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:

• 

  Tired of buying American Lemons - 2003 Hyundai Sonata
  By gramps - September 7 - 2:00 am

  So far so good! Got rid of a lemon known as the Ford Windstar. Last 3 Fords I owned were junk. Loved the looks of the sonata. Just took it on its first 8 hr road trip. Great ride. 32.46 mpg even with the air on. 24 mpg in the city. Cant wait for next trip!

• 

  Nice Rental Car - 2005 Hyundai XG350
  By saguaroshannon - September 6 - 10:36 pm

  We rented this car for 4 days. No experience with Hyundais before. It fit my 67" husband very well. We thought the ergonomics were great! It was very quiet, as quiet as our Avalon. We thought it handled fine. The suspension seemed fine to us (Edmunds does not like it). We were a bit disappointed in the gas mileage. When it comes time to purchase another sedan, we will definitely give it consideration.

• 

  My Wifes Intro to Hyundai - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Daniel R. Bruckner - September 6 - 10:23 pm

  I already owned a 2001 Hyundai Accent and I was impressed by its continuing reliability and economy. My wife was considering a small SUV and I suggested she look at the new 2005 Tucson from Hyundai. We took a test drive in a Nautical Blue Tucson and she was "sold" on its quality! Although we have been driving the Tucson less than one month, we are already impressed by its fuel economy and its sufficient (only 4 cylinder) power to access the Beltway ramps. Its like a small truck when we easily put down the rear seat (completely flat without having to remove the headrests) to carry lengthy cargo. You can truly do a tight U turn with this snappy little SUV!

• 

  This Hyundai doing better than a lexus - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By Maximus - September 6 - 9:53 pm

  I did not expect such excellent quality from Hyundai. Well this one with 5M runs like a Lexus IS300. Well actually better than the Lexus. The top two Japanese brands such as Honda and Toyota won their high reputation over the past couple decades. I think Hyundai will achieve the same high reputation within the next two years. This 06 Sonata outperforms Toyota Camry and Honda Accord not only by the price advantage but also by its built quality and superior performance!

• 

  Best car I ever bought, other than my Honda - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By Annette Conyers - September 6 - 7:25 pm

  Like buying a poor mans Honda.

• 

  I would definitely buy a third hyundai - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By John M Burke - September 6 - 6:20 pm

  Now that I have owned & driven this vehicle for almost 2 full years and put over 40,000 miles on it. This santa fe lx has been one of the most enjoyable and trouble free cars I have ever owned. The fuel mileage has gotten better the more I use it and drive it at reasonable speeds.

• 

  Great buy! - 2010 Hyundai TUCSON
  By R E M - September 6 - 5:56 pm

  After reading up on many different models in this category and test driving them, the obvious choice for my needs was the Tucson. Great price with many standard features that I enjoy such as cruise, air, 4 disk ABS brakes, 6 air bags, Blue Tooth (hands free) cell phone paring with voice command....the list goes on. The ride is firm but not overly so, good headroom (Im 6 feet tall) and great fuel economy.

• 

  I love my Sonata! - 2003 Hyundai Sonata
  By mmcauntie - September 6 - 2:00 am

  I was a faithful driver of Toyota Camrys, but when I saw the Hyundai, I had to drive it. I went to the dealership to prove to myself that the car wasnt as nice as it looked from the outside. As soon as I put the car in gear, I knew I would buy one. It drives like a dream (smoother ride than the 2003 Camry) and is fun too. My last Camry needed a lot of non- warranty repairs at 76,000 miles which is why I traded it in. The 100,000 mile warranty sold me on the car as well.

• 

  short term so far so gooood - 2003 Hyundai Sonata
  By bobby1234 - September 6 - 2:00 am

  am driving on highways the majority of time. very happy. i have 4 cylinder that does not lack power when air cond. is off. auto needs kick whem acceleration is required. car does have the necessary kick when need be. worth the investment based on the warantees and sell price. not so if you intend to sell because of poor depreciation.

• 

  (2) Bad Xg-350 L in a month - 2004 Hyundai XG350
  By Sarah Viands - September 6 - 2:00 am

  Bought 1st car on 1/24/04. Had severe lectrical problems. Dealer replaced car on 1/30/04. This one has been in shop 2 times for transmission shifting problems with clank & rough shift from 1st gear to 2nd and 2nd to 3rd. Asked dealer to buy back and he offered us $9000 less than we had paid having put only 1400 miles on the car. Windshield wipers also real noisy. On Curse, get feeling of tip-over. Hate this car and also the way dealer has done, but guess I am stuck. My advice.Dont buy one.