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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  First SUV and Lovin it - 2006 Hyundai TUCSON
  By sunnydaze4u62 - May 12 - 6:27 am

  I have only had this little thing for a few weeks now but so far I love it. It handles very well on the road and the look is just what I have been looking for, its the right size for me. Only two complaints about it....not enough leg room for the driver and upfront passengers and the gas mileage. Was really hoping for a good MPG but I guess we cant have everything in life to go our way. It is used and I suspect that I will have some small issues coming around but all in all so far im very very happy.

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  The Elantra - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
  By KEITH - May 12 - 3:26 am

  My wife & I went to the local dealership with every intention of trading in our old Accent for another new one. The dealership offered us an Elantra for the same price, so it was a no brainer to upgrade. Everything about the Elantra is so much better than the Accent, its just a different class of vehicle. Good room and fuel economy are its major selling points, with no problems after five months and five thousand miles. Overall, no real complaints, though I would have liked a sunroof and/or anti-lock brakes.

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  Touring in winter - 2009 Hyundai Elantra Touring
  By mark - May 12 - 2:56 am

  Ok, so here we are in winter. Had a couple of snow storms and tried out the Touring in the snow. Heres the update, the anti-lock / traction controls work. The pedal has a good heavy throbbing to it when it works. Better than you having to pump the pedal. Anti lock has loud sound, will scare at first. The tires are the regular all season so dont count on good traction with these Optimo 624. Snow tires are really needed. When traction control works... slowed car down good and kept everything going in a straight line. Overall not bad on snowy roads but like I said get the snows.

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  Luxury and economy! - 2011 Hyundai Veracruz
  By cmccarthy816 - May 11 - 10:00 am

  We purchased the 2011 Veracruz over the weekend and so far love it! After driving several other higher end models the comfort and value here outshines even the luxury brands wed driven. For the feel of driving on a cloud while keeping my budget on the ground, this couldnt be beat!

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  Very Disappointed - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By tster - May 11 - 10:00 am

  I bought the car because liked the styling, mileage, cost and warranty. However, I am extremely disappointed in the car. I have been dealing with a obnoxious rattle near the glove box since I got my vehicle 3 months ago. Sometimes it is loud and continuous for hours and sometimes it only rattles on bumps, and sometimes I can drive it for 30 minutes without any sounds. I have had it to two service departments 5 times for a total of 7 days. The glove box has been replaced, padding has been added to the glove box and the molding surrounding the glove box has been checked and removed. Two times the service department had the vehicle a whole day and they did nothing. Dont buy a Hyundai!

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  I review all these reviewers - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By TK - May 11 - 10:00 am

  First thing I would say is take these reviews with a grain of salt, half these people have no concept of anything. I read one review that said "i get wet when i open my windows in the rain" lol. "the SE is too sporty" ok. I got the SE in white after i traded my Acura TL-type S(with a busted tranny again). The SE has taut steering and a LOT of road feel(includes noise). The noise is exaggerated by all the roadwork across the US. If you want a softer feel and less noise, get new tires(i get 16" snows in Dec). The build quality tops everyone in the segment(anyone who says otherwise just doesnt know or got the 1 in a 100 lemon). The car has some go and always wants to be moving. Heads do turn.

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  new sonata - 2016 Hyundai Sonata
  By joe owens - May 11 - 5:26 am

  this is by far the best Hyundai we have owned and this is number 5. it is a fine car for a reasonable amount of money even if it cost more than our first house .

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  Much more car than one expects. - 2008 Hyundai Sonata
  By KarenM - May 10 - 5:03 pm

  Sharp looking car. The interior is incredibly comfortable and supportive. The seats adjust to fit you perfectly. As I am a taller driver, leg room and head room are important. My two boys are also quite tall and they have PLENTY of leg room in the back. I went from an 8 year old smaller SUV to this car and so far, have been very, very impressed. Its quiet, smooth and a pleasure to drive. The trunk gives me as much room as my SUV did. I can hit Sams Club and the grocery store, plus have room leftover. Try it when you are shopping. Research is great, but you have to drive your top picks to make a good decision. I think you will be pleasantly surprised!

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  Nice to look at, but oh my.... - 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Carol - May 10 - 12:40 pm

  Bought new in Aug 2001 and 2 weeks later, leaking evaporator killed A/C during the heat of S. FL summer. At 100K miles, have replaced more major parts than I can recall, including 2 failed alternators, a starter, rear hatch lock, window motor, oxygen sensor (nearly killed me on the highway approach), a fuel output sensor, something major in the steering, 2 front wheel boots; have computer failure that causes radio to repeatedly whine while rapidly switching back & forth from CD player to radio; turn it off and it turns itself back on! Doors unlock themselves. Awful awful mileage (16/20 & I drive moderately). Spent so much in repairs since 2001, I couldnt afford new car. A SUPER LEMON!

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  Great Car - 1999 Hyundai Sonata
  By nortonian - May 9 - 2:00 am

  Driving is definitely believing. Test drove all cars in class and this one by far, for value, performance, comfort, and standard equipment outshines them all.