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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  awsome - 2007 Hyundai Entourage
  By jim3159 - December 21 - 3:56 am

  Wow. I use to own a Chrysler T&C and needed traded in for this one. Wow. With a bigger engine premium audio system, DVD, heated seats. I now have more toys. At such a great price. My only regret is not going for the limited with even more toys. Keep up the good work Hyundai.

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  More than I asked for! - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By goodwood61 - December 20 - 6:16 pm

  I was looking for a reliable vehicle that had all the creature comforts I had in my 97 STS. I found everything and more in this vehicle. It is quiet, powerful, stylish, and comfortable. I have had nothing but compliments on it and with a super warantee to boot I look forward to many trouble free miles. I compared other vehicles on the web and was prepared to pay more, but I couldnt justify it after a test drive in my the car. It was more than I asked for at a super price. Great value!

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  Totally happy with my puchase - 2006 Hyundai Elantra
  By Adam - December 20 - 8:52 am

  I got one of the last 06 Elantras they had on the lot. I was looking for a deal, and boy did I get one. Ive been looking at cars for the past few months, and I never found one that has the looks, features and pricing of the Elantra. It has great pick up, handles beautifully, and has a great warranty.

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  A great Korean vehicle - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By LinksmasGrybas - December 20 - 2:00 am

  A bit bigger than the small SUVs, more room and a lot of car for the money. Enjoyable to drive.

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  My experience with 2006 Azera - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By Henry Pierce - December 19 - 2:15 pm

  Beautiful inside and out. Very comfortable and easy to drive. Engine is perfect for this size car. The ultimate package has everything I could possibly want in this car. Many, many comments on car-Well pleased on overall ownership

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  Great SUV - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By lpastrik - December 18 - 10:16 pm

  Weve had our Santa Fe for 3.5 years. It just hit 104,000 kms. Other than oil changes, we have had no problems. Minor things like cloth coming out from door handle a bit but that is it. Great ride, lots of storage, great for families. Considering buying it out at the end of our lease

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  surprisingly predictable - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By ANGELO - December 18 - 8:43 pm

  Hyundai is improving quality dramatically. Santa Fe is what you hope. Great ride, high quality, top safety.

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  Great car, poor dealer customer service - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By jbartz - December 18 - 7:54 pm

  Great car overall. Chrome around the grill is bubbling but dealer wont cover b/c the car is 1000 miles over warranty for paint/trim - although its very apparent it has been that way awhile.

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  Sold on a Hyundai Sonata - 2010 Hyundai Sonata
  By Sonata Convert - December 18 - 6:10 pm

  Ive driven Toyotas all my life and theyve served me well. I thought Id never buy anything different (except maybe upgrade to a Lexus one day). This time around, I considered less expensive alternatives given the economy and all. I test drove the Hyundai Sonata GLS and it felt very similar to a Camry inside and out. The kicker for me was the price--I paid over $3K less for my Sonata than the lowest quote for a Camry. I remember Hyundais quality/reliability issues when the entered the US market in the 80s. But the 10year/100k warranty comforted me enough to make the switch. Of course, the Hyundai brand does not get the same respect as Toyota/Honda. But that might change soon.

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  GX350L - 2005 Hyundai XG350
  By BOB - December 17 - 9:40 pm

  Great car for the money