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 - Are you kidding? No Im not!! - 2009 Hyundai Elantra
  By JT - August 14 - 10:29 pm

  Bought the Elantra SE because I had a budget and needed to stick to it. Requirements were good gas mileage, antilock brakes, airbags, and traction/stability control. Comparable Civic and Corolla were $4K and $5K more, even with cash for clunkers. Took the vehicle on an 1152 mile jaunt to Bar Harbor and back and averaged 31.2 mpg in all types of driving. Plus, I crammed 3 young kids and the wife in the car and a weeks worth of clothes and supplies. The Elantra performed admirably. Not extremely exciting, but a steady performer, fit and finish was perfect, seats were comfortable and ride was smooth. The engine was a little course when acceleration was needed, but overall a great car.

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  A Car to Consider - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By senior citizen to be - August 13 - 2:51 pm

  I had to replace my 97 Camry. Owning all kinds of cars in the past (Lexus- Benz-Honda-Audi) this one made sense. Things I love: safety features (airbags all around, stability and traction control + the usual - ABS etc.), power (250 hp), transmission (smooth, gear stays on until red zone if you hit it), comfort (seats, rear A/C - heat fan, illuminated power switches, auto up/down window for driver & pass), optional features (front & REAR reading lights, huge trunk, good stereo), and highway gas mileage (28). Major gripe: If you want a sporty car this is not it. On straight road it is great. BUT smooshy on curves (just like a Buick). Minor stuff: City MPG could be better. Buy used not new.

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  Wow - all for $17k!!! - 2009 Hyundai Elantra
  By Steve Thomas - August 13 - 10:34 am

  I was forced to buy another Elantra after hydro-planing mine into the guardrail on I-70 at 60mph. My 2004 absorbed the accident perfectly and I was thrilled how it did. So, I went to Hyundai and they have improved everything on this newer model and after 700 miles I love the new car

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  Great Deal - 2009 Hyundai Elantra
  By thelemalove93 - August 12 - 1:12 pm

  I traded in a 2002 Honda CR-V for a 2009 Hyunda Elantra GLS. While I loved my Honda, I was ready for something different. I checked out Toyota, Honda, Nissan and Kia and at the end my decision was easy- I got the most "BANG" for my buck with the Hyundai Elantra. It has a great stereo system (love having an aux cable to listen to my MP-3 player with), blue tooth speaker system for calls, a lovely blue backlit system that people rave about every time they are in my car and a ton of trunk space. It also looks great from the outside. It is fun to drive, spacious, more comfortable than my moms Acura MDX, and reliable. W/ an amazing price and reliability it is a keeper.

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  10 - 2004 Hyundai XG350
  By Adrian Castano - August 12 - 10:00 am

  THE BEST CAR I EVER HAD IN MY LIFE. ITS MUSCULAR ENGINE WITH APPROX. 220 LBS OF TORQUE MAKES A SERIOUS COMPETITOR. I FEEL SMARTER WHEN A WRITE SMALL CHECKS EVERY MONTH.

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  My 2nd one! - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By NCGUY - August 12 - 10:00 am

  I find this car to be an excellent value. Looks great, drives great, and feel great. This is my 2nd Sonata, the first for my wife is a bit more luxurious, the 2nd, this model for me.

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  Go for it....forget the name Doit! - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By gr8mortano - August 12 - 10:00 am

  Hugs the road and has power on demand. The only thing missing is a retractable steering wheel and emergency hot button on key pad. Otherwise you cant be disappointed in the value, price, performance and sex appeal!

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  Very Pleased - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Joel & Jodie - August 12 - 10:00 am

  We have had the SUV for six months now and are very pleased. For the money (and warranty) the features and amenities are a great value. We did have one recall to re-program the ABS system but that took about twenty minutes at the dealer. It is smooth, quiet, and has more power than I expected. There are a few features I would like to see them included in the future but only because I have gotten used to them im my other vehicles. I got the extended ten year 100,000 mile bumper to bumper warranty. I dont normally do that but being my first experience with Hyundai I wanted the peace of mind. The warranty price is more than covered by the rebate.

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  Great Car, Minimal Problems - 2005 Hyundai Sonata
  By B - August 12 - 7:50 am

  We have put 107,000 miles on this car in four years and it has not given us many problems. The only one it has given us is that the windshield wipers get stuck and you just have to loosen them from the windshield. Other than that this car has given us no problems and has even held up when I had a 2 hour commute (each way) to work each day.

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  Awesome But... - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Mark - August 12 - 4:43 am

  This is a great car and I really like it but it has an engine whine at 60- 70MPH that is very annoying. So far Hyundai refuses to do anything to resolve the prblem. As I said I really like the car but not sure I could recommend it due to engine issue and Hynudais lack of help.