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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  Best car so far - 2005 Hyundai Sonata
  By tommynatl - February 1 - 4:24 am

  I am the type of owner who drives and maintains a car till the wheels fall off. That being said I typically buy new so I am assured of its maintenance and driving record. This is my first hyundai and I am so impressed I have quikly switched my alliegence from honda. Whatever they are doing, they are doing it right. It handles like a typical 4 door sedan except for less roll or g forces. It takes off like a rocket even when left in auto ( you can manually shift ) . But more important it has not had one single repair issue since ive owned it. This after 145 k miles. Thats right, 145 thousand miles. Not one breakdown. Not one tow. Not one replacement part. Bear in mind I do basic maintenence.

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  The Mercedes of Compacts!! - 2011 Hyundai Elantra
  By carfreak24 - January 31 - 5:07 pm

  I ABSOLUTLEY love this car! I was looking for a car that would deliver good mileage, comfort, and be inexpensive and this car does the trick. My brother works at a Hyundai, Toyota, Buick, GMC, Scion, Nissan, and Mazda dealership and he showed me all the cars in my range. It came down to the Toyota Corrolla, Nissan Sentra, Mazda 3, and finally the Elantra. When he showed me the Hyundai I thought it was totally out of my price range but it wasnt! The car is soo PERFECT throughout. It beats all the competition by far!

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  Dependable - low maintenance - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By gr49548 - January 28 - 6:27 pm

  Bought my 2002 Elantra new for 12K. Have driven it for nine years 94,000 with only regular maintenance. No problems other than frequent head light replacements. Rotors replaced twice now. Some warranty work. Timing belt replaced at 80K only because the manual said to replace it at 50/60K. Recent check engine light came on, however mechanic can not find any problems. Still running on original exhaust and rear brakes. Overall a good car for the money.

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  Great value, Refined with class - 2011 Hyundai Genesis
  By terpman - January 23 - 10:47 pm

  Just picked up a 2011,V8 today, Black with tan interior. First of all , got a super deal on a 3 yr lease. The warranty that is offered is tough to beat. The car has great looks and is surprisingly roomy inside. I shopped BMW, which I really like, but the cost savings on the Genesis were hard to ignore.

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  Great Price Performance - 2011 Hyundai Equus
  By paul1940 - January 23 - 10:24 pm

  I saw this car at the State Fair few months ago and have waited for test drive. I have driven about two weeks now and I absolutely love it. I thought my previous L***** is a quite car but this car is even quieter. This car might be the quietest car. All the features that I can find other luxury cars for this price is incredible. That is why I called the title "great price performance." For the reliability, the dealer said I get free maintenance for 5 years. There is no perfect car in the world but the price and performance (features, reliability, build quality, etc) is way better than any other luxury car I ever drove (L***** and B** 5).

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  Off the charts. - 2011 Hyundai Genesis
  By pacoug - January 22 - 3:44 am

  Miracle. Needed a bigger car--love my Audis and my 3-series BMW but couldnt afford their big siblings. This car has great power and performance for its size, not as quiet or rock solid as an Audi but did you see the price? If you need absolute rock solid, get an Audi and be happy. If you need pretty rock solid and a stone cold bargain, heres your ride. Matches Audi on features, comfort. Almost there on driving dynamics. This is a quiet car, just not a Buick. If you need whisper silence you can either spend a crapload on Audis or get a stereo installer to Dynamat your Genesis. I just may do that. Itll probably be quiet as a tomb after that, for minimal cost.

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  Better then the Civic - 2011 Hyundai Elantra
  By coyotejay01 - January 16 - 5:22 pm

  I owned a 2007 Honda Civic EX Coupe and enjoyed it. The accessories "fog lamps" were pricey. The only faults it had was road noise, no trip computer, and the transmission was a 5spd Auto without the ability to use it as a manual. Plus it didnt like the snow at all and didnt feature Vehicle Stability Control. I purchased my Elantra Limited on January 3rd. What a difference on the road and on the snow covered roads up here in central Michigan. I love having Blue tooth and XM radio (already built in). More room then my Civic and a much quieter ride as well. I am very pleased with my purchase! The warranty is great as well....more warranty, horsepower, and features then Honda Civic EX.

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  GREAT CAR - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By ew0202 - January 15 - 5:23 am

  I purchased my wife a 2007 sonata with 56k miles. My wife loves her car and so do family and friends. the 1st owner took very good care of the car. the inside/outside looks brand new. great car

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  YOU GOT IT RIGHT!! - 2011 Hyundai Elantra
  By bhamcarshopper - January 13 - 3:02 pm

  This is a very quiet car, tuned for road and city driving...lots of great features..like the available hands free communication and the satellite radio. Lots of room in this car. Beats the competition hands down!

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  My first luxury sedan experience - 2011 Hyundai Genesis
  By zumbri - January 11 - 9:54 pm

  This is my first luxury car. Prior to this I had a 2002 Nissan Altima. It was a solid car but it cant compare with the Genesis. The Genesis has many luxury & tech amenities. The doors and seats have a solid & weighty feel to it. It also has a surprisingly smooth & quiet ride feel. I have ridden in Mercedes, BMW, Lexus, Acura, Volvo, and Infiniti. Granted, the Genesis doesnt have the same stiff handling and agility as the European cars but the ride quality feels on par with the Japanese cars such as my friends Lexus LS430. I dont have extensive luxury car experience, but I do know that my 3.6L tech package has all the bells and whistles for less than $38K and this is hard to beat.