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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  Good Car For your money - 2003 Hyundai Accent
  By Darkslydi596 - December 13 - 2:00 am

  I have had no problems what so ever with this car...I purchased it brand new and it been great...alittle slow but it good for now.

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  my car - 2004 Hyundai Accent
  By happyhabit - December 13 - 2:00 am

  Good car for low price

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  Great Commuter Car - 2004 Hyundai Accent
  By Lisa in AZ - December 13 - 2:00 am

  Got the car to use for driving to/from work (75 mi. RT)through Southeastern Arizonas bumpy and dusty roads. This is my second Hyundai Accent (the other was a 4-door). Love the value and mileage, but would never buy another 2-door. Too cramped. If I added one thing, it would be a tilt wheel. My son is 61" and can only sit in the front since the back is so cramped. Ill drive this car until my warranty is up, and will definitely buy another Hyundai. As a single mother, it gives me peace of mind knowing its under warranty should anything go wrong. Ive never had to do anything more than minor repairs, for either of my Hyundais.

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  ITS THE BODY ............. - 2004 Hyundai Accent
  By JON WARCUP - December 13 - 2:00 am

  WHAT I FEEL IS THAT YOU SHOULD OF MADE THE BODY IN A LOW PROFILE AS IN LOW AND LONG . LIKE THE 70S WERE .

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  Nice car, terrible mileage - 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By susanjb1 - December 12 - 2:12 pm

  I got this car in March 2010. It is extremely comfortable and has great standard features like heated leather seats. Looks like a much more expensive car on the inside. I have had several minor mechanical problems that needed fixing, which is annoying but not fatal. The worst thing about the car is the terrible mileage it gets. It says 20/28 - I have never even come close to 28 on the highway even with total highway driving and driving conservatively. The best you can hope for is about 18/21 and thats driving conservatively. How they got the EPA rating they have on this car is a mystery.

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  very good bang for the buck - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By joe 6 pack - December 12 - 2:10 pm

  Given the $3000 Hyundai rebate, Sonata was a deal too good to pass. You can get the same features and performance for thousands less than on a Camry or Accord.

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  After 13,000 miles - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By YPSIJO - December 11 - 10:00 am

  Pros: Nice design overall with lots of interior room. Nice hp for a 4 cyl engine with good gas mileage. Cons: Ive had to take the car in twice for hood alignment and minor detail mistakes. A lot of plastic parts are rattling and cracking inside.

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  Great Ride - 2001 Hyundai Tiburon
  By FDNYtib - December 11 - 12:13 am

  I got the tib in the summer, and its doing great, i have over 11,000 miles on it (using it to commute) and its consistantly had great milage and no performance problems. Only complaint is that there is a lot of road noise, but the stereo upgrade drowns that out. Great city car, easy to park, lots of pep when you need it.

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  Great car! - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By pde2007 - December 10 - 4:46 pm

  Weve only owned the car for a week, but what a great drive it is. The comfort, style and surprising horsepower have really made us glad we purchased our Sonata. I also love the new body style of the Sonatas, its a very classy look. I wouldnt hesitate to buy another one when my wifes car needs to be traded in or sold.

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  cheap and fun - 2003 Hyundai Accent
  By mac68990 - December 10 - 2:00 am

  its a cheap little care with zero extras. but with the 5 speed it is a peppy, nimble little car. decent cargo space. but poorly made. it has been in the shop once twice since I got