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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  Cheap and best car - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By Eshu - August 15 - 2:00 am

  I am very happy with Hyundais simplistic design with comforts that are small. Ex: See the side trays in which you can use it as cup holders. Better power in the compact range. Best warranty. Good Hyundai customer care, at least initially. They called and enquired about the car and its performance. Overall satisfied.

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  Great SUV except MPG - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By tgalinski - August 15 - 2:00 am

  Great for the money. Great in the snow. Sound system, heated seats, moon roof and added remote start with alarm are terriffic. Power seats would be helpful and/or ability to extend leg room of drvers seat. I m not that tall but uncomfortable on long distances. Gas milage sucks much less than advertized!

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  first time buyer for hyundai - 2001 Hyundai Elantra
  By junkyarddog - August 14 - 10:00 am

  this is an exceptional buy for what the vehicle has to offer for the money.

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  A surprise - 2007 Hyundai TUCSON
  By fathoms - August 13 - 11:56 pm

  With 25K miles and perfect reliability This vehicle runs just as smooth and quiet as when it was new. It was purchase as a local drive around vehicle but we were surprise at its manners on the highway. Quiet smooth comfortable ride and averages on trips about 25.5 MPG. We opt to use it for long trips.

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  2008 Hyundai Santa Fe GLS 2.7L 4A - 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By PJ - August 10 - 4:50 pm

  All in all a nice vehicle. The GLS is a smooth ride, and offers a fair amount of luxury at a competitive price. Its spacious cabin provides plenty of room and added compartments for the person looking for the mid-size utility vehicle. Add to that, an assortment of models and options available for those looking to customize their vehicle. Its a bit slow and sluggish on acceleration and could definitely stand to gain more horsepower. However, once up to speed it performs just fine. Id rate the car an 8 out of 10.

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  GREAT SPORT LOOKING CAR FOR THIS MONEY! - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By akagalovsky - August 10 - 12:10 am

  I bought 2003 2.7 V6 Automatic transmission Tiburon in 2005 for $14,000.00. There was only 13000 miles on it. Leather, sunroof, 171 hp, Michelin Tires, "dual" exaust, "premium" sound. And it was sporty RED :) The main reason i bought it because i wanted my car to attract attention and not pay too much money :) There was no single person who didnt ask me "What car is that?" One lady even asked me: "Is it Ferrari?" it was so funny. I have 88K on it and it still doesnt have major problems. Please dont expect Toyota or Honda quality though. I had about a dozen of small issues half of which was taken care of by the warranty.

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  Great Car - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By BillF - August 9 - 8:56 pm

  Since new, this has been a great car. It is quiet, powerful for a 2.7l engine and handles very well. We have had only one issue with the starter where the Bendix drive slipped. The starter turned but the engine didnt turn over. Roadside assistance was here within an hour, took it to the local dealer and claimed to find nothing. It has never done it again in over a year. Its the best 17K Ive spent on a car.

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  Sonata review - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By Billy Wehunt - August 8 - 1:36 am

  Suspension is a noisy especially when hitting bumps. Allow car to "bottom out" struts too easily. Other than too much noise from suspension and noise coming in from an uninsulated trunk mat, the car drives beautifully. Passenger area of car is noisy and difficult to use "bluetooth" with cell phone, end up having to hold cell phone, unsafe move!!! Gas mileage not as good as I thought it would be especially on the highway (for its size and make of engine - V6).

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  Great car great buy - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By deverell17 - August 4 - 10:00 am

  Ive had no problems at all with this vehicle - it has a stylish exterior design and a very smooth ride. Its fun to drive and there is room for that perfect 4 person family with plenty of room for cargo too. The side airbags and high safety rating are reasurring.

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  Best Bang for the buck!! - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By Christian - August 3 - 10:06 pm

  Love this Elantra, just got it with 55K miles on it, and it is so much better then my Saturn! Now at 58K, nothing has gone wrong. Hope to keep it that way. :-D Engine: very peppy and quiet. Transmission: 4 speed auto with O/D, very smooth shifting. Interior: power windows, locks, CD player with premium sound, OEM wood grain kit. (Can you believe it!!?) Seats are great! AC and heat work awesome. Exterior: 15" steelies with hubcaps (want to get OEM rims) tinted headlights, aftermarket daytime running light kit (dims highs @ 75% power), white paint, mud flaps all the way around.