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:

• 

  love it - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By readsherri - September 6 - 2:00 am

  This is the 2nd Elantra we have owned and it just gets better, I really like this car, between the value and the warranty, I couldnt ask for more.

• 

  GT Hatchback - Outstanding Value - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By GTFlip - September 6 - 2:00 am

  The GT comes with a ton of standard features that you wont find in any similiar cars in this price range. You cant beat the warranty on these cars either. I shopped around alot and Im very satisfied with the car and the dealership I bought it from.

• 

  sonata 06 xl - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Guillermo - September 5 - 1:43 pm

  a very good car, have a lot of luxury features for less money, have a lot of power engine when you need to speed, with fuel economy when you´re not in a hurry. At this moment my car is working really good in all kind of weather and I feel peace of mind with the warranty it comes.

• 

  Worst car purchase decision I have ever made - 2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid
  By nohyndai - September 5 - 10:56 am

  I have had my hybrid sonata 3 months. It has just over 2000 miles on it and has been in for service twice. It has had all the recall fixes. The check engine light goes on and the dealership keeps claiming I am not tightening the gas cap. It also gets 18 mpg based on gas tank fillup. I am terrified of getting rear-ended as the engine sputters out when on curved inclines when you deaccelarate. The engine just cuts out. The closest Hyundai service department is 45 minutes away and they do not provide drop off service or loaner cars. So I have to take a day off of work, or drop the car off the previous evening and pay to rent a car. This is to remedy their errors! A definite lemon.

• 

  TIBURON2003 - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By BRUCE YANG - September 5 - 10:00 am

  The car is reliabile. A car that u would be in a confortable seatin to drive such car. The dislike of this car is that the ac isnt good because its coldness isnt enough.

• 

  Whole lot of car 4 the money! - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By bdwyer63 - September 5 - 10:00 am

  WOW! I own a 98 Chrysler Intrepid and never thought a compact car could subsitute in size, comfort, amenities let alone price! Have driven my little Elantra 400 miles since July 25th. Ride, fit, finish, style, this little guy has it all. I bought mine with everything but ABS and spoiler for just under 13k. I am truly impressed. I NEVER thought Ib ever buy a Hyundai, but driving is believing. This isnt the Hyundai of days gone by! You have to take one of these cars for a test drive. Theres still the unknown of long term reliability, but the proof will be in the pudding. The warranty somewhat puts my mind at ease though.

• 

  My New Azera - 2007 Hyundai Azera
  By Dave Mittman - September 4 - 7:53 pm

  I love it. Had a Sonata for six months wiith everything in it. Does not compare to this car.Like a Camry versus an LS 400. Rides better than asnything I have ever driven and have had many Acuras and one Lexus. It is a wonderful car. Styling could be a bit more hip but the interior is fantastic. Got black on black. Looking forward to months of good driving.

• 

  A Good Metro Vehicle - 2003 Hyundai Accent
  By GrandPoohPa - September 4 - 2:00 am

  The 2003 Accent is a great buy. It appears to get above 250 per fill up. It has a 1.6 liter engine, so it won’t win you any races. The back seat is small and perfect for kids. The trunk is big and has drop down back seats to allow more room. The electric package option allows the driver control over all the windows and locks. Estimated maintenance cost (based on manufacturer’s schedule of 3750 miles or 3 months) to be about $20 per fill up. (My plan is to throw $20 into a savings account every fill up.) The tires are the smallest made, so that should cut down on replacement cost too.

• 

  Fantastic car - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By Dan - September 3 - 3:40 am

  Bought this car after considering the 08 for several months. Also considered Accord, Altima and Mazda6. With or without considering the bargain price, this was the car to beat. Its miles above the 08 Sonata. Everyone Ive showed it to loves it, its been mistaken for a Lexus more than once. The ride is absolutely smooth, and acceleration remarkably quick even though I havent really stomped on the gas yet (not quite through break-in). Mileage is slightly better than the EPA estimates, Ive been getting over 30 highway and near 20 city. Shifting was a bit rough at first but it seems to be getting better. Interior quality is outstanding and the controls are intuitive and well placed.

• 

  Reason for no Haundai Lease! - 2002 Hyundai Accent
  By QueryAll - September 3 - 2:00 am

  There is a reason why Hyundai does not lease their vehicles. Simple reason - Hyundai cars depreciate so fast that you can feel the money being sucked out of your pocket. Why so much depreciation? Over the last 1 1/2 years and 120000 miles of owning this car, I have brought it into the shop over 8 times for different problems. Two problems will cost me when trade-in time comes, even though the problem was fixed. The last problem will cost me over $800, because the parts are not covered under the warranty.