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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  So thankful - 2008 Hyundai Sonata
  By uraveragemom - June 10 - 10:53 am

  To put it simply, this car saved my son and my life. We were hit oncoming on the passenger side. Had this car not have been made with such durable materials and just all around a well crafted car, I dont even want to think about what might had happen. We both came out unscathed. Before this had happened, I loved my car. It was the first one Id ever bought and I couldnt have been more happy with my purchase. It was roomy, the sound system was awesome. I bought it with 78,000 miles. Only replaced back brakes. The only thing I didnt like was the gas mileage but thats expected with a V6.

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  Great car!! - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By pnpain - June 9 - 11:09 am

  Weve had our car since (I think) Spring of 2004. It is a great little car! Nearly everything about it is excellent! Pick-up and go is good except for when the AC is on and you are trying to get onto the freeway. The seats are a bit uncomfortable for long trips (2+ hours) though. Our CD player/faceplate is glitchy after all these years. If you press a button (even the off button) too hard it shorts out the faceplate and when you let go it turns back on. Sometimes it simply wont work unless you remove the face plate and put it back on. Our car only has just less than 98,000 miles on it.

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  Great Valued Sedan - 2013 Hyundai Azera
  By driver335 - June 8 - 4:59 pm

  My wife and I just bought a 2013 Hyundai Azera after coming from a Nissan dealer, test driving their Maxima. We are old Nissan owners and have owned two Altimas, two Maximas, and two Infinity G35s. This new Azera reminds us of the Infinity G35 Sport Sedan we bought in 2004, except it has many more features. The Bluetooth and stereo are awesome. The interior room and the leather seating are great. We highly recommend this car to anyone who wants a great sedan at a great price that is comparable to a Lexus or BMW or Cadillac.

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  A great car - 2013 Hyundai Genesis
  By carfollower1 - June 1 - 11:11 pm

  Ive had a lot of comments and inquiries from people once they take a second look at this car.I have the Cabernet Red colour. This has to be Hyundais best kept secret.Lots of power and that 8 speed transmission shift smoothly. I traded in a CTS and people think I took a leap of faith going to a Hyundai Genesis....it was a good leap. Well styled...nice front end and good looking tail light system...no LED overkill.

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  Best Value - 2013 Hyundai Equus
  By bucfan09 - May 31 - 8:32 pm

  Had the car about 6 weeks and 1200 miles. By far the best luxury value on the market. No, It does not handle like a sports car...its a luxury car! I for one want it to ride like a luxury car. If I wanted a sports car, thats what I would have bought. So far we love it!

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  Wish I could buy another and save it for when this one is finished - 2011 Hyundai Elantra
  By jakenoname - May 31 - 6:53 am

  I am middle aged so I have owned multiple cars from compact to SUV and vans. This is my favorite car ever. At 50,000 miles I get 40 miles a gallon... 35 city. I drive a long way to work so this really helps.

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  Attractive compact car with many standard features - 2012 Hyundai Elantra
  By clark4756 - May 29 - 12:45 pm

  I purchase car to meet the varying needs of the family including easy to park, works for both short and taller drivers, good mileage and appealing looks. The vehicle has not been a disappointment and is feature rich and very functional. It has a larger trunk and the interior layout is well designed. Performance and power seem to be adequate. Since it is a smaller vehicle it does not have as comfortable ride as the suspension of a larger upscale vehicle especially on bumpier slower speed limit roads. The highway mileage has been around 39 mpg but the city mileage has been around 22 mpg and has been a a disappointment.

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  Beautiful R-spec 5.0 - 2013 Hyundai Genesis
  By rspec50 - May 28 - 7:29 pm

  Pearson Hyundai gave me an offer I could not resist. Traded in my 3 years old 4.6 for this black/beige 5.0 last week and took it out for a 600-mile round trip to AC, NJ. Overall, the trip was a bliss. Silky smooth, powerful acceleration and quiet cabin made me feel like on top of the world. If I tried to maintain 2000 RPM or above, as recommended for breaking in the new car, I would be over the allowed limits. The car behaved at 80 mph the same way as it was at 40 mph: solid steering, dampened ride, and reduced wind, road noise. Powerful engine and quiet cabin are the two most important things I was looking for in a car for my long trips. I got both in this beautiful R-spec 5.0.

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  Just an amazing car - 2013 Hyundai Elantra
  By lovethiscar - May 15 - 2:11 pm

  I traded in my 2007 Civic. The Elantra so much more car for the money as I test drove a new Civic as well.

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  I Cant Complain - 2012 Hyundai Elantra
  By lclark3 - May 14 - 3:53 pm

  I purchased the 2012 Elantra Feb. 2013 as a birthday gift to myself. I must say I have no complaints other than the car not coming with a spare tire (that is just lame and cheap), what am i supposed to do with a air pump?! And the steering quality on rough or damaged roads (cant have it all). Also I just received a recall notice because of the side airbags, but I am happy that the company was able to communicate this safety error.