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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  Love this car - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By fiVe - August 10 - 10:00 am

  Weve had the car 2 weeks & have approx. 400 miles. I really like this car--power, smooth ride, great value. It just feels right when you drive it. We think it looks like a Jag. We had a good buying experience and got a great deal. You cant beat the warranty. Im very impressed with what Hyundai has done here.

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  Tops in aTiburon - 2008 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Vince Cardamon - August 10 - 9:10 am

  Wrecked a red 95 Toyota celica. Had a hold on a loaded Honda civic passed the tiburon dealer, stopped just to take a look. Black on black caught my eye. Kicked over the v-6 and the twin pipes sound just blew me away sold! Great car.. Great to drive. Lots of people stop and ask what is it!

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  Little Red Toy - 2007 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Robert - August 10 - 7:43 am

  Fun to drive head turner. I get lots of looks and questions about what make and model the Tiburon SE is.

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  EXCELLENT CAR FOR MONEY - 2004 Hyundai XG350
  By zippadeedudah - August 10 - 2:00 am

  This vehicle is well on par with the ride of much more expensive vehicles such as the Cadillac. The leather seats are very comfortable and the interior is very well-appointed. The number of amenities provided defies the actual cost. Like electronic seat and mirrow memory. Like the trip computer and was totally surprised by the gas mileage this jewel gets. Had a Sonata before this car and there is just no comparison either in ride or in luxury.

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  Great Car - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By Leslie85 - August 10 - 2:00 am

  I love this car. I wish I had gotten it a while ago. Competatively priced and I only have a $185 a month car payment and I am 18 so that is great. I hope everyone has good luck with theirs as well!

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  15k in 9 months and VERY happy - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By J Baron - August 10 - 2:00 am

  After 2 years of researching and comparing I finally got my car and Ive never driven an automobile that was more fun and comfortable (Ive regularly driven 1992 Buick Park Avenue, 1998 Pontiac Sunfire, and 2003 Pontiac Vibe). The pickup is amazing - its actually hard to not chirp the tires. The interior is far from luxurious but it does the trick for me. It can definately handle extra weight and lots of cargo as I haul band equipment in it. Although I have yet to see somebody my age (23M) driving it, its really a fun and sporty suv. It handles very smoothly, just like a buick thats sitting real high with less curb weight.

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  Elantra wins - 2007 Hyundai Elantra
  By NYPD - August 8 - 8:35 pm

  The Civic performs better and that is it. Safety, quality, interior, leg room, and really every feature other than performance belongs to the Elantra so for me the choice was easy. I dont need to race this car, I have my 9 second quarter mile Camaro for that.

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  Great Value and Quality - 2007 Hyundai Azera
  By BOB - August 8 - 1:01 pm

  Great build quality. Equal to much more expensive Japanese vehicles. Fun and a great pleasure to drive.

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  Good value for the money - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Stekicar - August 8 - 10:13 am

  For a $16,266.62 OTD price, no-one could come even near this car. Just got 7500 miles on it. Excellent ride. Great MPG for the size of the car. Average 27MPG, worst 23MPG-city (driven by my wife :) ), BEST - 30MPG-freeway (average 65MPH). Just came home from a vacation. On 75MPH (average) had 28MPG. Big trunk, was able to fit all skies except mine + the luggage for family of 4. Mine skies ended up in between the seats. Roomy interior. Flimsy parking brake handle. Soft plastic on the back, bent under pressure. Kick-down very slow, there is some delay. NON fold-a-side rear view mirrors. Driver seat not so supportive. Doesnt have an opening on the rear seats for placing skies in the trunk.

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  Best Car I Ever Bought - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By jammb - August 8 - 10:00 am

  We love this thing! Through our first 1.5 years owning this car, it appears that Hyundai has nothing to lose by offering a 5 year bumper-to-bumper warranty, because we have not had to utilize it at all. The car is very roomy, comfortable, and fun to drive. That stuff about not being a great off- road vehicle is a bunch of boloney for most people. The 4WD handles superbly in the snow, which is the most important thing for me. Our other car is a Mercury Sable, and we have found that the quality of the Hyundai is head- and-shoulders above the Sable. There is no doubt in my mind that our next car will be a Hyundai.