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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  Quality of Interior Trim and Low Gas Mil - 2007 Hyundai Entourage
  By beverly smith - May 29 - 9:29 pm

  The imitation leather trim is starting to split. The van squeaks, makes strange noise when air conditioner not on, and the gas mileage is terrible. Door opens intermittently after closing. Dealer could find nothing wrong with any of these complaints. Will never again purchase new model of any car/van. Door closed on my grandsons finger. Limited driver and front passenger storage space. Third row seat cramped. It is very inconvenient to have to place car in park to open rear doors. When DVD player is open, it greatly limits drivers rear view visibility. Van drives nicely. I trusted Hyundai name but will wait in the future for them to remove all of the bugs before buying a new model.

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  Bad Car!!! - 2007 Hyundai Accent
  By Jake - May 28 - 9:10 pm

  This is the worst car I have ever owned. I had to have the engine replaced 4 months after buying it brand new, and I need new tires already also. The wheel shakes incredibly bad when driving at highway speeds making it nearly impossible to control the wheel when driving on the highway. Extremely unsafe car. Ive filed for the lemon law.

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  Excellent value - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By daveg - May 28 - 8:57 am

  Purchased this car from the original owner at 54K miles for $6K. Had one power train problem repair and otherwise routine maintenance. It has been doing very well so far. General fit and finish is good, though the exterior color on the posts between front and back windows is beginning to peel a bit. Mileage is reasonable, performance is acceptable, it is roomy and reasonably comfortable. I replaced the factory stereo and have been happy ever since.

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  2005 XG350L - a loaded Buick for less - 2005 Hyundai XG350
  By Vistar - May 27 - 11:36 am

  With a high curb weight and 200HP 6 cyc engine, this car has the mass needed for stability with plenty of go power. The XG350 suspension smooths out the bumps without totally sacrificing handling ability. Compared to my prior Volvo S70, the XG350 is much softer in turns, but much smoother and quieter at highway speed. The L trim is loaded to the max. With rebates and negotiating, you can buy this car outright for about $24K. There is nothing else to compare the XG350Ls price/feature value. If you dont care about resale (Hyundai remains unproven) and intend to drive the wheels off it, this is the perfect vehicle with the optional 10yr/100K bumper to bumper factory warranty (about $870).

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  Fast, Fun and Features Oh My! - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By drvrage - May 27 - 2:00 am

  I am so very pleased with my Elantra after 5000km. I love it a little more each day. I adore the firm handling that really conveys road feel without being too harsh. The power is invigorating and makes the car fun to drive in manual form. If driven normaly, gas mileage is good for engine type and car weight. Features leave me wanting for nothing.

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  My First Whip - 1997 Hyundai Accent
  By ace2tyte - May 25 - 1:43 am

  Point a to point b... Thats it. Ive owned this car since it first hit the market and as far as maintenance, ive had no problems with it. The interior could be a little softer and the size iz torture. I really dont think tall people are supposed to drive it. No back seat space and barely any trunk space... But it does have good mileage

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  Interior Integrity? - 2007 Hyundai Entourage
  By Brian - May 21 - 4:27 pm

  I have owned my Entourage SE for approximately one year and 14,000 miles. The squeaks, rattles, and other pronounced noises are very apparent, especially in the cooler weather. Caution! In your Warranty manual, you will find a section where as these obnoxious noises will not be covered under the bumper to bumper warranty. I feel that new owners are not waiting long enough before writing a review. I made this critical mistake. I should have spent a bit more money for the Honda Odyssey.

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  Love this car - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Kevin - May 21 - 10:54 am

  My first ever experience with Hyundai and I am very impressed with the overall package you get for the money. The V6 is a very strong motor with a sweet sound when revving it. Its proven to be a very reliable performer, I now have over 60k put on it and not a single problem. Just normal wear and tear items replaced. I drive this car very hard because the engine is so eager to please, and the 5spd auto shifts very nice. Fuel economy is decent, even when driven hard its not that bad. I have recently done performance upgrades to it including exhaust, intake and ECU reprogram and its noticeably quicker. 60mph now only takes 6 seconds to reach. I am now a fan of Hyundai.

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  75,000 miles and no problems - 2004 Hyundai Accent
  By NikoinCA - May 20 - 4:09 am

  I just hit the 75,000 mile mark and havent had a single problem. I quite literally just change the oil, havent had to do a single thing except normal routine maintenance like new transmission fluid and timing belt. Highway mileage is great, I average about 33. City mileage is pretty bad, I average about 20. The cars look is pretty bland and the resale value is laughable. But if your thinking about buying this car and you can find it for under 45,000 miles and under 7 thousand bucks I highly recommend it.

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  Your feet will freeze in the winter - 2015 Hyundai Sonata
  By Susan - May 16 - 9:52 pm

  I have put very few miles on this vehicle in the last year. Unable to drive long distances in the winter due to poor air flow to the floor board which is most uncomfortable during cold months. You can not have a comfortable ride in the winter with the climate control of this vehicle. Service advisor at dealership had an attitude with me when I complained after they stated that it runs "normal". Normal appears to be a real crappy heat system - beware if you live in a cold climate. There is also a blue glare from the dashboard that reflects into your side mirror making you think there are "blue lights" behind you. I am very disappointed with the heat issue and have owned a Hyundai for 13 years. Buying the extended warranty didnt help.