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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  A follow up to an earlier review - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By Matt 8265 - April 8 - 7:53 am

  A stunning car. Period. Engineers take note of potential improvements. 1. Power seat should be std. 2. Tan interior stains VERY easily. 3. Bluetooth takes 5-7 minutes to download phone book EACH time. No cool. 4. Cant play MP4 format. 5. Oil filter cover broke first time. A swing away would work better than a clip out. 6. Some (typical) noise coming from rear suspension. Consider better shocks or more sound proofing.

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  Great hybrid owned it 1 year now - 2012 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid
  By gome1 - April 6 - 9:53 pm

  Great buy I have top of line loaded wht pearl /tan leather, glass roof best sunroof! 23 k miles on it I commute 45 miles daily average about 37mpg city & hwy combine ,40mpg traveling I drive normal some times on curies control I due use high octane fuel ,tire air pressure 35 psi ,syntitic oil every 3700 miles ,air filter every 15k.I get lots of compliments from friends & strangers asking what is it how nice.I owned Lexus Mercedes Cadilac BMW same quality so far for the money lots more to offer two many to list,example rear heated seats!

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  First V8 in Virginia Beach - 2009 Hyundai Genesis
  By Jon@VB - April 5 - 10:23 pm

  Bought 2 days ago and drove 200 miles. Thought about buying V6 tech pack, but for only $2K more I decided to wait for V8. - And glad I waited for V8. Power, solid feel, quiet, quick brake, and yes awesome sound system ! So far Im loving it. Paint job need to improve. Should have A/C seat on both front seat

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  Excellent daily driver - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By itsallgood - April 4 - 10:16 am

  They say not to buy a brand new model style on the first year. I did just that with my Sonata LX. I have over 35k on it now and I"ve been very happy with the car. Handles great thru twisty mountain roads, as well as the freeway. Feels solid and safe at high speeds, too. I would definitely recommend this car,its dependable and actually fun to drive!

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  So far , so good - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By TomP - April 4 - 4:26 am

  I have had this car for 3 months and so far I am very happy with it. Like many posting here, I was hesitant to purchase a Hyundai having owned Hondas for the last 25 years. The styling, feature / function, quality and price sold me on this car. The only negative thing I can say so far is that once in a while when the car starts in fast idle I hear a slight rattle under the car. It lasts a short time and Ill need to see if maybe something isnt loose around the exhaust. No big deal and I can certainly live with it but its more of a curiosity right now. I also noticed that the MPG shown is reading about 10% higher than what I actually calculate during a fill-up.

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  Great car - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Juan Rivas - April 3 - 9:53 pm

  This car has been one of our best purchases....rides and drives well and it is very comfortable. We just recently have taken two trips over 500 miles and it is responsive even at the high elevations when going in the mountains. It is amazing how much cargo volume is available

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  heck of a car - 2006 Hyundai Accent
  By Paul - April 3 - 7:52 pm

  Picked up this small eco box for the wife and found out that itÂ’s a gas fun to drive, coming from a person that driveÂ’s a 2004 TSX Acura, finish and ride is fantastic. I love the feel and smooth control, the car runs like a bigger more expensive car. Will see how reliability will be, but with a solid warranty better than Acura, IÂ’m sure itÂ’s solidÂ….

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  Affordable , sporty and safe - 2006 Hyundai Accent
  By Patti K. - April 3 - 1:10 pm

  We have only had this car 1 week, but the husband loves the great gas milage hes getting. We picked the Accent over the Elantra b/c the ABS & the 8 air bags came standard, on the Elantra they are options. We choose the sports package that includes A/C, power windows and door locks, heated mirror,15 inche alloy wheels and an alarm system. After the rebate, dealer fees, tax, & tags, we walked out the door paying $13,775. We feel we got a great price. Thank you Edmunds and other car websites that help the consumer get the best deal for their dollar. Also helpful was the dealers inventory pages. With our research in hand we were able to confidently walk into a dealership ready.

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  Nice rig - 2007 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Flyfree - April 3 - 10:43 am

  I just puchased the Tuscon. I love the looks and very ample interior space. The seat is not that comfortable. And head room for tall people is lacking somewhat. I am getting 23 MPG, mixed 1/2 interstate and city traffic. I looked at 4 other SUV; Pontiac Torrent, Saturn, Jeep Compass, and KIA Sportage. The user friendly interior sold me. Entire back seats fold down completely flat (plus they recline). Lots of nice touches. Not the least of which is its nice looking and has a great projected durability according to C.R.

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  great car - 2002 Hyundai Accent
  By hyundaiaccet - April 2 - 2:03 pm

  hyundai makes a great car and it shows with the accent. affordable, fun, fast, reliable, and high in quality. i really enjoy the Hyundai brand. great cars.