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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  Lots of bang for the buck - 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By ddh - June 9 - 6:26 am

  Bought this car 3 weeks ago and have put 1700 miles on it. Ive been getting 26-27 mpg combined city/hwy mileage. The base V-6 is quiet & delivers spirited acceleration in town and when passing on the highway. The 6-speaker stereo sounds good; I really like the XM satellite radio, and the USB as I can put all my music on a tiny jump drive and dont have to clutter the car with CDs. Interior is comfortable, well- appointed, and build quality is as good as Honda, Toyota, etc. Handling & ride quality are excellent, & the stock tires seem to work well in all conditions.

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  A Great Little Car! - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
  By suzie - June 9 - 2:31 am

  We purchased this car new a little over 2 years ago and havent regretted the purchase yet! My husband drives a lot of miles for his job, and the gas mileage/price is what attracted us to this car. It handles nicely and has the right amount of get-up-and-go for highway and interstate driving. We were also attracted to the safety features. We havent had to do any service on the car other than routine maintenance, but we have had to have the little clips that hold the floor mats down replaced a few times on the drivers side - they seem to break off easily. This car is surprisingly roomy and comfortable.

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  Best value in town - 2017 Hyundai Sonata
  By Ketan Shah - June 8 - 8:12 pm

  Got this one after comparing to others in the market. Was able to add several promos on top of each other to get really good price for this car. Value wise this is way ahead of others...

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  From mini-van to SUV - 2007 Hyundai Veracruz
  By lnichols - June 8 - 5:30 pm

  I just bought the GLS model b/c I wanted a sporty look. I drove a van before. I call this car my other home. There is so much space my kids look like they are sitting ina living room. It is so quiet and comfortable. I feel great driving it. The safety features add to the comfort! I am still getting used to the gas difference compared to my van but it is not bad for an SUV. I can get 24 mpg. I would recommend this car to anyone! The price is right. Just take it for a test drive and you to will love it!!

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  GLs lover - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
  By GLS - June 8 - 4:26 pm

  Just purchased 5 days ago. Gave $12,800. This included cruise,Automatic, CD player and all taxes.

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  You get what you pay for - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By sprintrps - June 8 - 3:10 pm

  Like others, I compared the Sonata to other cars in its class, and found that the features offered for the price, made this an easy choice. However the car has an annoying front end shimmy at 44 mph, which has yet to rectified.It seems to be a problem in 6 cyl. models with the 17" wheels. I have contacted Hyundai and lets hope they can resolve the problem.

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  Hot look, Comfort in Spades - 2006 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Eric - June 8 - 1:23 pm

  This car just looks hot. Much like the Ferarri 456 GT. Inside, if you get the GT limited edition, the leather seats look like something out of a car that retails at over $50k. Performance is not stellar, but more than does the job when the V6 upgrade is purchased. All around an excellant vehicle for the price!

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  What a Deal - 2003 Hyundai XG350
  By JayMagic - June 8 - 10:00 am

  I now have about 12K on the car. No problems, except if your wipers are frozen to the windshield and you turn them on without releasing them, it can blow the fuse. The luxury features make this a GREAT value. The engine has more than enough power for the Colorado mountain. The amount of room inside is excellent and I am not a small guy (over 300 lb.) Plenty of back seat leg room for freinds.

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  A pleasure to drive. - 2003 Hyundai XG350
  By Frank Sehaprd - June 8 - 10:00 am

  Excellent driving machine, both as a road car and as a city car. I enjoy driving the car and the comments from bystanders about the trim and finish of the car.

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  Elantra - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By Lady JJ - June 8 - 10:00 am

  The Elantra is a very fun car to drive!! The best feature of my Elantra is the sunroof!! Excellent car for a very low price!!