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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  Youre just wasting $$ with Honda,Toyota - 2007 Hyundai Entourage
  By LongIslandSoccerDad - August 17 - 8:12 am

  Like most looking at this car, I needed a family hauler. Looked at SUVs (actually fell in love with the Mazda CX-9 and the Hyundai Veracruz. Sad thing about both are you carry the family or stuff - but not both. Now I was stuck looking at minivans. Compared the Toy, Honda and the Hyundai and there was only 1 choice. Maybe people feel better spending $40k+ on the same thing from Honda but not me. I like the better warrentee. Build quality is the SAME believe it or not. All the new Hyundais in the last couple of years have had amazing reliability, rivaling anything from Japan. Spend more if you want to - but all youll gain is a few more MPG!

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  Steering Wheel - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By benji - August 16 - 10:40 pm

  I totally enjoyed test driving the car. The exterior trunk shape was not my fav but the interior design was perfect in every way. The only complaint that I had was that the test model steering wheel had two chips on the steering wheel. The car had 5000 miles on it and the owner/manager drove the car for 2 months. Now if two chips can happen in 2 months what is going to happen in 2 years? ItÂ’s not covered under warranty according the sales person. Test drove the Toyota Avalon and it is a superior vehicle in ever way though the $6500 difference is hard to justify. Though the seats, engine, and driving experience was better.

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  Loving it!!! - 2007 Hyundai Accent
  By bluegirl1712 - August 16 - 7:16 pm

  When I finished College i was looking for a fun car that had good MPG. The Accent has it all. It a solid drive as well as comfortable one. The stereo works exceptionally well. The only thing that I would say that it has poor excelleration into fast traffic. The A/C works well as that was a big deciding point. The trunk is also a lot bigger than it looks from the exterior and you can fit a lot of stuff into it.

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  Look out "Big Boys" - 2007 Hyundai Entourage
  By Dave - August 16 - 10:12 am

  Just purchased a Hyundai Entourage last month. Canadian model was the GLS which is the USA - SE equivalent. I am very pleased with the performance and style of this vehicle. I have owed various vans since 1975 and rate this one at the top of my list. The safety features...i.e - ASC, multiple air bags, traction control and back up warning sensors are must options. I have been getting decent mileage (25 mpg ) on the hwys which I feel is good considering the power and size of this van. Hyundai has come a long way with the quality of there vehicles since inception and now can compete favourably with the "Big Boys" (Honda, Toyota, Nissan and Chrysler )

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  Buy it! You will love the 2006 Sonata! - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By John - August 16 - 6:16 am

  I originally was in the market for a Honda Accord or a Toyota Camry. The reviews for the 2006 Sonata caught my eye and I decided to give it a test drive. This is a GREAT car! I test drove the Accord and Camry the same day as the Sonata. The Hyundai is the most quiet, refined, comes with the most included options, and is several thousand dollars under the competition! Not to mention the best warranty in the business. I am very happy thus far with my purchase and was pleasantly surprised when I realized how large the trunk really is after a recent shopping trip. If you want a very roomy, sporty, refined sedan this is the car for you!

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  Review after 11,000 miles - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By mark130 - August 15 - 6:10 pm

  After you own a car for 8 months you have to ask yourself - Would I buy it again. The answer for me is YES. One of the best looking cars on the road. Best Value in the midsize class. No issues with steering or noises. I live in CT and we have been hammered by snowstorms. Car is very good in the snow. Better then the Lincoln MKZ that I had. Gas milage isnt as good as I expected, probably due to the many hills in CT. I glad I didnt buy the Ford Taurus which would have cost $6000 more. My next car will probably be the 2012 Hyundai Azera.

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  Great value for the money - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By RayC - August 15 - 6:03 pm

  Look and drive like a 30K car for under 20K after rebate. You cant get more for your money.

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  My Santa Fe - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Lovin my Santa Fe - August 15 - 2:00 am

  I picked up my Santa Fe in July of 2003. I purchased a 2002 Demo,3600 miles, silver in color, that was a 4 cylinder automatic.The funny thing is that I wasnt in the market to trade in my 2000 Sonata GLSV6 and I certainly didnt want a 4 cyl SantaFe. After my test drive I was hooked on this little beauty. The dealership gave me an awesome deal and I am VERY HAPPY!

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  Tiburon fun - 2005 Hyundai Tiburon
  By J Kilburn - August 15 - 12:50 am

  Nice styling vehicle which is comfortable and very fun to drive. The vehicle handles great with excellent pickup when needed and gets good gas mileage. The most fun I have had in many years.

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  Love this car! - 2007 Hyundai Elantra
  By foreverh - August 14 - 6:30 pm

  I didnt know what to buy when I started out looking. I had a 1999 Saturn SC2 that took a dump at 75000 miles. I was looking for something more reliable. I can not believe how much I love this car in such a short time. I test drove a few cars in its class like Honda and Toyota, and I have to say that for the options and money this one is just better. There are always going to be things that the others do better, but Hyundai caught on that its the extras that matter. I have the same extras as the SE, but without the 6CD changer.