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 BANG FOR YOUR BUCK! - 2007 Hyundai TUCSON
  By v_tech2007 - August 8 - 6:40 am

  I just bought this SUV on 3-12-2007 Ive only owned it for a couple days, I was going to buy a tiburon but my wife talked me out of it since we have a 13month old. Overall I have to say I under estimated it. I LOVE THIS SUV, I had 2 blazers before this and man they were gas hogs, this gets around 300mi off a full tank. It has the same motor as the tiburon so the performace of a 4cyl is equal and I liked that alot! What more is there to say I LOVE THIS TRUCK!

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  Tucson - Everything I wanted - 2006 Hyundai TUCSON
  By StirItUp - August 8 - 6:10 am

  I purchased my Tucson just before Christmas last year and have just over 10,000 mi now. Im VERY happy with the vehicle. When I was searching I wanted all the luxury features but had a very strict budget. This vehicle allowed me to get all I wanted and keep within my budget. I think everyone looking for a vehicle in this class should definitely give the Tucson a look. And Im impressed with the gas mileage for being a V6. My Mother owns the Honda CRV and I get the same gas mileage as she does and I have the V6!

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  Celadon Green - 2004 Hyundai XG350
  By Kitty Grandma - August 8 - 2:00 am

  I had a 2002 XG350L that was totaled in a 4-car collision this month. It was damaged both in the front & in the rear. I was able to drive it home after & was surprised to find it would be totaled. I was perfectly safe & walked away from the crash with no injuries. Yesterday, I picked up my new car--yep! another XG350L: this time a 2004 & a different color, but I want to feel as safe as I felt during that accident. I intend to have this one for a very long time!

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  Its not a Jag? - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By Chazrads - August 8 - 2:00 am

  The car is comfortable, easy to drive, and can get out of its own way.

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  A Sleeper - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Pritchard, Keith - August 8 - 2:00 am

  Affordability, style, comfort of ride, price and warranty cant be beat in the auto industry. This vehicle is superior to any Ive shopped for or driven, bar none. Interior room excellent compared to SUVs in same class.

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  Awesome - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By jedisebs - August 7 - 10:00 am

  Ive had this car for just over a week now and I can say that its more than I hoped it would be. Im very happy with this car. I get a lot of good looks from people and I can only be completely satisfied with the ride it gives me. I recommend this vehicle to anyone looking to have a good time for small bucks. The sound system is incredible. I set off a bunch of car alarms with my subwoofer :) I thought it was funny. The best is smoking all the souped up civics. They give it that dirty "its a hyundai" look until I get ahead, cut them off and flash my hazards. I love doing that.

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  silver beauty - 2002 Hyundai Sonata
  By benstep - August 7 - 10:00 am

  Bought a 2000 Sonota in Sept. 2000. The car is great. Sun roof, wood trim, etc. The performance is very good and the car gets 29.5 mpg on a trip with 4 adults, luggage, air on and driving 70. Big negative. The dealer was terrible. The sales manager was a thief. I knew the facts and stood my ground and got a good deal. The car was worth the hassle.

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  Best kept automotive secret! - 2002 Hyundai Sonata
  By bigshoe - August 7 - 10:00 am

  I have owned Nissans and Toyotas but the 2002 Sonata is by far the best car for the dollar I have ever owned. My initial enthusiasm has not worn off. I only wonder why Hyundai doesnt spend more bucks on national advertising..they sure have the car that more people need to know about. I rate it a 9.8!

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  First - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By ncb - August 7 - 8:02 am

  Bought car used in june. took 8000 mi trip to western states in July. Car performed excellently, especially in mountainous ares using manual shift. I believe the car is well worth the money for the performance & warranty, but concerned about trade-in value or resell value.

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  Fun to drive - 2005 Hyundai Accent
  By Dereck - August 7 - 12:03 am

  Fun car to drive, love the body style and interior, except the cup holders. Gets decent gas mileage and has plenty of power to get out in traffic and stay with it.