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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  Mikes review - 2006 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Mike Stewart - May 28 - 3:20 am

  I havent had the vehicle very long However I am very impressed with the quality and performance. Hyundai quality is now one of the best in there market.

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  Needed Good Gas Mileage, But Not Small - 2012 Hyundai Sonata
  By joval - May 27 - 3:33 am

  We live in the Fla. country, almost an hour to go to a city, and take a 340 mile trip every month. We needed good gas mileage but needed a car that was roomy inside, had folding 60/40 back seats to a large trunk . We also wanted to spend the least amount of money and still have a reliable car. The Sonata won out on all counts. Roomy car inside, especially with the camel interior to brighten it up, is quiet, handles very well, and has good acceleration to pass on two-lane highways. We now have 1021 miles on it. At steady flat 60 mph we got 42.2 mpg avg, at 75 mph, 35.5 mpg avg, and at 55, 44.5 mpg avg. Measured highway and city 1st tank avg. 28.28 mpg, second tank avg. 28.69. Overall pleased.

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  Very excited !! - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By JoanneF - May 26 - 10:00 am

  Just got my Santa Fe 2 weeks ago, and I love it! I traded a 2001 Ford Explorer XLT 4WD. (Wasnt happy with odd noises the dealer could never duplicate,and wisps of smoke coming from steering column). Love the way this feels,tight and sporty.Love the way it looks.So far gas mileage is better than my 2.4 l 6 cyl Ford.Really excited about my purchase.Love the warranty (hope I dont need it!)Dealer was great,& w/ Edmunds research I feel I got a great deal.

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  Great Crossover SUV for the price - 2016 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Tim S - May 26 - 9:04 am

  The 2016 Hyundai Tucson is a great overall crossover SUV! I am driving the ECO/AWD/Turbo model for almost a year. The only complaints we have about the Tucson is the feel of the transmission during quick take offs and the headrest.

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  Warranty issues - 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By H Leal - May 25 - 10:03 am

  Nothing but warranty problems. The 1st was rust spots all over. It took over 6 months and 2 dealerships, warranty dept, regional DPSM, BBB. Now body side moulding fell off, they said not covered because it is 3/36000, but its 5/60000. Conference calls with dealer, warranty dept and DPSM still nothing done. Service and warranty mean nothing. I bought because of warranty and it is all a lie. Never buy another again.

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  Six Month Review: Overall Not Bad At All - 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By bobbichen - May 25 - 5:51 am

  I purchased this as a preowned unit with about 22k on it, last June. Initially, I had transmission issues like most spoke of. I was advised that the upgraded fluid had been installed at build. I had to go through several rounds of software "flash" upgrades before the harsh shifting calmed down. It still is there a bit in 2nd and 3rd, but is much better. Overall, this is a terrible vehicle to buy new but for late model used, purchased at wholesale, it is actually quite good. If the tranny fails I have a five year warranty and I drive about 7.5k a year so Im not worried about miles. Interior is quite good, stereo very decent, and leather seats are comfy. Gas milege mediocre.

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  FUN RIDE - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By Marcus - May 25 - 4:16 am

  This car continues to exceed my expectations while driving it over 14,000 miles and having and driven many cars (Saabs, Honda, Benz E300 and BMW 530i) in US and Europe. Quick when accelerating in semiauto mode and tracktion control off. On the twisties and highway the SE drives close to recent BMW 530i without sport suspension. Its similar in size to its Japanese competitors but ouclasses them in performance and value even though has a small V6 3.3L engine. Ive opened her up to about 135MPH and though less stable than 9-3 Saab and overpriced German cars (mostly air dynamic issue), performs very solid and better than V6 Accord. Nice car!

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  Great drive for a great price!!!!!! - 2017 Hyundai Sonata
  By Edwin E. Salas - May 25 - 1:46 am

  Know that if you are on budget and want the best bang for your buck. This car is worth taking a good look at. Great ride and preforms very well and a phenomenal warranty!

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  4 weeks, perfect score, some dislikes - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By ynottonyhart - May 24 - 5:26 pm

  just returned from trip from fl to ny with stops in ga, oh, pa, dc, va, sc. now have 3800 miles w/avg gas mileage overall of 24.2 mpg. gets 27.4-28.2 hwy @75mph. have golden beige with beige interior. carpets are too light and show dirt too easily. need more power outlets (gps, sat radio, phone chargers, etc.) headlights not adjusted (?) high enough or poor choice of bulbs. love the ride. love the look. love the quality. very, very quick car - beware - itll get ya a ticket right quick. i use cruise control as much as possible. cruise control is not as responsive as my 04 santa fe i traded in. overall, its a great car and with the warranty, i see no competition out there at any $

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  improved over my 2003 - 2006 Hyundai Elantra
  By rodger chinery - May 24 - 9:26 am

  after my 2003 was wrecked - the drivers compartment was totally intact i wanted another one I was so pleased with my first. allthe little minor amnnoyances of my earlier car were fixed on the 2006> its a dream car for a comute and my mileage is now 27 it used to be 24 on the 03.