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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  Who would have thought? - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By Daytime - July 31 - 2:12 am

  I am a former car dealer and thought I would never buy a Hyundai. I absolutely love this car. Great gas mileage, cold air, nice performance, smooth ride, nice horse power, and very stylish. I like it so much that I am now looking at a Genesis for my wife. She deserves it. To say the least, I am impressed with the Sonata. Also, it is easy to maintain and the fact that I get the performance with 87 octane is a big plus. I have driven 4500 miles and the mpg was still at 31 to 32 mpg. Great Car!

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  cannot beat it! - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By love it - July 29 - 10:00 am

  only had the santa fe" for 2 months and love it. cannot beat the warranty and roadside assistance(if needed). car is very sound and finally a suv that drives like a car and fun to drive with a great sound system.love the gas mileage.

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  I love my santa fe - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By babiegurl30 - July 29 - 10:00 am

  I have wanted one of these beauties for 3 years>> I got mine april 28th and love every second of it!!! I would reccomend one to everybody!! I just love everything about it......the way it handles ,rides looks.. you name it it it is an awesome suv

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  Love my Elantra - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By Timzee - July 29 - 10:00 am

  Couldnt decide between a Sonata and Elantra. I opted for less expensive. I love this car. I got a loaded car for less than 16K. It rides great, is responsive and has great pep. It is easy to handle, and with all of its features, you cant go wrong. Hyundai spared very little expense on this car. Hell the tires on this car run 130 a piece!

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  Pretty Good So Far - 2009 Hyundai Elantra
  By wwest - July 29 - 9:16 am

  I love this car. I traded a Jeep Grand Cherokee and space is not an issue. It is spacious despite its small footprint. I got the optional moonroof and heated front seats. I was looking at a Civic, Corolla, and Jetta. This had standard features that the others didnt have or were optional. The warranty is the best. If you buy this car before the $1.49 gas price guarantee expires, dont get it! It is a huge rip-off. Take the $2000 cash back instead. I would have never looked at Hyundai a few years ago but their cars are now as good as or better than their Japanese and German competitors. Pay the extra few grand for the SE to get the safety features.

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  The BEST Value for your $$$$$$$$ - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
  By The BEST Value for $ - July 29 - 4:03 am

  I have had the Elantra for about 3 weeks now. I should say that initially I did not want to even test drive one. My friend adviced me to do so and you know what? I am glad I listened to him. This car is a steal for the money you pay. It has a long list of standard features and if you plan to spen a little more you get the GT. The car is fun to drive and the gas mileage is good. If you are looking for a low price, fuel economy, more standard features then look no further than the Hyundai Elantra. This will be a good buy for the $$$$$$$$$$$ you spend.

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  fun to drive - 2009 Hyundai Elantra
  By robert - July 28 - 10:24 pm

  I sold my 2006 Hyundai Sonata to a friend and decided to give the Elantra a try. I purchased in mid June 09 and after 6 weeks and 1100 miles I thought it time to do a review. The car is very quiet and comparable to my 2006 Sonata in road noise. I average about 30 to 31 mpg with about 60/40 Highway to city driving ratio. The handling and responsiveness is very good and what I expected. The car is very fun to drive and while it does not have the 6 cylinder engine of the Sonata I am more than satisfied with the acceleration. I drive mostly in the Urban Dallas/Ft Worth area during nonrush hour times. I have not taken it on a road trip yet. It is early for my assessment, but I am satisfied

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  Retro 80s car , that rocks!! - 2008 Hyundai Accent
  By bill g. - July 28 - 5:09 pm

  I love this car! This car is small,nimble and gets super mileage[about 33-35 overall mpg!]. Also,regarding some retro 80s accommodations ,I love the small size and its manual windows and doors.This a taste of what pre-sedentary America was!!I luv it,simplistic and very practical!And something less you wont have to worry about failing you!

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  Great car for a great price - 2009 Hyundai Elantra
  By KUJayDoc - July 28 - 2:36 pm

  My wife and I test drove pretty much every competitive small sedan. We finally came between the Kia Forte EX and the Elantra SE and went with the car we could get at the lowest price. They are identical in all features, but the Hyundai has larger alloy wheels and thus has a smoother ride. We purchased a black pearl SE manual with bluetooth and paid $14,100 walk out (not including cash for clunkers). Couldnt get Kia to get anywhere close. The Elantra SE is a perfect fit for us and has every feature we wanted. Bluetooth, cruise, steering wheel audio controls, sporty exterior, etc. For the price, nothing can beat it. #1 small sedan according to Consumer Report new car guide and it shows.

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  nice cheap suv - 2007 Hyundai TUCSON
  By jay anderson - July 27 - 11:33 pm

  the size if this suv is perfect for a single person or family if you are not looking for a full size suv or minivan