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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  actually reliable - 1999 Hyundai Sonata
  By karmafarma - November 1 - 2:00 am

  The 99 sonata is my second Hyundai(the first being a 2000 elantra) and once again I am amazed by how much I like these cars. Contrary to popular opinion regarding the old Hyundai reputation from 1990, my sonata gls has been a delight. The v6 really performs nicely even from a dead stop and still maintains decent mileage overall. A huge leap forward for Hyundai in their struggle to overcome a negative stereotype. Personally, I would buy another one of these in a heartbeat.

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  bobs report - 2001 Hyundai XG300
  By bob weatherly - October 31 - 10:00 am

  the only thing i found bad was havin to select traction control and cruise control each time i start up the car. it behaves like a dream on the road. looks like a winner to me.

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  Go Get One!!! - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By Blinx - October 31 - 10:00 am

  What a great car!! Great on Gas

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  Great car for the money - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By Matt Porath - October 31 - 10:00 am

  For a hair over $15K, getting a car with traction control, ABS, leather, and a power sunroof is unheard of. On top of that, it looks good and is fun to drive.

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  Very Pleased - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Mwabell - October 31 - 10:00 am

  Ive owned my vehicle for 18 months. I have had no problems what-so-ever. The gas mileage is consistent on the highway or in the city at 20 - 22 mpg. I enjoy driving and appreciate the unique looks.

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  Drive, you decide! - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Robertson - October 31 - 10:00 am

  Prior to purchasing this vehicle, we looked at Subarus. As I was on my fourth and was very pleased with the vehicle. I did a lot of research on both vehicles and we felt as far as value goes, we could not go wrong with our purchase of a 2003 Santa Fe LX AWD. The warranty told us that the Company was going to be here down the road. Hyundai Industries, has a lot of money behind them and as soon as they find their niche in the marketplace, you will find this vehicle, retailing for at least 3000.00 more.

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  Great Vehicle - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Linda Haller - October 31 - 10:00 am

  This is a great vehicle at a great price. Very stylish with lots of room.

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  Wonderful SUV - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By SkKirtely - October 31 - 10:00 am

  I have had my Hyundai a year now and could not be more satisfied. I really like the 10 year warranty. I like it also because I feel safe driving it. I will by another one when its time to buy again.!

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  Bad transmission - 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By kkellycoco - October 31 - 3:46 am

  Do not buy this car! I only have 8,000 miles and the transmission is faulty. Hyundai will only put a refurbished one in and not a new one. Many other Santa Fe owners are having the same problems, stay away from this car.

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  2006 model purchased in 2008! - 2006 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Lacey C - October 30 - 9:36 pm

  I purchased my 2006 Tiburon in 2008 at 30,000 miles! As an 18 year old this was a dream. For the price I financed, the vehicle depreciated in value rather quickly. I was "upside down" after only 2 years, the amount I owed was more than the car was worth. Thats the thing about Hyundai though! HOWEVER, I drove the heck out of this car daily, I needed new brakes and new battery in 2011 at around 130,000 miles. (This is amazing for the amount of mileage and wear I put on this vehicle) In July 2014 at 154,000 miles, the car began overheating daily and therefore we replaced the radiator. I drove it fine until December 2014 when it randomly overheated one winter day and the following morning would not start. At 160,000 miles the car required a totally new engine. The cost of the engine replacement was more than the car was valued at the time but I sucked it up and replaced it anyway. I vowed to keep up with the oil changes on schedule!! After the new engine, we lived happily ever after until I purchased a 2011 BMW Mini Cooper in May of 2015 (huge difference, I know, but remember I was only 18 when I chose the Tiburon and now I am 25) Im now experiencing major problems with the Mini and Im about to re-tag and insure the faithful loyal old Tiburon again because she has always been there for me! The other quirk to the Tib that I must mention as have others, the thing EATS tires!!!!! I cant even count how many times I have had to buy tires for the car! Its no joke!