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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  Not what Id hoped - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By GuyG - June 2 - 6:36 am

  Bought vehicle on $ & Hype also liked idea of not buying used and getting someone elses problems. It worked, I got my own. 5 years 3... oops now to be 4 sets of brakes. Bumper to Bumper warranty? They looked at 1 wheel, 10 minutes say its not covered asked 1400 to fix, refused and they charged me 85 as a diagnostic. Suggested I am hard on brakes, my last vehicle had 185,000 with only 1 set of pads. Body dings and scratches very easily, window molding is actually black tape, which peels and bubbles. Body rusting.. guess what,not covered. Cant trade in only can get 2500 market is flooded with these

• 

  Needs A Few Refinements - 2007 Hyundai Accent
  By mikeyhd - June 1 - 5:01 pm

  I like my car but if I knew then what I know now I may not have bought it. Keeping in mind that this is an entry level car, they could have added a 6th gear to the tranny. This is a really loud car when driven at US highway speeds (65-75mph), and Im not talking about the exhaust notes. The engine spins at 3500-4000rpms at these speeds and makes sure you know it. A little sound baffling under the hood and on the firewall would make it a better car to ride in. I still feel that Hyundai offers the best value for your dollar, but I would have paid a little more for a little less engine rpm.

• 

  Sussex - 2007 Hyundai Elantra
  By B.Knoll - May 25 - 1:41 pm

  We drive this 80 miles round trip at least 2 times a week, plus errands. Mileage varies from 30 to 25 mpg.

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  what a pile! - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By mike_b4 - May 15 - 8:47 pm

  what started off as a great looking, good fuel economy and decent performer has morphed into a money pit. this car was purchased new in 2011 and currently has 73k/miles; it has been serviced only at the dealer and highway driven. the cars stereo screen went out about a year ago and since it was over their "select" electronic warranty, i would have to replace it - cost $800 installed. on top of this slap to the face, the new part would have a 1 yr/12k warranty. if the original factory piece went out after 1 year, then why wouldnt the new one? now the shifter doesnt recognize the vehicle is in park all of the time when you park it. not covered & cost over $300 for a non essential part.

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  Buyer beware - 2001 Hyundai Elantra
  By Lee - May 15 - 9:22 am

  I have never had a car with so many problems in my life. The headlights have gone out simultaneously 6 TIMES, which the dealer claims is a coincidence. The car has been at the dealer and mechanic more than my husbands 1991 Ford Escort. As soon as one thing is fixed, another goes wrong, many things over and over again (like the air bag for instance). I have a friend who bought the same car at the same time and she is having some of the same problems.

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  hyundai santa fe 07 disappointed - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By deborah99 - May 11 - 7:37 am

  Very disappointed with the car. Too many problems way too many. fuel sender unit at 60 K CC converter at 89 fuel pump 120 NEver again

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  Would not recommend to friend - 2012 Hyundai Sonata
  By djshotmail - May 9 - 9:00 pm

  This car had 2 major problems within 15 days of owning the car. 1. The radiator popped a weld (or something) on the way home from the dealership. The radiator had to be replaced (at 25 miles on the odometer). 2. Within a week of the radiator being fixed, the car would not start. The battery was fine. The car had to be towed back to the dealership. Turns out that the circuit board controlling the car starting was dead. We also own a 2006 Sonata that has never given us any problems. Maybe Hyundai quality has gone down since the Sonata is becoming more popular?

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  07 Tiburon GS - 2007 Hyundai Tiburon
  By phoenix15 - April 30 - 2:07 am

  This car caught my attention at the time when they first came out. My was a dark navy blue color which is what caught my attention and the body style. Had it for over 7 years now with less than 60K mileage on it. After about 40k mileage I started to notice that the clutch is performing really bad like its not responding when shifting. So I did a little research and found out that the manufacture had put in a clutch delay thing inside the master cylinder to prevent clutch overheating if you drive aggressively. So I just remove that clutch delay thing and now its responding a little better without that lag.

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  04 GLS Elantra - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By Ashley - April 21 - 7:28 pm

  Bought the car brand new. Very good for about 1.5 years, then had to replace brake pads 2 times in 1 year, among other problems. Not good handling, car does not want to turn. No acceleration.

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  More to be desired. - 2011 Hyundai TUCSON
  By skpk81 - April 15 - 9:27 am

  Drove this vehicle for over 3 years and purchased new. Began to notice problems right away. Bouncy ride, felt more on second row seating. Fuel economy MPG numbers far from advertised. Small fuel tank 13gal equals short range. Annoying Rattle noise coming from trunk, noisy shocks. AC fan replaced at 17k miles because of high pitch noise. Low pressure tire sensor failed. Fan speed choices not adequate, its either too high or too low. Driver and passenger seat too narrow.