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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  Very Dissapointed! - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By scottg - July 15 - 3:16 am

  My 2011 Sonata is not even a remote competitor of Honda, Toyota, or Ford. I received my car with a defective door latch and terrible rattles in this door dashboard and console. The drivers side door pillar has a scratch. Several weeks later, my front drivers seat started to fray at the seams. The vanity mirror does not open, and rattles have reappeared. I sat in the back seat for the first time and folded down the rear seat center console only to find a deep 5 inch scratch across the cup holder! Hyundai needs to slow down and identify how these quality control lapses occurred – as this is NOT quality. It would be nice to try restoring my faith in your product- which is rapidly dwindling

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  Why the major depreciation - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By playadave - July 14 - 11:20 am

  I am extremely happy with my 06 LX Sonata except the depreciation. List on this was $23995 and now trade-in is $14900. WOW! I paid $19K but still a 21.5% in the first year. Never-the- less, plan on keeping. Ride is a little rough, performance is great, reliability is great, interior design well that has been beaten around the bush.

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  hyundai xg350l - 2003 Hyundai XG350
  By JIMC - July 14 - 10:00 am

  Very sound vehichle, good styling,good performance and handeling for every day driving. Very comfortable, quit ride.A long list of standard features normally not found on a vehicle of this price. The engine vibration could use some refinment, as well as the front suspension. Very pleased with the vehicle when considering value for the price.

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  the Accord of the new Millenium - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By dp10 - July 14 - 10:00 am

  My family bought this car this year upon my suggestion. Price, warranty, quality of the car and standard features combined to make a very compelling argument for the Sonata over the Camry, Accord, and others. JD Power rates it best in their IQS study. The Sonata is the best value in its class!

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  Sante Fe - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Sharon46 - July 14 - 10:00 am

  I owned a 2001 Santa Fe and I made the mistake of trading it in. It was awesome in the snow and it had power. The ride was smooth and it was a reliable SUV. I recently bought a 2004 Santa Fe and am so glad that I was able too. Ill never trade this in unless it is for another Santa Fe

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  XG350Lemon - 2002 Hyundai XG350
  By XG350Lemon Driver - July 11 - 10:00 am

  I really want to like this car...unfortunately, its not mutual. Since Mar-02, this car has been in the service dept. for 39 days (excluding Sundays) with electrical problems. While this is a clear Lemon Law case, Hyundai is fighting me.

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  do check out this car! - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By Ingrid - July 11 - 10:00 am

  I researched new cars for over six months and just couldnt help feeling ripped off by all other makes after taking a closer look at Hyundai. All the features I wanted, for $3000 less than a Civic EX! (And a 10-year warranty to calm my fears about reliability...) What about resale value? What Ill get less for it in a few years is in my bank account now--collecting interest. Love the responsive ride, ergonomics, large load capacity, Euro styling. Nothing rattles, automatic transmission shifts as smooth as butter.

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  Wow...and I only paid $14,366.00!! - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By Timbo - July 11 - 10:00 am

  What can I say about this car only that Hyundai must be losing money on this one. I think they are trying hard for market share. Man...I love this car....Black and fine. In a few years I will put 16s on it and mabye lower it about 1 1/2 inches. If this thing had a turbo...Im telling you there would be no need to even test drive anything within 10K of its price.

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  Just bought it. - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By MarkV - July 11 - 8:40 am

  Runs great, sounds and feels great. Few points deducted on interior of the LX for little things like the incomplete audio controls on the steering wheel (seek/skip), and the placement of the audio equipment, which is a good reach from the drivers seat. The interior is spectacular for the price but isnt luxurious as its more expensive competitors (accord, g6). Handling is excellent. Power and response is again, great for the price. Not a G6, but pretty close. Equal to the Mazda 6. And although it doesnt "feel" like it has the power of the malibus 3.5 it responds quicker. The "manual" feature is fun. Gas mileage isnt great in the class. Overall: Good car, but a great value.

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  Good Value. Needs some tweaks. - 2010 Hyundai Veracruz
  By sagarian9 - July 11 - 7:26 am

  Good build quality. Not bad looking. Nice interior space. Great third row seat - adult size. Fuel economy OK - just as advertised. Seats are a little too firm. Blue digital display not easy to view. Smooth ride. Shifts too early in first, so no acceleration off the mark without flooring it. Tailgate release on key fob almost useless.