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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  Elantra - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
  By CASEY - April 6 - 11:42 am

  Handles better than our Honda Civic, very quiet for that price range. Have had zero problems so far.

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  Day 1 - 2011 Hyundai Elantra Touring
  By abe1215 - April 6 - 7:44 am

  This is NOT a review, but rather first impressions after purchasing. Ill skip the technicalities, as I dont have enough statistics to give a solid evaluation yet. The car looks and feels like an ideal match for intended audience - small family of 2-4. Not small, not too big either. Very nice set of essentials for driving, safety and comfort. Car feels very well planted on a road. Nice torque and acceleration. Pretty smooth 4-speed automatics. Excellent visibility. The interior is comfortable, easily fits 6"+ drivers. Cargo space is great, esp. with folded rear seats. Very little of fake metal insets that look so nasty Elantra Sedan 11. The beginning is very positive. To be continued

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  Winter Update -- WOW Continues - 2008 Hyundai Veracruz
  By Augie - April 6 - 12:00 am

  So, I reported in Nov-08 that I loved my Veracruz...well, that was before driving it in one of the worst snow storms weve had here in Seattle. This car is amazing in the snow! Mine is only a regular front wheel drive but the electronic stability control and traction control, along with the all weather 18" tires and shiftronic option allowed me to get around in 12" of snow while others were stuck. I was extremely pleased with the way this car managed very icy slick roads. I continue to love it!

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  Head Turner - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By barreto - April 3 - 10:00 am

  Ive recently purchased a Tiburon. It doesnt look like anything on the streets (except for a Ferrari). Everyone has always something to say about the car. I really enjoy driving this car. For the price and warranty you cant go wrong.

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  Great so far... - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Tugger5000 - April 3 - 10:00 am

  Love the car... The only thing we dont like is when traveling south on a sunny day, you get a glare from the chrome around the shift selector.

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  Love my Santa Fe! - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By AzRich - April 3 - 10:00 am

  Im so glad I got the 3.5 L engine - it can really move out into traffic. It has a lot of power. Im very pleased with how quiet and comfortable it is even on bumpy roads. Large back seat too.

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  great car for anyone!!!! - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By billyw715 - April 3 - 10:00 am

  Very nice, smooth, responsive ride. Great suspension. Great punch for a 4 cyl. Looks sharp, inside and out.

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  SATISFY - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By DON - April 3 - 10:00 am

  WHEN I STARTED LOOKING FOR A CAR. THE ELANTRA WAS IT. IT HAS EVERYTHING YOU WANT IN A CAR. PRICE,SAFTEY,RIDE AND THE STYLE.

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  Fun, inexpensice & zippy - 2006 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Heather Raven - April 3 - 8:50 am

  This car was a LOT less expensive than I imagined. I looked at Eclipse and Mazda 3,6,RX8 and I think the Tiburon looks better than any of them. The car takes corners so nicely you almost dont feel them. The 4 cyl does not accelerate as fast as my last car (A Prism- can you believe it!?) which was disappointing. Also in 5th gear the car runs high rpms.... feels like the car needs a 6th gear. This makes highway driving a little noisier than I expected. Good stereo system helps to make up for this. If youre looking for style and a smooth drive for less $, this is an excellent car for you.

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  A Car You Grow to Love - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By Guyton - April 3 - 6:13 am

  I was not all that excited to be trading in my two seater sports car for the Elantra. However, I was growing out of the racer boy image and I needed something practical and good on gas. Now, I cant figure out why I had been driving anything else. This car is great. It excels at the things a "daily driver" should excel at and it still surprises me with thoughtful features designed into the vehicle that I had not known about. Can you believe it can tow over 3000lbs! I just found that out today and my jaw dropped. Awesome car.