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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  Buyer Beware this car beware this dealer - 2007 Hyundai Veracruz
  By Morgan Bear - March 8 - 11:00 am

  I bought this car 3 months ago at Stevenson Hyundai, Jacksonville,NC. and paid close to sticker,dumb.First day the CD player jammed and within 1 month the gas mileage drop off to 20.7 hiway I decided to trade it for a smaller car. I knew I was going to take a beating but did not know had badly. Short version, no dealer in the Eastern Carolnia area would give me more that 25k, the car had a sticker price of 35K, that is 11K dollars in three months. Went to Stevenson where I bought the car, 23K was the best he would offer. I asked him if he thought 12K $ in 3 months was right and he said, yep, thats about right. I finally dumped this pig it and bought a new Scion, love it.NEVER BUY THIS CAR!

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  Loving it! - 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Brian - March 7 - 11:36 pm

  I bought an 06 and put 48000 miles on it. I had 0 problems with it and told anybody who would listen how much I loved it. I didnt even replace a taillight! I just got an 08 and its even better. Steering is lighter and braking is better. Acceleration is better. Interior is much nicer! Easier to operate controls and nicer console. I loved my truck so much I went to work for Hyundai selling them. My enthusiasm for Hyundai wins customers over!

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  Hyundai Sonata Offers Best Bang For the Buck - 2012 Hyundai Sonata
  By alayman - March 7 - 10:30 pm

  Ive driven my 2012 Sonata for about 4 weeks, and Im impressed. Owned a 2006 model, and this car is much improved. Hyundai has managed to create a family-friendly sedan that finally bests the Camry and Accord. As the owner of a Jetta TDI I was seriously looking at a new Passat TDI (love the TDI driving experience and mileage). Unfortunately VW was a little late to the party on delivery. The Sonata was a better value at roughly $7000 less. Value proposition is confirmed by a recent trip to the airport achieving 41 mpg on the 38 mile trip. The new engine and 6 speed transmission, while not as engaging as the 4 cylinder TDI, provide a very pleasant driving experience.

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  head and shoulders above my 2015 Lancer - 2017 Hyundai Elantra
  By Tattoo Vampire - March 7 - 7:11 pm

  I absolutely love this car. Ive had two Elantras and a Sonata in the past but nothing more recent than 2011. This vehicle outclasses them all, as well as the Lancer I bought in 2015 for about the same price as I paid for this great car.

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  Fantastic MPG, exceptional comfort, 5 star safety - 2016 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid
  By SonataHEV2016WJB - March 7 - 11:53 am

  UPDATE**4/26/16..Really, really, really still enjoy this wonderful car. Quiet, comfortable, luxurious and no visits to the dealership other than an oil change. 650 miles per tank and still 46 MPGs. Major gripe is that the blind spot monitors dont work below 19 MPH and that Android Auto update is STILL not available. So excited for Android Auto and cant hardly wait (even though Hyundai said they would have it to us by 2015. Feels like Hyundai could being doing more to light a fire under Google to get that to us. Also, and this might end up being a big one...something no one at Hyundai told me about when I bought the car, is that after 12 months of not subscribing to Blue Link, it self destructs and can not be turned back on unless you pay $500+ for a new head unit. That is crazy in my mind and apparently others as Hyundai is currently involved in litigation over this matter. I hope there is good resolution to this matter for unsuspecting Hyundai owners. EVERY HSH owner, PLEASE KEEP ASKING FOR ANDROID AUTO UPDATE! Original review** Fantastic MPG. Took possession of our new 2016 Sonata Hybrid Limited Ultimate with 8 miles on the odometer. What an amazing car! So far overall average MPG is 46.4 with my most recent 13 mile commute (50% freeway, 50% city) being 61.4 MPG per the onboard computer. Such a pleasure to be going down the freeway (most all of the time in pure EV mode) in a hushed cabin (trully as if a rolls or MBZ) all while achieving phenomenal fuel economy. Car drives and feels fantastic. Seamless transition of power plants. Even when the 2 liter internal combustion engine is operating in generator mode, it is quiet. Only when truly pushed does the engine come to life, but even then it is extremely reasonable, better than our Accord and the 6 speed transmission (thank goodness and finally, a hybrid with no CVT) provides you with great power. Imagine, a Hybrid with actual power! It is a wonderful car to drive and a safe car to drive. I highly recommend that folks seriously consider purchasing the Ultimate package. The parking aids, the active and passive safety is great. Lane keep assist is well calibrated and does not cry wolf. The adaptive cruise control is very well done and driver adjustable. The blind spot monitors are nice, but I do wish they would work at low speeds as well. The backup sensors and predictive backing monitor is absolutely a must have, city or suburbs. Last but not least, rear cross traffic alert should be standard on all modern cars. No one should be guessing if a car is approachi while backing out of a parking space. This car has it all. From a tech perspective, the 8" NAV screen is great. Fairly easy to use and with a lot of great Hybrid viewing modes. Only gripe I have about the NAV is the traffic. The XM data is not real-time and it lags far behind Google maps or Enricks. Despite this the display works very quickly and is very responsive. The ability to do split screen is nice as well. There are a whole host of subscription services, Blue Link and XM, which, but of course, eventually at a cost. The Blue Link phone app functions are especially nice. To be able to heat and or cool your, as well as send route plans to your NAV before you ever set foot in the car is great. In addition to that, to have the ability to check the health of your car, to find your car in a crowded parking lot after being gone on a long flight, to be able to set an electronic boundary for either a teenage driver or a valet, are all great features. You can of course, remotely honk the horn, flash the lights, unlock the doors, all from your smart phone. The ability to review telematics (driving style and performance measures) is also great, especially if you arent sure how your teenager is driving when you are not there. So many features, but the best part is Hyundais commitment to their buying public via their warranty. We cross-shopped Honda and Toyota, but neither were willing to back their Hybrid battery the way Hyundai is. LIFETIME! Yes, thats a lifetime Hybrid battery warranty, part and labor to replace the battery should it falter. This is in addition to their 10yr/100,000 warranty. I realize nothing can be guaranteed forever, but Hyundai sure does a nice job with making a customer feel like they are not alone when making a $30,000 plus purchase. Last but not least are the little details such as, actually having a true trunk with a 60/40 split. Such a nice and versatile thing for families. And the courtesy LED lights, hidden in the front door handles, make life just that much easier to enter your palace on wheels when the sun has set or you find yourself in a dark parking garage. Every little detail seems well thought out and well executed. Take it from someone who actually spent the money to buy a Sonata Hybrid and drive one. You will be very pleasantly surprised and happy you did. 46.4 MPG average so far and loving it.

