growls into action with a very smooth ride. Super amount of seat flexiblity. Some of the best features are rear windows that go down! Dual auto sliding doors. Also automatic rear vented windows. It comes with so many standard options it is a lot of vehicle. 60,000 BUMPER TO BUMPER warranty. Way roomier than Quest and FAR more features. Even cloth seats are heated up front! Dual climate control up front - Superior cooling - 3 sets of cooling vents assure consistency. You really have to check this one out if you are seeking a van. Far too many features to discuss here.

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  OUTSTANDING VALUE, FORGET THE REST! - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Blastersix - December 31 - 2:33 pm

  I spent months reading at Edmunds and other sites about this car and finally test drove and bought one. My wife was in a minivan and not enjoying it, so I thought Id surprise her for her 30th birthday! Definitely a great surprise. Our first trip was over 250 miles from the dealership home (great deal) and we averaged 28.8 MPG with the V6 and cruise set at 73 MPH. Outstanding! Fit, finish, attention to detail, styling...Hyundai really did their homework on this car to make it a true contender with the big boys: Accord and Camry. With a decent rebate and a great 2.9% financing available through April 06, I bought this car for $6,000 less than a comparibly equipped Camry or Accord.

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  Love My Tuscani - 2005 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Kelly - December 31 - 1:20 pm

  Great car...back seat way too small..No headroom

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  2007 Hyundai Santa Fe Ltd. - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By F.J.Holstein - December 30 - 9:43 am

  I was leaning toward the Nissan Murano until I drove the Santa Fe Ltd. Not only was it almost $5000 less than the Murano comparably equipped, but it had less road noise and 7 passenger seating vs. 5 in the Murano with a much better warranty to boot.

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  AN OUTSTANDING VEHICLE - 2003 Hyundai Sonata
  By KAHUNA - December 30 - 2:00 am

  37K IN 15 MONTHS AND NOT A PROBLEM. ROCK SOLID! SAVED 4.5K OVER A SIMILARLY EQUIPPED TOY OR HONDA. I LIKED IT SO MUCH, THAT I PURCHASED A 2D HYUNDAI PRODUCT! HIGHLY RECOMMEND HYUNDAI.

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  Fun and fast - but whats that noise? - 2000 Hyundai Tiburon
  By wqmidlifecrisis - December 30 - 2:00 am

  Unique styling and great fun to drive. Bought new almost three years ago as a mid-life crisis car, and it has been an excellent value for the money. The combination of the vehicle weight, powertrain, and suspension system is fabulous, especially when you compare it to cars in its class that cost many thousands of dollars more. I am about to take it in (less than 28,000 miles now) to see what the dealer has to say about a strange "clacking" noise that seems to be emanating from between the dash and the windshield on the drivers side on bumpy pavement. In sum, if Hyundai can build these things just a little tighter, Id certainly buy another "Tib."