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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  Lost it to accident 125,000 miles - 2004 Hyundai Accent
  By consumer - July 15 - 6:57 pm

  Great car. Only had to change timing belt at 60,000 mi and 120,000 miles at a cost of approximately $250 to $300. One set of brake pads at 70,000 mi and the rest was just wipers and bulbs. Car was considered a total loss with insurance company. I did not want to get rid of it. It did very well on a head on collision. At least I thought. Minimal damage in my eyes. A great car company backs their vehicles with a 10year/ 100,000 mi warranty on engine and powertrain and a 5year/60,000 mi bumper to bumper warranty! Oh and dont give me that "I want to buy American" crap. Hyundai is built here in America. Ford fusion has "assembled in Mexico" or parts from Japan!

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  2001 Hyundai Sonata (4 cyl) - 2001 Hyundai Sonata
  By Tony from PA - July 14 - 5:42 pm

  Purchased car new. The vehicle has 57,000 miles on it. Over the past ten years, I have only performed maintenance items on the vehicle. I have just had to service it for the first time. The AC compressor needed to be replaced. Purchased an extended bumper to bumper warranty so the it was covered. I recently passed the car onto my son. Out of all of the cars I have owned, this one has been the most reliable.

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  Durable, practical & affordable - 2005 Hyundai Accent
  By HyundaiMomma - July 9 - 1:50 pm

  I was just out of college & driving a 05 Ford Escort when I bought the Accent new. I test drove a 05 Elantra & preferred it to the Accent for 2 reasons (smoother shifting & a quieter ride). However the Accent was more affordable on my tight budget. 5 years & 65K miles later, I havent had to have any work done on it. Ive replaced the tires as part of routine maintenance. A few months ago a party driving around 25 mph rear-ended my Accent. Damage was limited to the bumper. Sometimes I feel a little crowded when there is someone else riding in front with me but my son feels comfortable riding in the back. Sharp handling and good breaking - a zippy car that maneuvers tight spaces well

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  Solid safe reliable transportation - 2009 Hyundai Elantra
  By Paul - July 9 - 1:23 am

  We have owned our 2009 Elantra for about a year and have found it to be a very solid, comfortable, reliable car. The exterior styling and performance are on the boring side but the features for the price paid more than compensate for these shortcomings.

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  It is what it is - 2010 Hyundai Elantra
  By erics1611 - July 7 - 2:03 am

  Got the SE with navi/sunroof system. Navi is alright, its not as nice as Hondas, but it lets you access it while the vehicle is moving - no lockout! Would be nice if you could manually enter GPS coords but alas. Car seems peppy and responsive around town most of the time but it feels gutless on steep hills, make sure you downshift in advance. It has a great turning radius, suspension feels tight. I am used to a 4x4 pickup truck though. City/hwy mixed mileage has been around 24 even with taking it easy, so a bit disappointed by that. Hwy mileage is low-30s so far. Stereo sounds good, only downside is no easy way to manually tune XM radio like you can AM/FM radio.

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  Very pleased - 2001 Hyundai Sonata
  By jackster - July 5 - 8:59 am

  I purchased my 2001 v6 24 valve dohc from a lady who obviously had taken care of her car this car drives very well and is great on the highway when you need to pass not lacking in acceleration I owned a 1982 Toyota supra celica gts with the same size engine and this little sleeper runs just as good with the same performance with a little smoother ride I would recommend this car to anyone and as a bonus I picked it up for 2000 Canadian which was a steal she actually cried when I took it away from her lol my gain !

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  Glad I got the one with the sun roof - 2010 Hyundai Accent
  By Bill - July 2 - 12:29 am

  I decided to put out the extra money for the top of the line. Larger tires and sunroof. Glad I did. First sunroof Ive ever owned, and its great. Car is fun to drive, great handling, though I wouldnt want to drive it on really rough roads--too bumpy. Two door hatchback is the way to go if you dont have kids.

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  Winter driving NOT GOOD - 2009 Hyundai Elantra
  By mick - July 1 - 9:23 am

  I love Hyundai. I own 4 (2002, 2003, 2006, 2009)! All have been great. My only complaint is with my latest the 2009 is absolutely terrible on ice and snow. Whatever Hyundai changed for this model makes it extremely dangerous for any winter driving. Please fix this in the future!

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  Steering is a bit stiff - 2010 Hyundai Elantra
  By Terri - June 28 - 7:16 pm

  Car is not bad. Hated to get rid of my Kia which was fully loaded. but I did fine that steering a tad stiff. Anyone else had this person with this car?

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  Taking it Back - 2010 Hyundai Genesis
  By JRJ - June 27 - 8:29 pm

  I just bought my Genesis today. I was not able to test drive the car I bought since it was in the showroom. On the way home the glare and reflections from the panel above the glove box actually gave me vertigo. When I went online to view the interior pictures, the car pictured does not have the shiny panel. I am taking the car back tomorrow. I dont know if they can swap out the panel for one without the glare or not. I like the car otherwise. Has anyone experienced this problem? I am very disappointed because I love the car otherwise.