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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  One Single "Limited" Flaw - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By Peter - January 4 - 1:50 am

  Check me out on this: The single flaw is the chrome strip adjoining the drivers bottom exterior side window is not flush to the rear chrome strip. Strange as the passenger side is correct. The Dealership says...OH NO - ALL THE LIMITEDs are like that; and a fix may be a long time away! The other very small visual issue I have is the air controllers nonfunctional "mans- head". Could the design not have used a reclined human figure?

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  Little problems, Little car - 1995 Hyundai Accent
  By izzy85 - January 3 - 2:00 am

  This is my first car and it has proved to be a good one. I love how tight it takes corners and easily fits into cramped spaces. When I first purchased it it would run really slow and had a hard time going from first to second but I later found out I needed new spark plugs and a new starter (cheap!) So now with the regular maint. she runs great!

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  FUN TO DRIVE - 1999 Hyundai Accent
  By KDNGIRL - January 2 - 2:00 am

  Bought 1 year ago in the worst Alberta weather and it started no problem. It handles great on the snow and ice. A simple basic car for transportation. Good fuel economy. Very little engine noise for a car at this price.

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  Good alernative to Honda - 2001 Hyundai Sonata
  By sirjohn72 - December 30 - 2:00 am

  I was very sceptical at first when looking at Hyundai to purchase a family size car, we looked at Honda, Toyota & they were out of our price range. The Hyundai Sonata was definitely the right price, & the great warranty was a factor in deciding on the Hyundai. Ive owned this car almost 3 years & have not had a major mechical breakdown, with a few minor exceptions, the car is very reliable. The Sonata drives like a Camry & feels very comfortable driving, although its not a performance sedan, it could use a little more horsepower out of the 2.4 liter engine, but you could always opt for the V6. Overall I rate this car outstanding.

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  american is better - 1992 Hyundai Elantra
  By bubby1701 - December 27 - 2:00 am

  number one gripe. the paint job. all the clear coat and paint is coming off. OTHER GRIPES the knobs to all the heater and ac controls broke. the glove department door will not close. a seat belt buzzer keeps coming on and will not go back off. but there are alot of things i like about the car also. i love the style. it looks sharp, and sporty. real good pick-up,and easy access to all the controls up front.

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  HOT! - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Mathi - December 25 - 10:00 am

  I owned an 84 Camaro and as I was sitting in the shop, I saw a magazine and was reading it and they had an article about the new Tiburon and I saw it and decided that I had to get it. I went to the dealership didnt test drive it, didnt argue over the price and got it. Its been a lot of fun it. I just had a cold air intake and cat back exhaust added to it and this thing really picks up. I was able to beat a turboed Eclipse with it. By the way, I am 56" so I fit in it nice and snug. I had a friend drive it and he said it "drove like a dream." This car is purely amazing and a heck of a lot of fun to drive.

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  Not too bad! - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By MRiley - December 23 - 2:00 am

  This is not a bad car to own, however you should make sure you want to keep it for more than 2 years if you buy one. The resale value has not bounced back from early bad reviews, so if you finance, you may find yourself owing more than its worth if you try to sell too soon. On the up side, its comfortable, has a great sound system and looks nice on the outside. I like that an affordable car came with a power moonroof and CD player. The gas mileage could be better, but is within the acceptable range.

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  Good but could be better - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By rland - December 22 - 6:30 pm

  The Santa Fe sold me as soon as I drove it on the test drive. For the most part, I like it, although the cloth seats can become uncomfortable on long trips. Also a bit of an aggravating buzzing noise coming from somewhere around the drivers door. Some hesistation after putting it in park or neutral then putting it back into gear. I am disappointed in the gas milage. No where near what I was expecting. But other than that, it is a great vehicle.

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  Not bad at all! - 2002 Hyundai Accent
  By Mike Reis - December 22 - 2:00 am

  I took a chance on Hyundai, and so far it has paid off. I have had only minor problems here and there (much less than my Chevy Blazer, though), and the dealer has always taken care of me with same-day service. The car has decent pick-up, and the hatchback is very convenient for carrying large items (I have transported three large backpacks with ease). The only drawback was handling, particularly in bad weather, but new tires seem to have resolved that issue. I cant see how you could get a better deal on a new car at $10,000.

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  A Joy to Own - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By car buyer - December 21 - 7:46 am

  Well, I have owned my Sonata gls 4cyl auto with sports package for two months now. I had shopped cars in this class from all of the manufacturers. I can say I am very pleased with the car. I havent found a single defect that makes me want to return to the dealership for a fix. They did a fine job of manufacturing in Alabama. So far, the fuel economy has averaged city/hwy at 23 mpg--and there are a lot of hills around here. The 4cyl has demonstrated plenty of power when entering the beltway from a ramp or when climbing hills around town. Hyundai resale values will be climbing higher with this kind of craftmanship. A strong buy from me on a great car.