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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  Hello high maintenence cost! - 2005 Hyundai Accent
  By dj - May 2 - 8:11 pm

  Well, ive had my 2005 accent for just over a year now, and put over 20,000 miles on it. My old Toyota finally took a dump, and I needed a car asap for my pizza delivery job. So I got suckered into this car because it was the only one I could get financed on. It didnt come with a owners manual. Ive had to take it in 3 times already, now they tell me I have to change the crappy timing belt every 6 months at $500 bucks a pop, how can I possibly afford this on a min. Wage job? classic buyers remorse!

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  Good Buy - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
  By Lorenzo - May 2 - 7:06 pm

  Purchased Jan 05. One of the best experiences from dealership. Logged considerable miles on vehicle now. Few complaints. Like the hatchback design, can move alot of odds and ends with little trouble. Getting ready to purchase a 09 model. Solid value. Thank you Hyundai for building a car people can believe in!

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  Just purchased! - 2013 Hyundai Genesis Coupe
  By garochristian - May 2 - 12:13 am

  I purchased my 2013 Hyundai Genesis coupe two days ago and I absolutely love it. Naturally, you hear that this is a great value, and it indeed is! Lots of power, decent fuel economy, purrs when you drive it, and it turns a lot of heads. Even the base model is more than adequate in terms of interior styling and standard features. I put 300 miles in these two days of owning this vehicle, and so far, I have yet to have any complaints or concerns. I love this car!

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  Car Has Earned High Ratings - 2008 Hyundai Sonata
  By No Longer Sceptical - May 1 - 6:23 pm

  Have learned to trust automobile ratings by Consumer Reports, especially when confirmed by owners evaluations at Edmunds. The Sonata has earned those high ratings. Solid performance, with surprising good acceleration, both around town and on the highway, for a four cylinder engine. Anti-lock breaks are firm and secure. Turning and cornering are comfortable. Seating has prominent lower back support. Two minor quibbles, each with solution. Passenger seat belt in retracted position bangs around against center post when windows rolled down. Lever on passenger seat can be used to clip seat belt away from post. Second, side of car easily gets muddy on wet streets, solved by mud flaps.

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  Nothing Wrong and a Lot right - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By MikeB - May 1 - 2:09 pm

  Its been 3 years and 28,000 miles and my wife drives this car every day to work and I drive it on weekends and we have taken it on several long trips (Nova Scotia, Florida). Bottom line: no squeaks, no rattles, no problems. Highway mileage about 28 (regular) and overall, mostly 8 mile trips for my wife to work, is 19 mpg. Lots of power (V-6), great brakes, generally very quiet except for suspension noise in the rear over big bumps and engine noise under full acceleration. So smooth you cant tell if the engine is running. Very comfortable (leather). Only 2 complaints: radio reception is not good, suspension slightly floaty at high speed (like a Camry, but a little better). Great value!

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  Gotta love this car - 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe
  By kandb - May 1 - 2:20 am

  Coming up on 4,000 miles and this car is too much fun! We stayed away from the manual after a test drive and went with the 3.8 auto GT. The track was more fun to drive but this is also our commuter so we compromised for a bit of comfort. No regrets, the auto trans is close, quick and smooth. The car is a definite head turner, its funny watching people coming closer to see what it is and then shaking their head in disbelief when they see HYUNDAI.

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  No complaints here - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
  By Satisfied - May 1 - 12:57 am

  I bought a brand new 2005 elantra in 2005 for 2 reasons: good price and good warranty. Since then i have put 123K miles on it, changed the oil every 10K or so, and bye and large have beat it up. It hasnt flinched. At about 120K the brake pads wore out so i replaced them and decided to change my belts at the same time. Other than that no other work has been needed. I have gotten more than i ever expected out of it. Throw in the fact the excellent gas mileage makes that IRS per mile deduction go real far, and Im a satisfied customer.

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  Surprising - 2007 Hyundai Veracruz
  By Adam - April 30 - 1:30 pm

  I was not even thinking of buying a Hyundai SUV but the sleek look of it caught my eye. I test drove it and was so pleasantly surprised by the ride and comfort. The price was reasonable and the warranty is exceptional. Hyundai sure has come a long way!

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  XG300L...Jurys still out by Kiki - 2001 Hyundai XG300
  By Kiki - April 30 - 12:53 pm

  Have had to return the Dealer numerous times. Not sure how much of the problem is Charlie Thomas or Hyundai. Took a year to get part of the exterior trim replaced. Still cant get them to fix my outside mirrors. The option to have them lower while in reverse does not always work. Sometimes they do not return to the programed position.

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  High Class For Less CASH - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By The Warden - April 30 - 11:03 am

  I’ve had my 2011 Sonata Limited w/Nav for about 2 weeks now and I absolutely love it. People often mistake it for a Buick, Lexus, BMW and Mercedes. There are currently 3 2011 Sonatas on my block. I traded my 05 Pontiac Gran Prix for the Sonata. Although I haven’t made any long trips I’m very impressed with the combo MPG thus far. I truly believe Sonata will be a force to reckon with for many years to come. As a matter of fact the Dealership where I purchased my Sonata had more people there shopping for cars than the local mall. Hyundai really hit this one out of the park, leaving me with 2 words about my 2011 Sonata experience, “SIMPLY OUTSTANDING”.