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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  Better than the Bug - 2002 Hyundai Sonata
  By SMCS - June 4 - 10:00 am

  I recently decided to leave the world of backyard mechanics behind and move up into a stylish new car. A recent 90,000 mile death of a Ford made the Hyundai warranty attractive, almost as attractive as the car itself. Just over 3,000 miles on it, loving every minute of it! I put a few complaints in below, but only because they asked.

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  Solid car - 2006 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Andy - June 3 - 7:56 am

  Great performance. Handles well. Best sports car for the price. So far no major issues with the car. Smaller issues with radio, sunroof were immediately handled under the warranty.

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  PROBLEM CAR - 2001 Hyundai XG300
  By Chrystal - June 2 - 9:53 pm

  I have owned this car less than one year and its not a good car. Check engine light has came on 3 times, took car in three times for noise when shifting and acceleration problems. Currently my car is sitting in the shop, and has been for a week. They replaced my transmission, motor mounts, transmission mount, and reprogrammed my ECM and my car is still not running correctly. Luckily it only has 55,000 miles and is still under warranty. This car has more problems than it was worth and I have big time buyers remorse from this purchase. I have called Hyundai directly to note my dissatisfaction with their company but they dont seem to care. Always have to wait for parts on car too.

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  best deal on the market - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By wisconsinsteve - May 29 - 10:00 am

  2002 Hyundai Elantra GT with 15" alum alloy wheels, 4-wheel disc brakes, cruise, power windows, locks & mirrors, leather interior, trip computer, folding rear seats, 6 speaker stereo w/CD, fog lamps, intermit wipers, A/C, mud guards, monogrammed floor mats, 5 yr-60000 mile bumper to bumper warranty, 10 yr-100000 mile powertrain warranty, 5 yr roadside assistance, adust height seatbelts, and side-impact airbags. just find ANY other vehicle today that gives you such a long list of standard features for less than $14,600. so far the build quality, fit & finish, and reliability have been flawless. move over honda and toyota, youve got company.

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  Great Crossover SUV for the price - 2016 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Tim S - May 26 - 9:04 am

  The 2016 Hyundai Tucson is a great overall crossover SUV! I am driving the ECO/AWD/Turbo model for almost a year. The only complaints we have about the Tucson is the feel of the transmission during quick take offs and the headrest.

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  Six Month Review: Overall Not Bad At All - 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By bobbichen - May 25 - 5:51 am

  I purchased this as a preowned unit with about 22k on it, last June. Initially, I had transmission issues like most spoke of. I was advised that the upgraded fluid had been installed at build. I had to go through several rounds of software "flash" upgrades before the harsh shifting calmed down. It still is there a bit in 2nd and 3rd, but is much better. Overall, this is a terrible vehicle to buy new but for late model used, purchased at wholesale, it is actually quite good. If the tranny fails I have a five year warranty and I drive about 7.5k a year so Im not worried about miles. Interior is quite good, stereo very decent, and leather seats are comfy. Gas milege mediocre.

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  Great drive for a great price!!!!!! - 2017 Hyundai Sonata
  By Edwin E. Salas - May 25 - 1:46 am

  Know that if you are on budget and want the best bang for your buck. This car is worth taking a good look at. Great ride and preforms very well and a phenomenal warranty!

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  improved over my 2003 - 2006 Hyundai Elantra
  By rodger chinery - May 24 - 9:26 am

  after my 2003 was wrecked - the drivers compartment was totally intact i wanted another one I was so pleased with my first. allthe little minor amnnoyances of my earlier car were fixed on the 2006> its a dream car for a comute and my mileage is now 27 it used to be 24 on the 03.

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  UNKNOWN AT PURCHASE - 2004 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Jeannie - May 23 - 12:40 pm

  I loved my Tiburon until this week. While getting ready for vacation I took the vehicle to my mechanic for an oil change. He noted there was wear on the rear passenger tire and suggested that I replace the tire before the trip. I contacted the place where I had purchased the tires a year ago and was told that the car was out of alignment in the rear and so I had the alignment done and purchased a new tire only to find out that these vehicles DO NOT have an adjustment feature. Now I must buy an after market adjustment kit which will cost me about $250 so that my tires will not continue to wear. It was very disappointing to find this out. I believe I will be looking for another vehicle.

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  Its a Love-Hate Relationship - 2013 Hyundai Elantra GT
  By nanne8 - May 23 - 8:41 am

  Ive had this car for about six months and have some regrets about buying it. It looks great - both the interior and exterior designs are excellent. And the technology its equipped with (I have the tech/style pkg) beats any other car in its segment. However, there are some major deficiencies: (1) the gas mileage is nowhere near what Hyundai claims. The most Ive ever gotten is 30mpg highway and 27 combined. Thats driving conservatively in eco mode the entire time; (2) the ride is VERY harsh - you feel every (I mean EVERY) bump in the road and forget about going over rough pavement, bumps, or potholes. I feel like Im riding in a school bus. (3) the acceleration/power stinks...badly.