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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  Looking good reliable Luxury Sedan - 2004 Hyundai XG350
  By JB Kang - January 5 - 10:00 am

  Quite engine Lots of toys = comfortable Best Warranty Plan

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  Sonata over Prius - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Doc5thMech - January 5 - 1:03 am

  The Hyundai dealer in my area is staffed by knowledgeable sales people. Customer service is friendly, prompt and consumer oriented, complete with a fleet of loaners. They separate issues from people and are thus able to give exemplary service while correcting problems. Ive not had a major problem yet (one week). I also test-drove the Prius, and it is NOT made for Chicago (the wind drives the car more than the steering wheel!)

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  Excellent vehicle - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By bri76 - January 4 - 9:46 pm

  This is an excellent car that rides beautifully and gets decent gas mileage (avg. 26mpg) on the highway. On the streets of NYC, the mileage plummets and is very poor. The on board computer lists the average mileage in the city as 12mpg. The car is comfortable and performs well. At the parking garage it has been mistaken for a Mercedes more than once.

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  We have three, yes three, Hyundais - 2008 Hyundai Sonata
  By miketoncola - January 4 - 6:35 pm

  We like Hyundai products so well we began buying one each year them in 2006, currently owning two Limited models Azeras we drive for total luxury and comfort and a third standard transmission Sonata I drive back in NY as my Summer toy, and we appreciate and enjoy each one!

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  Incredible Car - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By Jon Ferrian - January 4 - 5:33 pm

  I purchased this car almost two months ago and drive approx 500 miles a week between work and home. This car has two personalities, first it is an economy car that gets approx 35 MPG highway and 25 MPG city when you behave with it. On the other hand this is almost sports car like on the other side. I have the SE edition and noticed very quickly that this car does not have a speed governor on it and is capable of speeds in excess of 130 MPH! Excellent sound system. More room then the 2002 Taurus that I replaced. I can hardly go anywhere without people asking about the car and admiring it! I can hardly count how many times People have asked me if it is a LEXUS! FUN FUN FUN!

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  No belt Chain for timing - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Louis - January 4 - 4:32 pm

  We owned it since new 190000 still going of course you have to maintain where parts but if your looking for a used car I would recommend this year since it was built in USA plant I have the LX and Im handy when it comes to doing my own repairs .

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  good job, hyundai! - 2007 Hyundai Elantra
  By sammy - January 4 - 3:33 pm

  I just bought my quicksilver Elantra Limited with XM radio. What a nice little car to drive! Robust feel, comfortable and smooth driving, and its really queit on the road. Very impressive for small compact car! Interior fit and finish is on top level, and i love the blue interior lighting! good engine power with good mileage, this car is the winner! It even got a smooth leather seats! I also received $3000 off the MSRP with $1000 rebate, my Elantra LIMITED came out $16000 including tax, fees and everything! WHAT A VALUE! My brother owns 05 Corolla S, Elantra drives so much quiter and smoother than Corolla. this is far better car than corolla with thousands less!

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  From a Lexus to an Azera - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By Rob - January 3 - 11:39 pm

  I was very shocked when i got into the 2006 Limited SE Azera especially since I had a 1992 Lexus LS400. The amenities are great and the car handles fine. The gas mileage definitely needs improvement. I love all the bells and whistles, like when a large SUV gets behind me at night. The lights used to shine right in my eyes. Now I just hit the back reflector shade and the night time driving button on the rear view mirror. I drove up to NY from Fla in 19 hours averaged 68 mph and averaged 28 mpg. I recommend the car. Watch out for the maintenance prices to keep the warranty valid thought.

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  One quality vehicle - 2008 Hyundai Elantra
  By BigRed - January 3 - 3:23 pm

  I wanted an SE but Hyundai did not seem to have any. Went with the GLS and have not been disappointed. Have driven in the desperate rush hour traffic here in North Texas and was well pleased with the cars handling. On the road car did quite well, passing ok, wind noise ok, gas mileage both city and country very good. Quality of assembly, superb! Like the XM Radio.

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  If you want a Missile... - 2015 Hyundai Sonata
  By Shane - January 3 - 8:12 am

  What can I say about our Sonata? Rocket! Though this vehicle has less horsepower than its former rendition, and its Kia Optima counterpart, this vehicle is nonetheless stunning. The Hyundai Sonata has a more refined and mature look than the Optima. Though they are essentially the same car, the Optima uses a larger Turbo Charger, and consequently gets worse fuel mileage. But lets also be realistic in this department. When you are purchasing the vehicle with the "HOT" engine you are really not interested in fuel economy, youre interested in HORSEPOWER. Nevertheless, the Sonata 2.0L Turbo puts out a fairly respectful 245 Horses. With the electronic traction control, this powerplant slings this vehicle down the road pretty quick and will give you a fairly stout launch onto the highway. Using the paddle shifters will give you that much more control over getting this sedan launched to Mars. The power comes up very quick with the twin scroll turbo, there is almost no lag, as there is in the Optima. This aspect gives the Sonata a slight edge in getting to the power band quicker, but it is limited by the smaller turbo. That said, the average driver will never know the difference. What is more entertaining is picking on the Toyota Camry owners whom "think" their Camry Sport is a quick car. Nope, its not. I have smoked more Camrys and Accords than I care to mention here. I throw respect to the Optima owners. As for you Corolla S and Honda Civic Owners, YUMMY! The interior of this vehicle is very nicely laid-out and in my opinion, (and end reason for purchase), thought out better than the Kia Optima. This is not to say the Optima is any lesser of a vehicle, it simply did not appeal to what I was looking for, so please dont read too much into that aspect. This vehicle was designed and developed for sheer "Bang for the Buck", and regardless of the model you choose, you will find huge value in the options. The suspension in the Sport models has been tuned and firmed up from the other renditions of this same car. This vehicle is nearly silent at highway speeds, and rides so smooth, you really need to set the cruise control to avoid getting an invitation to Traffic School. So keeping your eye on the Speedo is a must. The turn radius for this vehicle is quite tight. I was expecting to have to do a stop and continue U-Turn in a couple of intersections near my home as they are fairly narrow. Nope, this vehicle handled them without an issue. This vehicle has been into Hyundai for the regular maintenance and for a factory recall on the Drivers Side Seat-Belt. Other than that one issue, there has been no mechanical issues with this vehicle. This vehicle has been wonderful, and we have no complaints with this car.