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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  Im Jealous of my Wife... - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By FolsomTom - December 15 - 10:00 am

  I bought this car for my wife and now I borrow the car whenever I get a chance because it is so fun to drive! This car is a breath of fresh air compared to all the other "H" cars out on the road -- and what a deal. The other reviews have said this, but where else can you get Auto Trans, Leather Seats, Moonroof, AM/FM-CD, a peppy little engine and a genuinely COOL exterior styling for $14,300 (bought it through CarsDirect.com). PLUS the 60,000 warranty! These guys are picking up where Honda and Toyota left off, and they cant rest on their laurels -- get one before the world figures it out and the price goes up.

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  Careful. This LEMON needs a lot of work. - 2013 Hyundai Elantra GT
  By elantragtowner - December 15 - 8:08 am

  I purchased this brand new 3 months ago, and am now having to take it in for its 7th or 8th visit. Ive lost track. The vehicle steering system was defective or just poor design to begin with. On the highway, if I relaxed my hand, it would fly off the road to the left. It was very dangerous, and I got into a few close calls because of this. It took 6 attempts for the shop to get it adequate. By adequate I mean it isnt 100%, but they fixed it "enough" to where I can tolerate it. Now I have to take the vehicle in again due to engine trouble. Its been taking the engine 20-30 seconds to wind down from 5,000RPM to 1000RPM when you shift into neutral. Its getting worse. Not happy at all.

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  Great Value, needs some fixes - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By Craig - December 15 - 5:33 am

  Overall, a great buy. Comfortable ride, roomy, adequate performance, quiet. Gas mileage avg 20MPG. A few little quirks: 1) Seats heaters only slightly warm, can hardly feel through your coat. 2) Seats have no lateral support, more like a bench feel than a bucket. Seat bottom way too short to support your legs on longer drives. 3) Radio too high and far away. No matter where you sit, you have to lean forward out of your seat to reach the channel knob and some buttons. 4) Brake pedal soft, spongy and fade under high demand. 5) When cold, squeaks and rattles. 6) XM sound quality awful; cd/mp3/fm sound is fantastic. 7) Steering wheel should tilt, not just raise and lower. Angle is like a bus.

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  No more Mercedez and Jaq - 2007 Hyundai Azera
  By iam0234 - December 14 - 3:40 pm

  3 years ago my wife traded in her Mecedez for a HG350. It was the best deal for the money weve ever had. It is roomier than the Merc, drives as well (and better in the snow), has more options and quality perfect. 8 months ago, I had to find a replacement for my Jaq. Never thought we could get over the mental hurdle of having two Korean cars in the driveway when for years we had driven nothing but the expensive European makes. After much research, we were on the way to buy a BMW 5. We gave Azera a test drive for the sake of it and ended up with a deal we couldnt refuse. Other than the nameplate, Azera is as good as a Merc E or a BMW 5, at less than half the price.

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  Not a car for colder climates - 2006 Hyundai Elantra
  By MMRick726 - December 13 - 8:57 am

  I bought this car new in Sept. 2006. I wish I would have known how badly it drives in slippery and snowy weather and I have the manual transmission!! The windshield washer fluid pump freezes in weather below 32 degrees and it makes it impossible to clean your windshield when something should splash on it. Above 32 degrees, it works perfectly. Go figure.

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  More than just a good car for the value. - 2016 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid
  By Janet - December 13 - 1:58 am

  Got the Limited ultimate package in the Seaport mist/ beige color combo and could not be happier with this unusual car. Spacious with logical design such that I can easily learn and use all the features. The sunroof is to die for and the LED interior lights add a touch of modern sophistication. The engine feels so good that I forget its a hybrid (I previously owned a hybrid Camry and Prius). It stays on EV much longer than I expected. The runners up where the kia optima (I do miss the extra sub ports, surround camera and folding mirrors, but Im green and ok with the trade off.) and the Mazda 6 ( which I pine firm but wanted a softer ride and Apple car play). The safety tech like blind spot monitor works so well I cant imagine driving without it. Zero problem for my 62" husband. Other posters say it is a lot of car for the money and that always has a "good enough" ring to it. It is simply a great car. And as for prestige - well so far Ive seen two colleagues sneak up on the car in the parking lot to see what it was. Im sure they were smugly satisfied that it was not a BMW, but then again, so am I!

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  First 500 miles - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By scotts758 - December 12 - 8:03 pm

  This is the second Hyundai I have owned. The first one I drove 130,000 and turned it over to my Son. The car still runs very well. I had a Honda Pilot SUV before and liked it better but its a lot more pricy then the Santa Fe so you have your trade offs. I bought this vehicle on the last day of the month and actually walked out of the dealership because they wouldnt meet my price. Three hours later they called me and agreed to sell me the Santa Fe for what I wanted. Always buy at the end of the month. You will get what you want or the dealership just couldnt do the deal.

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  Great Car for the money! - 2008 Hyundai Elantra
  By Stephen - December 12 - 3:30 pm

  I must admit I wasnt at all excited about getting this car. I had to lower my payments quickly due to some financial changes. I looked at the Mazda 3 & the Honda Civic. I just couldnt get a better price for the features that I got. My car is loaded with everything including leather. Im very impressed with the fuel economy & I already have over 6k miles on my car. Rear seat passengers are always impressed with the leg room that a car this small offers. I am very happy with my decision and recommend this car to anyone in the market for an upscale economy car. it cant be beat for the price.

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  XG350L - 2005 Hyundai XG350
  By lulub - December 11 - 8:56 pm

  Lots of long distance driving, very comfortable. This car replaces a Mercedes 300E. Handles well in inclement weather, solid and stable. Feel very secure.

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  My first hyundai - 2012 Hyundai Sonata
  By sonata20t - December 11 - 10:59 am

  The car is excellent for the value. Hyundai put a lot into this car regarding quality. I purchased the car new with all maintenance included. I have owned the car for 1 year so far. No issues. Important: You have to do the maintenance on this car or it will not drive like it is supposed to. Also, the car has a GDI engine. Please read up on the engine. I bought a turbo because the engine runs better with it. I have seen mileage fluctuations but it was related to gas and oil. You have to put premium in once a month. Chevron with Techron is best. It does require injector cleaner once every 2 months to keep up the MPG. Buy the maintenance with the car!!!!!!!!