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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  5 MONTHS 7000 MILES REALITY CHECK - 2008 Hyundai Elantra
  By avtbud - December 15 - 9:11 am

  This is a follow-up of my 1st review. I still love my Elantra and still think it is unbeatable for the $$. Those of you who complain about it should definitely consider spending more money and buy in another segment...Since I put brand new winter tires on, I dont get more than 27 MPG. Got free XM for 3 months then 4.99 $/month special told them would cancel after and got another 3 months at 4.99/month...Bought the trunk tray and find it essential. Just experienced the ESC taking over on icy road and it did a TERRIFIC job!

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  A Jewel to Own - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Cliff - December 15 - 12:30 am

  Love to look at Santa Fe from any angle. Every bit as nice as any SUV in its size and I feel like Im in a Lexus or a BMW with really no trade-off. Two years, 41k and still seems like new. Competent handling vehicle all-around. Excellent utility, visibility, pleasure to drive, haul stuff, and to carry 4-5 passengers. I regularly have 4 adults and 4 sets of golf clubs. Paint shine great. Blue lighting on the dash being so nice. People are impressed by this car. Friend with an 07 Jeep Cherokee which was double the price, he comments that his car has virtually no advantage over mine. He has rarely ever engaged his 4 wheel drive. He gets 15mpg, I average 22 around town and 26 hwy.

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  what a nice surprise - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By tom - December 14 - 11:56 pm

  I test drove the 2007 Toyota RAV4, Subaru RX-7, Subaru Tribeca and Mercury Mariner and was totally surprised that this vehicle was the nicest "cabin experience". I swore I would never buy a Hyundai but discovered the Santa Fe had the most value/price. It was similar to the Tribeca but $5000. less. The build quality is excellent and the warranty is outstanding. Have driven 1700 mi. so far and averaged 20.6 MPG (and regular gas is a plus---the Subarus required premium). Overall, this has been a delightful vehicle!

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  What a deal- Great car at a great price! - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Lilli - December 14 - 10:30 pm

  I started out wanting to buy a Toyota Highlander. Did a LOT of research & everything that came standard on my Hyundai Santa Fe were upgrades on the Highlander and would have cost me $5000 more. I am extremely satisfied with my Santa Fe & highly recommend it to anyone looking for this type of SUV. Even my car snob brother-in-law who works for Honda USA is impressed with the style and quality of the Santa Fe. Its very affordable, drives great and looks great. I get 18 mpg in town, wish that was more but not too bad. Buy one, you wont regret it.

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  A LOT OF BANG FOR THE BUCK - 2013 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By busdepot - December 14 - 6:18 pm

  I bought a fully loaded Santa Fe Sport a few months ago and I am very pleased with my purchase.Not only does this vehicle have a very comfortable and quiet ride but it is also a lot of fun to drive,especially with the 2.0 turbo engine, it feels as quick as any 6 cylinder but with better mpg.Some owners have complained about the steering in the new Sport,I will say that it does have a different feel to it but nothing that you cant get use to after being behind the wheel for a short time,Hyundai like other car makers is now putting electric power steering in its vehicles so you will read this in other car reviews as well,but I will say that it can turn on a dime,and great for making U-turns.

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  I Really Like My Car - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By ticotexas - December 14 - 3:36 pm

  This car has been great. I bought it because it was such a good value. It has not disappointed in that regard. I am getting between 23-24 mpg around town. It has a lot of power--only 10 hp less than my last car, which was supercharged.

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  2009 Santa Fe Limited AWD - 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By MassHyundaiBuyer - December 13 - 11:33 am

  Did a lot of research on-line through CR and Edmunds. We have three kids and wanted something sporty with a third row seat. We also did not want a mega SUV with poor gas mileage. In doing the research, the choice was obvious. The Santa Fe has excellent ratings and the price is thousands less than comparable vehicles. We now had the car for one week and we love it. The third row has plenty of room and can split, to maintain storage. The engine is quiet and the ride is smooth. The car has a nice high view of the road. We use to have a station wagon, and we thought we might be losing some cargo space. This was not the case. There is plenty of cargo space and the car is not overly long.

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  Very happy with this purchase - 2014 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By jmbcke - December 13 - 11:15 am

  I did so much research before finally making a decision on an SUV. I am so excited and pleased with the Santa Fe! I purchased a GLS with the Premium and Tech packages, and I could not be happier. The build quality, look and feel, and handling are such a huge leap over my 2011 Highlander Limited. I could not be happier.

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  Good mileage so far! - 2011 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Sandra - December 13 - 10:00 am

  I like my Hyundai, just got it 3 weeks ago, it looks great for me, sport style. I got 35 mpg driving in the interstate the first day I bought it. So far the best gas mileage combined city and highway is 27 mpg, not bad for a SUV. My dealership offered me the special paint that will protect the car paint for ever, "unlimited warranty", I hope it works well, and I got the undercoating option too, "unlimited warranty" as well.

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  First Impressions - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By AHK - December 13 - 10:00 am

  Ive had the car for just a few weeks; less than 1,000 miles so far. Car has a very solid feel; handles better than my 07 Jetta Wolfsburg; good power. Am waiting for fuel economy to improve as I got just 20 mpg on first tank & 29 mpg on 2nd tank (mostly hwy driving).