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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  Best car Ive ever had in my life - 2002 Hyundai Accent
  By Stephen - July 19 - 1:46 pm

  I bought my accent brand new and never have had any problems with it. I have always kept up maintenance in the car myself. It has never been in a mechanic shop or dealer shop for anything. I now(07/08) have 200,000 miles on it and it is still going strong even after driving it very hard its whole life. It seems like nothing will ever make it quit running. I have a very heavy foot and it doesnt ever phase it. There are also no oil leaks or burn off and has the original plug wires. I have also hit a wild hog and run over a curb at 55mph and it only bent the wheels and didnt cause any other damage. I still to this day get around 40 mpg on the highway and 35 in town.

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  Best car I bought so far. - 2013 Hyundai Sonata
  By driverx4life - July 19 - 5:29 am

  The Hyundai Sonata is exactly what I found for the price I paid. It has an amazing, engine and great power. Its spacious and reliable. I dont know what others people are writing about the bad mpg. When I drive, I get 26 city and 33 on highway. It gives me more mpg than my wifes Camry. But this all depends on how you maintain the car and how you drive it. If you go crazy on the gas pedal and dont do schedule maintenance, of course you are going to eat more gas and get bad mpg. People need to go easy, a Sonata is not a sports car. Overall, the Sonata is a great car that offers more for the money than its competitors. For my next car, I will definitely buy another Hyundai.

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  Best Santa Fe Yet! - 2016 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Cindy - July 19 - 5:00 am

  This is the third Santa Fe I have purchased and by far the best! The comfort, ride and amenities are great. The new Santa Fe Ultimate is larger than previous vehicles and four adults can ride comfortably. The third row seating is great if you have little ones. Your front seat and backseat passengers can control their own heat/cooling, which is great - I like it warmer and others like it cooler, so everyone is happy. Havent had the chance to drive in the snow yet, but, if it is anything like the previous Santa Fes, I wont have a bit of trouble. Weather in Denver can get nasty in the winter, but the Santa Fes have always taken on the cold and snow like a champ. My only complaint would be the tires. I usually replace them, as they dont seem to have the tread for winter weather; other than that, I would highly recommend this vehicle to anyone who needs a larger SUV.

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  A Good Little Car - 2008 Hyundai Accent
  By Ashrat - July 18 - 9:46 pm

  My car does not have the XM radio option so I added a Sirius radio to it. I also added cruise control (for $400). In my opinion ALL vehicles should come with air conditioning, cruise and Sirius radio. With the addition of the cruise control, this little car has become our daily driver. My wife has parked her 15-16 mpg F150 and started driving the Accent. We get around 30mpg in combined driving and this car can do 90% of the tasks we need to do when driving. It definitely wont tow my car trailer or haul off a bunch of branches, but it does most everything else just fine. I have the basic white car and added a set of red racing stripes down the side (ala Mustang GT) and it looks great.

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  Nice Vehicle - 2008 Hyundai Elantra
  By littleindiana - July 18 - 4:38 pm

  Love the car. I went from a mini-van to this car and I can not believe the room it has in it. So far we have taken it camping and on vacation to see family. Everything has fit in the trunk. Unfortunately, the fuel pump went out at 3800 miles. It has taken almost 2 weeks for them to get the part and to repair it. It drives much better now.

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  Impressed after a week. - 2008 Hyundai Elantra
  By avtbud - July 18 - 4:35 pm

  It has many standard features that are options on the other comparable sedans, an unbeatable warranty and a great price. Its my new automatic Regata blue Elantra SE and I love it! It has great handling and gives me a comfortable quiet ride. I averaged 30 mpg on the dealers tank which is pretty good in hilly VT. I bought it relying on this web site not knowing that Consumer Reports had rated it one of his top picks of 2008. Ill try to post again in a few months. Peace.

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  Look out Nissan, Honda, Toyota! - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By Texan78730 - July 18 - 3:00 pm

  Lotta car for the $$ I traded a 2005 Toyota Avalon, and this Hyundai has more features. From tire-pressure monitor to a warranty that trumps the competition, plus eye- catching styling, this car is a winner! This is the first car Ive owned (and Ive had 28) where people stop and ask me about it.

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  Canadian Driver - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By Canadian Driver - July 18 - 2:23 pm

  Overall - a great car! My last car was a Mercedes E320, so a hard act to follow. I like, styling, power, handling, control in snow & ice, large cabin, quality of construction and trunk space. Mileage could be better but I like to use the power. Trivial irritation - plastic interior door handles.

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  speechless - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By JANE - July 18 - 1:26 pm

  I never though of a Hyundai before, saying Hyundai years back was not attractive, there model were square and ugly but when you say 2011 Hyundai sonata you are talking about luxury, elegance, beautiful body,attractive car. no brand new Lexus or BMW has nothing better then my Hyundai. I have nothing to envy from them with my 2011 sonata. I love it! Pearl White is the best color for it shape.

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  Fun to drive - 2008 Hyundai Accent
  By R Bishop - July 18 - 12:26 pm

  Needed a small economical car as have been driving a 4X4 PU. I wanted the stick shift as it gives a little better gas mileage. Also wanted the A/C and radio. It is a basic car with not many extras, but at the price ($11500)it is a lot of car. It has plenty of power, shifts smoothly, corners and brakes will.