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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  What a wonderful car!! - 2008 Hyundai Elantra
  By Jorge P - June 4 - 12:33 am

  Very comfortable, nice acceleration, quiet and smooth drive, good handling and cornering, it has all the security features, good mileage. Overall, a joy to drive!. Not enough good things to say about this car. Its an amazing compact car. Im very impressed how Hyundai has managed to improve its quality so much, to a level where it can compete easily against more traditional brands. Way to go Hyundai.

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  07 Accent SE - 2007 Hyundai Accent
  By hatchbackfreak - June 3 - 9:49 pm

  Economical with a little touch of class with Sunroof, leather steering, fog lamps, 16" alloys and low profile tires. Sport economy would be called if there is. Perfect for everyday use as well as going to outdoor sport. Fantastic warranty. unmatched savings on maintenance. Perfect choice for the budget car enthusiast.

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  Great sporty car! - 2007 Hyundai Elantra
  By Jennifer - June 2 - 3:50 am

  I do miss the V6 that my Santa Fe had, but the Elantra has some great get up and go! I have only had it about about a week now and so far its awesome! I have a little over a 100 miles on it and the gas tank is still showing 3/4 full! Im going to really benefit from the gas mileage. The Santa Fe was a real gas guzzler...

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  like a go-cart for adults - 2007 Hyundai Accent
  By ultimate - June 1 - 8:57 pm

  The car is slow slow slow. Its actually average for its class, but if youre moving from any recent midsize sedan to this, be prepared to step hard on the accelerator. Having said that, this car is a blast to drive around town. You feel like Mario Andretti as you are weaving in and out of traffic. You can pull a U- turn almost anywhere, and sightlines are excellent. The brakes are also top notch, stopping fast and with good pedal feel. I didnt get great gas mileage on my first tank, but Im on my second tank and am expecting 30 mpg in entirely city driving. The only complaint I have is with the hard plastic doors. They arent comfortable and scratch easily.

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  Cant beat it for the money - 2007 Hyundai Elantra
  By pricemc1 - May 31 - 1:23 pm

  I purchased this car as a replacement for my Honda Accord LX. Even though its technically a smaller car it feels just as roomy inside. When buying this car I considered the Civic and Sentra as well but this car beat them both on features and price. Neither Honda or Nissan could match the feature set that the Elantra Limited offered and it was at least $2500 cheaper than the high end models of the Civic and Sentra. For me I had to have a car with heated seats and with other manufacturers I had to go to a larger model with high end trim to get that so it was an easy choice to go for the Elantra Limited. Only bad thing I can say is the cabin is a little noisy if the road isnt real smooth.

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  Wow - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By 1 happy guy - May 30 - 7:50 pm

  Its only been a month and we almost have 2k miles on our se sonata. countless compliments and stares almost everywhere we go. one lady even took a pic w/her cell phone. my wife was pleasantly surprised w/my choice for a midsized (now large) sedan according 2 the EPA. For the money and features you get, no automaker right now can beat the 2011 sonata for price, features and sexy looks. go test drive one today.

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  new to hyundai.... - 2005 Hyundai Tiburon
  By rjj - May 30 - 5:33 pm

  I used to own a RX8 and I never felt like I do with my new Tiburon GT. I love the exterior styling, price, performance, gas mileage, everything about my new Tiburon.

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  great car so far - 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe
  By marshall - May 29 - 12:46 pm

  Bought this car on Saturday only one I have seen on the road to date. This is a great looking car with a lot of options very powerful engine great interior with plenty of accents and leather very fun to drive. Will let you know about reliability and speed later I am taking it to Bristol for the nascar race and will look for a place to open it up on the way

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  Good, dependable, inexpensive car - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Mamamia - May 29 - 1:06 am

  I first saw the new Sonata a year ago from behind, and thought to myself, this is a BEAUTY! Hyundai has been known for building better and better cars every year, so when my old Accord started giving me trouble, I knew the Sonata will be a good choice for the next 5-6-7 years... Ive been driving Camrys for years. We now also own an 05 V6 Accord -- and driving the Sonata I feel in no way like driving an inferior car!

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  Best car ever!!! - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By Courtney - May 29 - 12:46 am

  After reading many reviews on this car I decided to give it a test drive. I was completely amazed at how well the car performed and how comfortable and stylish the interior and exterior were. I test drove every other car in its class to include the Camery, Accord,Taurus,Maxima,and LaCrosse. The Sonata was by far the best all around. I traded in my 2005 BMW X3 for the Sonata SE. I absolutely love this car. I have had people asking me what it was, wanting to look in it and have seen so many other drivers turning to check out my new car. If you are looking to buy a midsize car do yourself a favor and test drive the new Sonata! (previous cars owned Chrylser, Volvo S40 T5, BMW X3)