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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  awesome bargain - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By dodgerfan - March 7 - 10:00 am

  i love this car. enough said

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  curts - 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By curt - March 7 - 3:20 am

  this is my first brand new vehicle and Im very pleased with it. compared to other vehicles in its class it is a bargain. very dependable strong running vehicle.

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  Underpriced Luxury - 2009 Hyundai Genesis
  By kbmuenkel - March 6 - 4:43 pm

  Ive owned this car one month with every passing week appreciating the Genesis more and more. The technology features are plentiful and well thought out. Dollar for dollar the Genesis equipped with the Tech Package is a stunning value. The 290hp V6 engine is more than adequate for enthusiastic driving. The Genesis handling is nicely balanced between sportiness and numbness with just enough road feel to inspire confidence and comfort. Exterior noise does not penetrate the cabin yielding a wonderfully quiet ride. The 528w 17 speaker Lexicon surround sound fills your driving experience with clear, crisp, enriching musical enjoyment. I considered 335xi, CTS4, & ES350, but bought a Genesis. Wow!

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  Happy with my 2011 2.0T Sonata - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By lorenzos1 - March 6 - 3:03 am

  My first Hyundai, 43000 miles and its business as usual. No complaints, no problems. I service & maintain the car at Hyundais recommended intervals at the dealer. So far my Sonata 2.0T has been fast and reliable. I average around 24 mpg. I love the nav and all the gizmos. Happy!

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  Best Bargain among mid-priced sedans - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By BigJim - March 5 - 9:30 pm

  Never pictured myself in a Hyundai (I own 2 hondas), but on-line research suggested a test drive was in order. I tried the sonata in 08 and 09 4 and 6 cylinder limited editions. Didnt care for the interior design of the 08 console, but the 09 has European luxury styling outside and Lexus-like feature inside. I planned to buy a 4 cylinder for mileage, but fell in love with the power of the new 6 cylinder. Lots of Nice features, and first rate build quality. The limited is a lot of car for the price of a stripped down model elsewhere! Never even made it to Honda or Toyota-- the best a Camry or accord could have done would have meant matching the sonatas quality for at least $7k more

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  Entourage is Better than Odyssey - 2007 Hyundai Entourage
  By ReluctantMinivanBuyr - March 5 - 5:23 pm

  My wife previously drove a Jeep Liberty. She loved that Jeep, but we were running out of space. We shopped around for minivans. The Hyundai was the only one she said she would give up her Jeep for. We like everyting about this van. The engine has great power, the seats are comfortable, very quiet on the road with very little wind noise on the highway, and a awesome stereo system. Three zone climate control is great too. Fit and finish was what was the desiding factor between this and an Odyssey. The new Odysseys interiors looked and felt cheeper. Entourages fit and finish is unsurpassed. Two things the Honda has over this: VCM (better mpg) and a more refined transmission.

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  Love my car - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
  By Amy - March 5 - 4:12 pm

  I love this car. It is fun to drive and in a world of high gas prices, its easy on the wallet. I found that my Elantra is more roomy than I anticipated and I would buy another in a heart beat.

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  great car - 2004 Hyundai XG350
  By bob wire - March 4 - 10:00 am

  better then toyota and much cheaper

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  BEST VALUE SEDAN AVAILABLE FOR THE PRICE - 2004 Hyundai XG350
  By PJL - March 4 - 10:00 am

  The 350XL car is one of the best vehicles I have owned...which includes brands...CADILLAC, BMW, MERCEDES, OLDS, MAZDA, NISSAN. This auto has more features than expected and is a pleasure to drive. I like it...and it likes me. Its reliable and drives like a Lincoln LS or BMW 3 CLASS....with comfort and too many features to list here. Korea has their act together. Pete

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  My 2004 Elantra - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By Omni04 - March 4 - 10:00 am

  I bought my 04 Elantra GLS after I decided my Hyundai Accent was too small for me. The dealership gave me a hard time after I noticed some unacceptable flaws on the Elantra that I chose. Overall though, I love the 2004 Hyundai Elantras.