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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  i like my car but.... - 2010 Hyundai Accent
  By chancey - March 9 - 9:43 pm

  the only complaint i have is a big one, i would say this car gets about twenty miles per gallon period....my ninety five escort got way better mileage

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  Best car owned - 2002 Hyundai Sonata
  By Marcus - March 9 - 3:46 pm

  I have over 140,000 miles on my car and so far Ive only replaced minor parts due to wear and tear. Its very reliable and easy to repair for the do-it-themselves type. Parts are cheap and durable. I expect to at least drive another 100,000 before considering another car.

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  Compared all..Genesis won hands down. - 2010 Hyundai Genesis
  By Michael L - March 8 - 12:36 pm

  The sleek design and high quality is what first caught my attention. I test drove the Lexus 350, BMW 5 series, and Mercedes E-class, as well as the Audi 6. All nice cars but the Genesis sedan seem to borrow the best from each in styling and performance, easily matching and often exceeding performance. Lexus products (owned a few), are getting stale in design with little change in years. Same goes for the other makers, although Mercedes has some beautiful models out there. Final decision on the Genesis came after test driving all of them. Its nice to know that I will no longer have to pay inflated maintenance costs that the other brands love to charge (something rarely spoke of here).

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  Super value in a nice package - 2009 Hyundai Genesis
  By almacjr - March 8 - 8:31 am

  I have driven this car on trips and primarily around town and on country road regularly. It handles with amazing tightness in cornering and traction. Very little if any loss of traction under full acceleration even in corners. The car came with Sport 5000 M tires and I notice that the trad wear is somewhat excessive as this tire carries a 60,000 mile warranty on tread wear. The car though a little heavy weight wise handles with the agility of a much smaller lighter car. I have owned 3 BMWs a 3 and two 5 series cars, two Infinity autos, one a 38 series and one a 45 series and numerous Cadillac autos this car is extremely well made, plus handles better than many cars not comparable !

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  Still a solid value...and fun too - 2010 Hyundai Accent
  By Gillette - March 7 - 2:59 pm

  I like this car for the solidness and handling, it feels like Im driving a higher priced car. It doesnt look or feel cheap in any way. Its pretty fun to drive around town, or out of town too, and the gas mileage gets better after break-in. I wanted a car with a long warranty, but also one that would rarely need to use it. So far, Im totally happy with my choice.

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  Great Car, Great Value - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By lwilder - March 6 - 11:31 pm

  I have own this car for a few months and have really fallen in love with it. The luxury and quality can not be beat for the price. It is very comfortable with plenty of leg room. This car is very responsive.

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  2006 Hyundi - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Helmut - March 5 - 7:21 pm

  Not at all happy with this car since I picked it up from the dealer. It had pulsating on the brakes and a vibration while driving. This was on city streets. Had to go back twice to have the rotors turned and wheels balanced. Vibration was never fixed to my satisfaction for a new car and was told that there is nothing wrong. Washer pump failed at 120K Strut mount bushings had to be changed at 130K Head lights need to be replaced at least once a year and engine light comes on with no fault and needs to be reset. The initial cost is attractive but the resale value is not there so as far as I am concerned the cost of ownership is high. I will not buy another Hyundi. I have owned two Sonatas.

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  love my elentra - 2009 Hyundai Elantra
  By marmar - March 4 - 11:00 pm

  I love my new elentra - i have about 1500 miles 0r 2 months - received an excellent deal - the end of the year savings - originally drove several minivans over the years - but now kids are grown - no more soccer mom - my husband is purchasing a 2010 sonata

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  Not so into this car - 2008 Hyundai Elantra
  By zygereyez - March 4 - 9:08 pm

  I have had this car for a year now. When I bought this car it had 50 miles on it. I dont really like it much though. To me its noisy when I drive. The alignment screwed up a few months after owning it. The dealership gave me crap when I took it in for the warranty to get my car fixed. My door handle on the outside of the car sticks and makes the door stay open. It sucks in the snow. The beak system sucks. I lightly touch them in the snow. I dont feel safe with the breaking system. It takes me 3 times to get it in reverse cuz it sticks. Theres a few more things wrong with it and it only has close to 28k miles on it.

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  Great car w/ good gas mileage! - 2004 Hyundai Accent
  By MikeB - March 4 - 12:02 pm

  I owned this car for a little over 2 years about 30,000 miles. I traded in a WRX for this so it was quite different but I needed a better price and gas mileage. It was comfortable got around 30mpg and never had any issues!