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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  Love this vehicle! - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Tim Cassidy - October 13 - 2:00 am

  Bought this car for my oldest sun to replace a 1999 Ford Escort. Wanted him to have something roomier and more substantial to take to college. As a freshman he couldnt bring it to school yet so weve been driving it. Everyone fights to drive this vehicle, even my wife who has a 2002 Chrysler Town & Country LXi. I would recommend this vehicle to anyone! Im thinking of buying a 2003 LX to replace my 1998 Volvo S70 T5.

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  Seven years and still strong - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By MICHAEL SLEVENS - October 12 - 1:24 am

  Bought this car in 2009 as a dealer demo with 5000 miles on it. Now 2/26/2016 has 55,000 miles and still drives and smells like a new car. Only problems I have had are the rear brakes, which I fixed myself with new calipers and rotors. Got tired of Hyundai denying the design defect and their refusal to fix under bumper to bumper coverage. The car is well designed, tight and as others have written the V-6 and transmission is fast. Pickup is faster than my 2006 Mustang GT. This is one the nicest cars I have ever owned and I have had Lincolns and Cadillacs. It isnt a plush ride but it is soft for a small car. Staying away from the Dealers and doing maintenance and repairs myself. Doing a brake job takes 30 minutes a wheel and changing the oil is just as fast. I just refuse to pay the Dealer $59 to have a $9 Cabin filter (another 15 min.) replaced. AUGUST 2016-UPDATE: Front speakers became intermittant. Always thought there were only two sound systems in the 2009 but found out I have a third..one with an external amplifier in the trunk passenger side wall.It is not an Infinity System. Repair price $275, replacement from Hyundai $550, bought a Rockford Fosgate 4 channel for $200 and cut the old one out . Didnt realize how bad the Hyundai System sounded . Everything working fine now. Car is still performing well although shift patterns sometimes get strange .

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  Much better than expected - 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By panophotog - October 10 - 2:53 pm

  Never thought Id buy a Hyundai (after many Toyotas, Hondas and recently Subarus), but the 2008 Santa Fe Ltd. had all the features, mpg, comfort and room I was looking for. Im getting 22 mpg average, and everything is rock solid after 3k miles. This car is *quiet* inside, and everything feels well thought out and well put together. The Ltd. has a great stereo, quality leather, all the options, and looks and feels like a Lexus EX. The CR-V and RAV4 are nice, but smaller and less comfortable - and they cut corners and it feels like it. The Santa Fe is less $, but nowhere does it feel cheap, and I continue to find things that make me say "hey, thats nice they thought of that."

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  Sonata Magic - 2003 Hyundai Sonata
  By C.J.Pampalone - October 8 - 10:00 am

  So far I have owned this car for one month and I truly enjoy the feel and excitment of driving this vehicle. I really enjoy the fact and comfort of having the 10 years or 100,000 mile warranty that comes with the Hyundai product.

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  Try it u will like it!! - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By nsvusa - October 8 - 10:00 am

  Great car for the money. Warranty and 0% for 5 years did the trick. I can drive it for 5 years and not have any repair bills. Detroit can not match it. Fun to drive.

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  Tremendous value, remarkable performance - 1999 Hyundai Elantra
  By DP - October 7 - 3:10 am

  Purchased new in May 1999. Have over 80000 miles on it. For less than $13k, this a very capable car for commuters and first-time drivers. Nicely designed. Very reliable, no major problems or repairs. Good convenience and safety features overall, but compared to later models some drivers will want more. This car DOES require scheduled maintenance, like tuneups, oil changes, fluids, etc., in order to operate efficiently. Gas mileage has steadily decreased since when new. Stock stereo has fair sound quality. Road noise is loud for passengers and driver alike. Engine noise is quite loud at more than 50% throttle. OK for long trips. Overall, this car has held up pretty well over the past 6 years

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  Looks sharp, performs well - 2001 Hyundai Elantra
  By john lees - October 5 - 2:20 pm

  The car is laied out well with simple yet ample controls. It is loaded with standard features and the extras are nice too. Has a lot of zip for a 4 and corners well too. Fuel economy was about 35 highway and 21 city. Doors sound solid when closed. Hatch is nice and roomy. Stereo good, but audiophile will want aftermarket sound.

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  Really a great car for the price - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By David - October 3 - 7:24 pm

  I rolled off the showroom floor with 4 miles and have had little to no problems. Initially, had some problems with the transmission mounts but Hyundai was quick to fix with no cost. Also some stereo issues. Keeps shorting out for some reason. As it gets older, the engine makes a little more noise. Exhaust sounds from the engine compartment is the most noticeable. Overall, Id buy another one in a heartbeat. What an awesome car with excellent features. IT ALWAYS STARTS!!!!!

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  good warranty doesnt mean its reliable - 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By drivergirl - October 2 - 10:00 am

  Have owned car 2 years and it has already been in the shop for major repair 2 times. Once I was stranded in a snowstorm when the alternator went out. The last shop trip was for a new transmission. Although the warranty covered everything, its a huge inconvenience to have a broken car. Why spend money on a new car that you cant depend on???

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  Neat cheap car - 2000 Hyundai Elantra
  By Hrlyridr - September 29 - 11:30 am

  Got this last year for commuting. Holds me and the kids just fine, 32mpg hwy, 27 around town. Its fun having a moonroof. Not much getup and go, but at my age, it gotup and went.....so this is a good cheap commuter car. Dont drive it like you stole it, it isnt a sports car.