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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  Dont be afraid of Hyundai - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By WM/Charlotte - October 21 - 2:00 am

  I really like the design. From the front people think its a Mercedes. Im tall and the headroom and seat room beat most of the other cars I considered.

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  Very reliable and affordable - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Kinetic - October 21 - 12:33 am

  We bought this car new while my husband was in grad school. Weve now had the car for over 6 years--were just under 65,000 miles on the odometer--and have NEVER had a single issue with this car. We get all the scheduled maintenance, plus the recommended maintenance, and the result is a perfectly operating SUV that gets pretty good gas mileage (especially for a 6 cylinder SUV) thats beyond reliable. As a note, my sister has a 2001 Hyundai Elantra that she loves, too. Just like us, she loves her car and has never had any issues. Hyundai has come a long way; their cars are super reliable now!

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  Exciting Vehicle!! - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By chrissie - October 20 - 9:36 pm

  This vehicle is fun to drive. Although youre high above the ground it feels like youre driving a car. Nice design and cheaper than all its competitors...more for the buck!!

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  All I Expected & More - 2009 Hyundai Azera
  By Redleg - October 20 - 6:35 pm

  I researched and drove all of the competitors in the full size market. None compared favorably with the features and creature comforts that the Azera offered. It was as much or more comfortable. The interior touches and controls are logical and well designed. The reported issues with the suspension and noise are non-existent in my 2009 LTD. It is exceptionally quiet and the sound system is awesome. The rear sun- shade and memory driver seat make it a joy to drive.

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  Get over it! - 2001 Hyundai XG300
  By Jim Eubank - October 20 - 10:00 am

  This is my fourth Hyundai Vehicle; one Elantra for a teenage daughter, 2 Sonatas, and now the bestest lastest. Everyone should get over it. Hyundai no longer builds shoddy automobiles. The wised up after the 80s. I will put my XG-300L up against any thing on the road of comparable size and 15000 dollars more expensive. Greatest of all is the 10/100000 mile warranty on the engine and tranny and the 5/60000 bumber-to-bumper. They dont do that because they think the car will have multiple problems, they are proud of it and dont expect to go broke fixing them. Get over it Detroit! Get over it Japan! Get over it critics! Hyundai is a contender.

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  My GT - 2001 Hyundai Elantra
  By Dolphan328 - October 20 - 10:00 am

  I thought I would NEVER buy a Hyundai, But Im glad I did. This is a great car! BHowever it could use a little more power.

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  Big Pimpin in the 2003 tiburon - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By AbSoLuTPlaYa - October 20 - 10:00 am

  THIS CAR WAS A GREAT BUY. I BOUGHT THE 6SPEED GT WITH THE ULTRA SPORTS PACKAGE 2.IT WAS VERY HARD TO LOCATE THE ONE I WANTED BUT IM GLAD I FINALLY GOT IT.IT HAS GREAT SPEED. CIVICS,RSX,ECLIPSE, WATCH OUT...AND EVERYONE LOVES IT..INCLUDING THE LADIES

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  Squeaky Squaky Suspension - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Helen - October 19 - 2:57 pm

  I love my 06. Bought it used. Only one thing I hate besides the seat belt chime is the car creaks and groans over speed bumps and or rough driveways. Sounds like the rear window is being flexed or something back there is flexing and creaking. Dealer cant find anything. Theyve reinforced the package shelf and replaced the rear shocks. No noise when its rainy outside and the road is wet. Anybody have this problem or have a solution? Great car, otherwise!

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  Buy this car! - 2009 Hyundai Elantra Touring
  By tellosahn - October 19 - 5:06 am

  After reviewing and test driving a lot of 4 door hatchbacks, I decided to test drive the Touring model. It took me about 30 seconds for me to make up my mind and buy the car. The cargo space, dash controls, satellite radio, gas mileage, and most of all the safety features won me over.

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  Brake Pad replacement - 2006 Hyundai Elantra
  By Jennifer - October 19 - 3:23 am

  At 20,000 miles, after hearing a noise on the right front side of my car, I was told I needed to service my brakes. I have NEVER had a car that needed brakes with such low mileage. Now, at 40,000 miles, I was told I needed new brakes pads again. This time, I looked at them myself. The right front pad on the inside was completely worn. The right outside was half-way worn. The left front brake pads (inside and out)were hardly worn. It obviously has a problem! And the dealer tried telling me its normal! I probably had a stuck caliper piston this whole time and they probably didnt fix it the first time! Besides, my caliper pins are missing!!!!