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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  Bought Used--Lovin it! - 2007 Hyundai Veracruz
  By Cruzin - December 19 - 11:46 am

  This is my first SUV & I am in love with it! Buying this car used was well worth it b/c I was able to afford the Limited edition with leather seats & ALL the bells & whistles I could imagine. I feel like Im driving a luxury vehicle! The car drives SO smoothly and it is SO quiet. Stereo sounds great! I read EVERY review on this website before my purchase and I think I made a great choice! I looked at the Honda CR-V as well but the interior honestly looked a little dated after seeing the Veracruz Limited Ed. I NEVER thought I would own a Hyundai-but I agree with another review, that this SUV is a hidden gem! I feel proud and smart that I got a "luxury" car for a great price!

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  Hyundai still makes bad cars - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By tigertina - December 18 - 2:45 pm

  The steering column started squeaking at 160,000kms. Never had that problem ever before with any other car. This problem is not covered in the warranty, and have learned other drivers have faced this problem. The car is too light and need to put in bricks to stabilize it on the road else it drifts. Didnt matter how many times it was checked over, its like the centre of gravity is off on this car. The car has too many blind spots. This car has had more problems with it then my 1997 fort escort with 345,000kms on it.

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  Great Choice For A Family Vehicle - 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Tom - December 17 - 9:30 am

  We traded in a Dodge Grand Caravan for the Santa Fe and so far its been a great family vehicle. The kids really appreciate the pillar mounted air vents in the back. I had the dealer change the computer options to automatically lock all the doors at the lowest speed setting (this option is not enabled by default and is a free service). Mostly in-town driving at about 18 MPG and 1 highway trip at about 26MPG. Our tires we also over- inflated by about 10 pounds. Lowering to the recommended pressure helped improve the ride. Interior is well crafted and quite with the blue lights adding a cool accent for night driving. Very happy with this purchase so far!

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  A Perfect 10 - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Gotta Sonata - December 17 - 3:30 am

  This car kicks! Its fast, its sexy, its reliable (with a 10 year warranty, it kind of has to be), and its a good value. We love its looks, and refinement.

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  Great Value - 2008 Hyundai Sonata
  By JSD - December 16 - 5:23 pm

  Like many other posters, for a long time I wouldnt even have considered owning a Hyundai. However, my fiance has had two and had great experiences with both, so I gave them a shot. This car is wonderful. Not only does it perform as well as the big competitors from Honda and Toyota, but it does so at a much lower price. This car has been everything I expected and more. Hyundai cannot be beat for reliability, quality, and value.

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  USED 2006 Hyundai Tuscon - 2006 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Robyn - December 16 - 1:17 am

  I bought this 2 yrs ago it has 150,000 miles runs great looks very clen inside and out. Engine looks brand new. Runs rellay good, no problems with car and has oil changed every 3,000 miles and checkups on all other parts. Love my SUV very dependable

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  Perfect Car for 16-Yr-Old Sons 1st Car - 2006 Hyundai Tiburon
  By thewalker - December 15 - 4:46 pm

  Purchased it for 16-year-old sons birthday (1st car-Dec.7 05) and we love it. We did not get the V6 because I dont want something that would be too much of a hot rod for a young driver. We find that it has PLENTY of pep for take off and city driving, as well as highway. Ive read reviews that say its underpowered, but we beg to differ. Perhaps compared to a turbo or sports car with a larger engine, but I drive a Jetta turbo and I still find this car to be outstanding. Its solid, beautiful and has the best warranty you can find anywhere. In fact, weve already decided to buy another one next year, so we will be repeat buyers when the 07 comes out.

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  What a Joy! - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By CARL755 - December 15 - 10:00 am

  After 7500 miles this car continues to bring me pleasure. All the room I need and a great drivers view. 3.5L gives me all the power I need and the shiftronic trans. is fun to use. Have yet to find a quality flaw.

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  Brand New, But Love it So Far - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By hoser - December 15 - 10:00 am

  We bought the LX Santa Fe this week after much study. We opted for it over the Honda CR-V. We also own a Landcruiser. The tires grip the road as well as the Toyota Landcruiser. The view out the front is outstanding. The room is adequate. Im 511" and have no sense of crowding. Legroom up front is adequate, too. The radio while decent sounds a bit tinny. A subwoofer would help this. So far no problem with the CD changer. Acceleration is good. We opted for the larger 3.5 V6 after reading the reviews here and test driving the 2.7. On the hilly drive home from the dealer, I didnt notice any acceleration problems up or down the hills.

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  5 MONTHS 7000 MILES REALITY CHECK - 2008 Hyundai Elantra
  By avtbud - December 15 - 9:11 am

  This is a follow-up of my 1st review. I still love my Elantra and still think it is unbeatable for the $$. Those of you who complain about it should definitely consider spending more money and buy in another segment...Since I put brand new winter tires on, I dont get more than 27 MPG. Got free XM for 3 months then 4.99 $/month special told them would cancel after and got another 3 months at 4.99/month...Bought the trunk tray and find it essential. Just experienced the ESC taking over on icy road and it did a TERRIFIC job!