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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  Near perfection for the $$$ - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By peter95949 - November 11 - 6:57 pm

  I am surprised to read consumers comment about parts falling off, etc. My Sonata has 26,000 in 30 months and has given me absolutely no trouble at all except a battery replacement at 10K. Ride is a mixed bag: absolutely no wind noise at any speed. Low-rolling-resistance tires can produce pronounced road noise on certain pavements. However, coupled with six-speed transmission and efficient engine, the tires help me to get 24mpg city and up to 40mpg on the road. The car is laden with unexpected features, and the swoopy styling makes everything else in this price range look dowdy. I love the car!

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  Best car for the money - 2008 Hyundai Accent
  By Mark S - November 10 - 7:56 am

  I bought this car as a long distance commuter car. Its a GS model with the bottom options package so I could A/C. 5 speed manual. I work a week on and a week off so I drive once a week 135 miles there, and a 135 miles back. I have also driven this car all over Southern Louisiana and Eastern Texas for work as well, and once to Chicago. The comfort level of this car for long trips is good. The seats do hold on to you well in tight turns. The shifter, steering wheel, and pedals are all positioned well. I have gotten as low as 27.5 mpg and as high as 35.5 mpg. My average 31.5 mpg. I researched the Yaris and Aveo as well and this is hands down the best deal.

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  Nice car - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Lloyd - November 9 - 10:00 am

  My wife and I enjoy this vehicle. It is fun to drive and a good value for the money. We are a little nervous because so many items have had to be repaired in the first 10,000 miles.

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  Its my turn now! - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Ejtay - November 9 - 10:00 am

  I finally traded in my Grand Am with 115,000 miles. I read all of your reviews and I was hoping that your comments werent all hype. You gave this SUV high marks and I now agree. I have had it only 5 days but I am very, very impressed. Good luck finding the color that you want. These are flying off the lot and on to the road. I cant believe how many I see on the road now. I needed something with decent gas mileage, something comfortable and something great in the snow. I got 250 inches this last season in upstate NY. The Grandam cant handle that. Read all of the reviews because they are very helpful and appreciated. Thanks ALL!

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  Impressed - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Watery Enchiladas - November 8 - 9:43 pm

  I have put about 8,000 miles on my Sonata in just over 2 months. Most of my driving is on the highway and I am getting about 31 MPG. I find it fun to drive, even though it is only a 4 cyclinder. I am in the car about 3 hours a day and even though the stereo could use a little bit of a boost it still puts out pretty good sound. Having the MP3 capablility is a very nice standard feature for extended driving. Interior space is plentiful. At 6 4" I have no problem being comfortable in any of the seats.

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  A Happy Day - 2009 Hyundai Azera
  By J. S. Mahoney - November 8 - 1:35 pm

  After two weeks of reading automobile reviews and visiting showrooms I came to the conclusion that the vehicle that had the most to offer for a very reasonable price was the Hyundai Azera. This sedan has everything that I was looking for, style both inside and out, performance and price. We bought our Azera Limited in early August and already have driven it over 4,000 comfortable and enjoyable miles. It is, in my opinion, one of the best values available to anyone in the market to buy a new car today.

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  Not what I bargained for - 2007 Hyundai Entourage
  By RBarbier - November 8 - 11:22 am

  This car is fabulous in theory as a family vehicle. Unfortunately I am taking it in constantly because of random noises such as creaks and grinds. The fuel economy is ridiculous. COMPLETELY different than the sticker showed. My battery died after 15,0000 miles and less than 2 years old and it was impossible to find a service dept available to help me. I was sold by the price when comparing to competitors but I should have gone with something with better history for a little more money.

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  Buy This Car - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By oceanis281 - November 8 - 3:00 am

  Have put over 17K miles in less then 9 mos and she still rides like a dream. Not ONE issue in any area that had to be fixed under warranty so far. The car rides as nice and quiet as my friends Lexus 350. Great looking car also. Handles well in the snow with just the 2 wheel drive. Whenever one of my friends rides in the car for the first time they almost always ask what kind of car it is and comment on how well it rides and feels. Priced and tested Honda Accord, Nissan Altima, Toyota Camry and this is by far the BEST value. The 100k warranty isnt bad also. This is the FIRST car with a sun/moon roof in which I can fit, being 6-5. and I still have plenty of head and leg room.

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  Bang for the buck - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Abe - November 7 - 10:56 pm

  Simply, you can not get this kind of car at this price (huge dealer and factory incentives). Quite and smooth (compared with its peer group), good acceleration. There were unknown noise from the bottom in the begining of of each driving.

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  First year review - Good car - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By GregInOttawa - November 7 - 7:28 am

  Have driven the car one year now, including a record setting snowy winter for snowfall. The vehicle is very comfortable and quiet on the road. The performance is mixed, with lots of HP but mushy in corners. Fuel economy is ok, given the use of HP mentioned above. Only complaint is that all brakes needed rework after only 12000 miles.