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  I like/dont like - 2008 Hyundai Elantra
  By JOESMOM - March 7 - 3:30 am

  I like this little car because it it a big change from my 77 Chevy Blazer gas mileage wise. I like it because its reliable, small, cute, quiet. I dont like finding out I paid too much, $18,000.00 plus tax after the 2000.00 rebate. When I see the same car for 14,000.00 I dont care for the durability of the seat material, stains easily. The highest gas mileage ive gotten is 27.1 mpg on the freeway at 60 mph. Mine is the Gray colored one, the paint scratches easily, my thumb nail has worn a scrape in the hollow spot of the outer door handle. I will probably trade this in for a Toyota within the next year.

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  Amazed! - 2013 Hyundai Elantra GT
  By tammielb - March 7 - 1:54 am

  I recently purchased the Hyundai Elantra GT...and I love it. I was driving a Lexus RX 350 which had been a wonderful car. But it was 8 years old and time for a replacement. Im a single mom and a teacher so another Lexus was not in my price range. I researched tons of vehicles trying to find the most for my money and hoping I wouldnt be missing the Lexus. The Elantra was it! The ride, the comfort, the bells and whistles...all of it. I dont miss my Lexus at all. I got it fully loaded and it was totally in my price range. In fact, dare I say its more fun to drive. A little smaller and zippier around the neighborhood. My 10 and 13 year old boys even like my new car better. :)

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  New XG350 - 2004 Hyundai XG350
  By geousa - March 6 - 10:00 am

  Only have had a week or so--I am extrenely happy with this car to date( I know I havent had it long enough to see if any problems occur)

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  2008 sonata review - 2008 Hyundai Sonata
  By matt beckner - March 6 - 7:46 am

  i really like the cars spacious interior as well as the overall design. It seems to handle well and the miles per gallon is great! i also like the fact that it holds up to 17 gallons of gas. great for long road trips. in my opinion, i am glad i purchase the 2008 4 cylinder sonata.

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  SAME AS OTHERS COMPLAINTS - - 2016 Hyundai TUCSON
  By JNemo - March 6 - 12:27 am

  Unsafe Acceleration and transmission issues - My wife and I love the new redesign and amenities in this car however the DCT transmission is new for the Tucson. I am hopeful that a software recall is coming soon which would resolve these issues. My wife had a major scare with our 2 year old in the car when she tried to accelerate from a stop to make a turn at a busy intersection only to find the car would not even move. She got it in gear by switching it to manual and was able to go. If Hyundai does not resolve this soon, this could become a class action lawsuit especially if there are any fatalities because of these issues. I already contacted the Motor Company with my concerns but have not heard back as of yet. Update as of 1/30/16: The Motor Company has made contact and a rep along with a field engineer will meet us at the dealer on Monday 2/1. Update as of 3/5/16 The Motor Company has changed out the TCU (Transmission Control Unit). We are still having the same issues. The car has been with the dealer for 5 weeks now. The latest update is that they are putting in a new transmission. We had this car for 5 months now. Out of the 5 months, the car has been at the dealer for 7 weeks. We have been in a loaner car since.