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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  Look Out Toyota, Honda and Mazda - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Maurice - May 11 - 3:46 am

  I bought my 2006 Hyundai Sonata GLS June 16 and put it to the test. My car passed with flying colors on a 750-mile RT to NH. Trip average mpg was 31.5 - speeds to NH often topped 75 mph and the trip up was 30.5 mpg - southbound was 32.5 mpg. The 4-speed AT performed flawlessly and the Shiftronic clutchless manual is a breeze - downshifting automatically while upshifting is yours. Cabin soundproofing is excellent and the double-wishbone front suspension firm with a good ride even over the pothole-filled ramps to the GW Bridge. The 4-cyl,162hp engine has lots of zip, even up the long, I84 grades north of Hartford. RPM is 2.4k at 70 mph. Hyundai hit a homer with this car!

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  Ecstatic about Elantra GT Hatchback - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By fourbreads - May 11 - 2:00 am

  I just picked up my new 2004 Hyundai Elantra GT Hatchback, automatic, ABS, Moonroof, Tidal Wave color. Could not be happier with this choice. Had to wait about 3 months for this particular color/option combination to come in but it was worth the wait. This is one fun car to drive & the amenities are unbeleivable for a $17,000 car. Get this car now since the rebate went up to $1250.

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  NOT BAD, NEEDS BETTER SOUND - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By CPABILL - May 11 - 2:00 am

  I purchased this vehicle as a second vehicle, my other car is a convertible, not much room. I like just about everything about it, but, and there is alway a but, the reason the gas milage is so low is the beafy 3.5ltr engine, does not put out HP, it is torky. compare other 3.5ltr engines and they are putting out 225 to 280hp, this engine is putting out only 195hp. The sound system is week, it is supposed to have a seperatly powered subwoofer in each door, that means you should be able to feel the music, even at low volume, not true with this one.

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  go for it, wont regret... - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Steven Lee - May 10 - 10:00 am

  you get more for money. nice ride and safe

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  If theyd just fix it - 2002 Hyundai XG350
  By jackehrlich - May 10 - 10:00 am

  Its a great car, but I have had a lot of problems with the transmission and the way it shifts. The problem is intermitent. They reprogrammed it, which helps a little, but still problems. The service advisor, Ron Johnson, told me I should use Amoco gold gas, but so far that has done nothing. I could love this car, if theyd fix it!!!!

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  disappointed - 2001 Hyundai Elantra
  By jsadams - May 10 - 10:00 am

  Ive had my Elantra for 12 months. It has been in the shop 5 times,IÂ’ve been told it is not fixable. This car was a big mistake. Engine problems, clutch and many more problems. Another problem with the car is I have filed the Lemon Law and after months of calls, Hyundai has agreed to repurchase the vehicle, but that comes with a stiff penalty, the user fee was more than expected.

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  Great Car - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By TibGT - May 10 - 10:00 am

  This car is a great value for under 20k I got a fully loaded automatic, this is a sweet ride that comes with 10 year warranty. What can I say, I love it!

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  Great car for the money! - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By the1cooljay - May 10 - 10:00 am

  Ive only put 500 miles on this car so far, but I am already impressed with this Hyundai product. Nice power and zippy performance with the manual version I have. I got this car with a $2000 off sale at my dealer, so paid only $11,500 brand new! Very good deal.

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  Great car WHEN IT RUNS - 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By sleepydiva - May 10 - 7:29 am

  Brand New and runs with the reliability of a 1989. I have had at least 6 instances in which my new Santa Fe would not start. If it did it would stall immediately. (Its an automatic). In the last case it had to be towed and I am currently driving a rental (again). Clearly at this point... NOT RELIABLE.

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  Left Toyota for the Sonata - 2010 Hyundai Sonata
  By Lennie - May 10 - 7:00 am

  I went to the Toyota dealership with every intention of buying a Camry, having had one for 10 years. I had already checked out the Sonata previously. After test driving the Camry, I came away convinced the Sonata was the way to go. Everything from the size of the trunk, the cloth on the seats, the style of the dash and the room in the back seat were superior on the Sonata. So I left a very good deal on the Camry and bought the Sonata and havnt regretted it yet. Took a 500 mile round trip already and got 32+ mpg. Ease of use of the controls and their placement a big plus. Car is tight and fun to drive. Great acceleration from the 4- cyl engine. I was hesitant to go Hyundai, dont be.