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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  Excellent - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Dan - December 27 - 5:03 pm

  We bought two brand new 06 Sonatas, one is Black (for me) the other is a "silver/gold" *depends on the lighting* (for the wife). They are both sharp looking and drive excellent. The seats almost feel like bucket seats, but you can move more freely. Also the shiftronic is awesome, with standard automatic transmissions you cant downshift to pickup speed when you are going up hill or need to pass somebody. Since we bought two we needed to save as much as possible and got the GL, it isn ot as nice looking on the inside as the GLS, but its still very classy. The trunk is huge, even bigger than my wifes old Accord. I love the keyless entry, when you unlock the doors the inside lights come on.

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  In the snow - 2007 Hyundai Azera
  By WVlover - December 27 - 1:25 pm

  We were recently caught in a bad snow storm in MD and WVa. The Azera outperformed all the other cars on the road. It went right through those huge snow drifts, did not fishtail on slippery roads, and all in all was safe and sound. I love this car and think it is underrated.

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  Very very pleased - 2007 Hyundai Elantra
  By JeffM - December 27 - 12:30 pm

  I am very pleased with the car. Very quiet on the road, good but not great acceleration, handles very nimbly, will hold 90 mph with seemingly no effort or noise.

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  Swimming with sharks - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Codascoram - December 27 - 10:00 am

  I compared this car to the Acura RSX, the Chevy Camaro, Toyota Solara, and Honda Accord Coupe. The shark has better handling than any of the above. Better 0-60, 20-60, and 0-40 times than all but the Camaro. The ride is rough, and the interior is a joke. The dash is obnoxious, and the stereo system is average. This car is the prettiest of the bunch, but looks arent everything. Its real hard to see out of the right side window when making turns. The mirror acts like a wall. The headlamps restrict night vision. Finally, it has NO crash test ratings. The NHSTA hasnt tested it. So technically, you could be purchasing a 20,000 coffin. Its a risk.

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  RSX owner - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By RSX owner - December 27 - 10:00 am

  Test drove it. No, its not as great as the RSX, but for 18,000, its better priced than the celica, and the eclipse. Put some extra money for aftermarket goods, and you may have a better car than the RSX, celica, and eclipse... for cheaper! If they come out with a sick body kit, I just might trade cars.

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  Surprised - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By TISH - December 27 - 10:00 am

  I just love driving this car! 9000 miles in 4 mo. The 5 speed has quick pick-up and we just purchased a 2nd Hyundai yesterday! Wish I had this kind of quick set-up when I drove in road rallyes!

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  02 Elantra makes the grade - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By nick - December 27 - 10:00 am

  I had a wonderful buying experience at Mirak, the only dealership in the area that took me seriously and would negotiate on the price. The cars engine sounds better and better as the miles add up. The headlines rattles slightly but other than that there are no problems with my new car. Power is acceptable and one can easily push the engine towards the red line to get that added boost if needed.

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  02 Elantra makes the grade - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By Nick - December 27 - 10:00 am

  I had a wonderful buying experience at Mirak, the only dealership in the area that took me seriously and would negotiate on the price. The cars engine sounds better and better as the miles add up. The headlines rattles slightly but other than that there are no problems with my new car. Power is acceptable and one can easily push the engine towards the red line to get that added boost if needed.

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  very happy - 2002 Hyundai Sonata
  By carhappy - December 27 - 10:00 am

  i recently purchased my sonata, i love the car. i have owned a for taurus and liked the car but it was to long. this car is a great size nice interior looks very classy. you get a lot for your money.

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  Lost its luster... - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By Pittsburgher - December 27 - 7:59 am

  I purchased this vehicle as a certified Pre-Owned product, and at first was VERY impressed with the comfort, power, and style of the car. One test drive and I was sold! The 2.0L turbo engine delivered oodles of acceleration, and would breathlessly accelerate to pass slow moving traffic. As time went on over the next 2 years of ownership, I still admired the style and power, but many small things started to bother me. The Latex-type paint on the steering wheel started to peel, the fabric on the seats started to bubble up and became loose, the A/C began ticking at low fan speeds, the shift paddles failed (and were replaced under warranty), the transmission began to shift roughly and was brought to the attention of my dealership 2 times. On both occasions, it was found to be "Operating as designed" even though it shuttered leaving their parking lot. The keyless entry was a nice touch, but the batteries in the fobs died early and often. Sometimes it would be very difficult to get the car to shift from P to D, and it would lurch forward quickly once you let off the brake. The gorgeous coupe-like styling was such a headache. I could never see around the blind-spots in front and back. Also, the car NEVER came close to EPA estimates for MPG. I averaged between 17-19 MPG on my daily commute - Pathetic for a car supposed to get 23 in the city and 25 combined. Add in 5 safety recalls over 2 years, and the decision to trade it away was simple.