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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  hyundai surprise - 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe
  By wesxpress - June 5 - 3:10 pm

  I along with many others were shocked by this car. My wife and I drove 11 different vehicles from crossover suvs to sport cars before falling in love with this car. We both love the brown leather interior and as soon as u hit the gas its a hit. I cant say enough about how this car smokes the american made sport cars. Unless you bleed american muscle do yourself a favor and drive this car. Especially when dealers are charging 5k over sticker on those models. We had no intentions of buying a HYUNDAI. This is an amazing car.

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  Ageless Looking & Sporty - 2002 Hyundai Sonata
  By Jack - June 5 - 2:45 pm

  The one thing all buyers should be aware of and this goes for many cars from 1995 to 2008 is that many, even Acura used timing belts. Many of these cars engines are Interference engines which means extremely close tolerances. So, if the timing belt breaks (It will give no warning) , most likely it will destroy your engine. If the engine is non-interference (many 1995 to 2000 were) it means your walking and need to get your car towed, and looking at a $700 repair to reinstall the belt. So, if you are intent to buy one and dont know if that belt was replace, then you must replace it soon or gamble on losing your engine. The 2002 V-6 Sonata I bought looked almost brand new in and out , underneath and even the engine bay. (I know dealers clean them, but the car was well pampered.) I paid a bit more but this car was outstanding. Not one ding on the car, no accidents , EC interior, and only one very small minor scratch (about an inch ) on the bumper. Pearl White. I did own a 2002 4 cyl long ago and I never had a problem with it. I also own a 2013 Elantra Limited and like that as well. I know its early in the process but I put about 550 miles on it so far, and no complaints and very happy. There is a lot of junk out there in that price range. I had Toyotas and they are wonderful reliable cars and would have bought another had the price been right. Anyway, In its present condition it hard to think there will be problems popping up soon, but then again, its relatively new and it is a 14 year old car, but I can tell somethings were replace like the A/C , and front brakes etc. I wrench on cars so I can do somethings when they do come up. I would say the idle is not the smoothest but once in drive it is pretty quiet and a very comfortable soft ride. Quiet in park as well. Tires look almost new, and exhaust doesnt seem that old, so its relatively quiet, accept upon acceleration. It emits a growl, which sounds kinda like dual exhaust so its not too troubling. No its not as quiet as my new car on acceleration but hey, it is 14 years old. Power is decent at 170 HP. Handling is good, and visibility is real good. Brakes are firm. Everything works well, including Power sunroof. Dash looks brand new , and its beige in color. I can tell this car spent a lot of time in the garage and not in the sun. Paint shines! I saw many articles on the rear brakes and how they made lock up. Yes, I think the design was bad. I did take the rear wheels off, and I believe the problem is the metal slide clips they use are a bad design. I sanded down those slides, and also the edge of the pads, and used high temp grease to ensure movement. I just want to avoid possible problems since it seems this was a concern. Its not hard to do this.

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  Best Sports car for the buck - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By sweetczz - June 5 - 9:15 am

  I bought this sports car because: 1) cheapest, good looking sports car 2) allowed for lots of leg room for growing young boys 3) hatchback has been awesome with room! ,6) had the most FREE options - a lot of them 7) had the best and longest warranty 8) has only needed regular maintenance upkeep so far (tuneup - once every 7 years - im bad) oil changes about every 3-4 miles - 100k miles now

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  112,000 Miles and Counting - 2000 Hyundai Elantra
  By ggrigg - June 5 - 2:00 am

  I bought this car in Nov. of 1999, lured by the low price and warrenty. My experience with cars in the past have been horrible, and I was hoping for a bit of luck this time. Turns out that I found it. I have averaged about 32,000 per year on the car, and I have not experienced any major problems to date. I was sorley afraid that all of the major components would break down as soon as I hit 100,000 miles, but it has not happened yet. If all of the cars built for this year perform as mine has, I would recommend it to anyone.

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  Love my 2011 SE - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By toojoi - June 4 - 1:40 pm

  I just bought my SE 3 wks ago and I LOVE IT!! Only 964 miles so far. Very sexy and I love the sporty feel. Yet it still as the full size feel on the inside. Handling is great with the tight turns and fast pickup. Keep in mind, this is the sport package so the ride is slightly rougher. But in all, its fun to drive and gets lots of attention.Only concern is the traction in the snow. So far Ive had some problems on slippery surfaces. Looking into this. Ive heard I might have to change to a better tire, which I hate to do on a brand new car.

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  Pleasantly surprised!! - 1996 Hyundai Elantra
  By JB in NJ - June 4 - 2:00 am

  Car has done us well as we have over 125,000 miles now. Changed the oil every 3000 miles and the car has reciprocated. Only problems have been with the check engine light coming on (several recalls and a new gas cap). Have only replaced the clutch once and the brakes once or twice. Recently had to replace the wiper motor and window regulator at about $200 each, but thats been the only problems. Just bought a 2003 Santa Fe based upon our favorable experience with this car.

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  Great car for price - 2003 Hyundai Accent
  By St. Cloud Dave - June 4 - 2:00 am

  I bought this used at 18000. Ive driven 9000 mi. so far and had to have it serviced twice in the first month but since then has been great. Actually Im surprised its as good a vehicle as it is. It may not be as good a vehicle as you would expect for a 20 thousand dollar car buts it costs a heck of a lot less and for its competition its one great deal. Its been a pleasan ownership experience so far.

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  very functional - 2002 Hyundai Accent
  By ftc - June 4 - 2:00 am

  I have been driving mine for over a year now, including trips from Illinois to North Carolina, Nebraska and Tennessee. No problem driving through rain storms and a snow storm. I had ample power in the mountains. When I bought a computer system last summer, had no problem fitting all of the boxes inside. I regularly carry my bicycle inside. I am a small person, and the drivers seat is exactly the right size.

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  Best car and Value - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By VON - June 3 - 9:26 pm

  After many cars and over 50 years of driving, this is without a doubt the best value available today. Its just wonderful!!

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  Fantastic Vehicle - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By ScottW1212 - June 3 - 6:26 am

  We looked at just about all similar SUVs to the Santa Fe and came to the conclusion that for the money and features the Hyundai was by far the best. The 2.7 V6 engine is more than ample for our driving habits. The interior is very comfortable. The only issue I can find is the desire to have a few more inches of leg room in the back. The ride is great, especially in the rain. The MONSOON stereo is fantastic. Road noise is no better or worse than other similar sized SUVs. Gas mileage could be better but with a fulltime AWD V6 it is probably where it should be. The interior is classic and clean with everything at an easy reach.