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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  After my first 3400 miles..... - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By gerry - January 14 - 10:00 am

  After my test drive, all I could say was: do I want the red one or the black one? One word sums it up: FUN! This car is the most fun to drive of any Ive owned in the last 20+ years. Extremely comfortable to drive, east to maneuver, goes as fast as it looks, gets lots of attention. Only bad part: all the buzzymobiles think you want to race.

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  The best low cost vehical in the world - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By Leon FB - January 14 - 10:00 am

  It has all the amenities I really want and then some. This car is built for comfort and long term ownership. I purchased this vehical with 10Yr 100,000 mile bumper to bumper, no deductible, warranty and .9% financing (almost as good as zero) for $280 a month for 3 Yrs. That is just incredible. Do yourself a favor and look at this vehical.

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  Glad I did it - 2002 Hyundai Sonata
  By sonataman - January 14 - 10:00 am

  My last vehicle was a Toyota Camry. I was a little skeptical of "buying down" to a less expensive car like the Sonata, but am more than pleased I did. It is a slick looking car, and has plenty of room, power, and comfort - great value for my dollars. The only minor annoyance so far has been the "check engine" light coming on because I did not tighten the gas cap on a recent fill up. If the car performs in the long run like it has so far, I will not hesitate to buy another one.

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  2015 Sonata - 2015 Hyundai Sonata
  By John S - January 14 - 9:47 am

  I continue to be impressed with the purchase of a 2015 Sonata. I keep asking family if they like the car as much as I do. Its an incredible value.

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  09 Azera Limited - 2009 Hyundai Azera
  By joew6969 - January 14 - 4:37 am

  My 09 Azera Limited offers alot of bang for the buck. I have owned 6 Hyundais previously, including a 99 Elantra, 03 Sonata, 04 XG350L, 05 XG350L, 08 Sonata GLS and an 08 Sonata SE V-6. The Azera is second best only to the Genesis. I love the features that the Limited offers including the 12 speaker Infinity sound system, smooth 3.8L V-6, roomy interior, smooth ride and great handling in the snow and on the ice. This vehicle has LESS wind and road noise than an Infiniti M45x.

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  Hyundai still surprises me - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By snowman_201 - January 13 - 8:43 pm

  I have owned 2 Hyundais so far. I keep waiting for something bad to happen to them like everyone wants. All I know is this, I buy them because of their ausume warranties and never have to take them in... Its crazy, Ive owned Lincolns, Cadillacs, even a 328 BMW. The only vechicle that can compare to the quality of my Hyundai are my Toyotas. Reliability the same, great, but Toyota quality still tops the list with Lexus. But, my Tundra 4 door 4x4 cost almost twice what my wifes Santa Fe cost.... You do the math.....

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  tucson 06 - 2006 Hyundai TUCSON
  By bjw tucson - January 13 - 1:40 am

  I did extensive research before I bought the tucson and I felt that the tucson gave me all the options I wanted and still was at the price I wanted, $1000s less than honda and toyota, I am real happy with my decsion to buy a tucson. Just completed a round trip of 850 miles and no problems a of any kind, averaged 22 miles per gallon, even though sticker says 26 for the highway but the mpg will slowly improve as the car ages. I would definately recommend this vehicle for anyone that is searching for a small but spacious suv for the family.

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  10K Update - 2008 Hyundai Elantra
  By hutch7 - January 12 - 5:19 pm

  After 10K miles I am really trying to like this car but my first years ownership experience has been mediocre. One recall (fuel pump), two check engine lights (loose hoses), RR window track fell off and had to be repaired, Upholstery seems to be wearing poorly and its light color shows dirt, dealership botched the first oil change (admittedly not Hyundais fault) forgetting to replace the crush washer resulting in 3 qts of oil on my garage floor, interior door panels are cheap hard plastic and tend to scratch easily as well as rattle quite a bit. Otherwise car handles well is very ergonomic. My biggest disappointment are the latest iihs side impact test results...POOR/MARGINAL! Bummer...

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  Love This Car! - 2009 Hyundai Elantra Touring
  By psimm215 - January 12 - 11:26 am

  I bought this car (my second Hyundai) a couple of weeks ago and I love it. I picked the car up on my way out of town for a weekend road trip (500 miles round trip). My destination was in the Tenn mountains, on the way back I got a surprising 38.9 mpg. The ride was very comfortable and pretty quiet. We put the back seats down and filled the cargo space with donations for a local food bank, it held over 600 items with room to spare so we only had to make one trip. I live in Atlanta so my city mpg has only been around 25, I expect that to improve as the engine breaks in. Rick Case bumped up the warranty to 20 yrs, 200,000 miles so I think I will keep this car for many years.

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  Worst snow car ever - 2010 Hyundai Elantra Touring
  By Steve B - January 11 - 9:46 pm

  Purchase experience was great, overall its a good car, but... Without exception this is the worst snow car Ive ever owned or driven, including rear wheel drive sports cars. A combination of light weight, touchy brakes, and ice-skates for OEM tires makes it unmanageable even with just a skim of snow on the roads. Hills and snow would be impossible, and definitely not safe to drive. If you live in a snowy area, prepare to replace the original tires before winter. If not for this I would have rated performance and fun to drive much higher.