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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  Ill never have ANYTHING ELSE! - 2002 Hyundai Sonata
  By Casey - May 30 - 7:02 pm

  I bought my 2002 Sonata Lx in Sept. of 2002, we have put almost 70K on the car in less then 2 and a half years, we just go everywhere in it! We drive 100 miles a day to work round trip, and love the ride home at the end of each day. And with the 2006 comming to the dealer, You can bet Ill be the first in line to "move up" to the sleek new body.

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  A wonderful car - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By twowheels - May 30 - 12:58 am

  Its been a wonderful car. Drives well, comfortable, good mileage, and a GREAT bargain! Id replace it with another if the need arose.

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  AMAZING. - 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By L.Murphy - May 30 - 12:03 am

  Fuel economy not the greatest. But compared to a truck, its great. The only thing Im not totally impressed by is the 2nd and 3rd row air ducts for heating. they dont blow as hard or as hot of air as the front do. Other than that it truly is the smartest and best buy Ive done in a long time. Great job to Hyundai, and building vehicles that extremely reliable.

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  Love it - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By Barbara Hardy - May 28 - 7:11 pm

  Fun to drive, plenty of pep

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  Love our Sonata - 2008 Hyundai Sonata
  By dburch16 - May 28 - 7:30 am

  We purchased an Â’08 Sonata GLS w/ popular equipment pkg about 1 month ago. This is an extremely quiet, comfortable car. The amount of equipment you get for the money is amazing, and the mileage is exceptional also. With the first 2 fill ups we are averaging between 28.5 and 29.5 mpg with our 4 cylinder with automatic tranny in mixed driving. I am anxious to see what the mileage will be on a longer trip. Every time I drive it, I marvel at how solid the car is. After this winter, our roads are in the worst condition they have been in the last 30 years and I have yet to hear any kind of a rattle or squeak. Nothing looks, sounds or feels cheap on this car. We are very happy with our Sonata.

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  Love this Car - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By David - May 28 - 6:00 am

  I just Love this Car. It has great looks, drives wonderful, handles great, fun to drive, reliability and quality unsurpassed. The many standard features, both for convience and safety is unmatched even in cars much more expense. I believe this is the best keep secret in America. Great gas mileage for a engine this size - V6, 235 horse power. I get 23 in city and 34 on the highway.I just dont see spending several thousand more dollars for a Camry or Accord, etc.I would compare this to one any day! You cant go wrong with this car.

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  GOOD SOLID CAR - 2005 Hyundai Sonata
  By DEB - May 27 - 8:14 pm

  A GREAT CAR. VERY RELIABLE. GAS MILEAGE IS INCREDIBLE. LUXURIOUS FEEL AND LOOK. I WOULD HIGHLY RECOMMEND.

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  Impressed! - 2005 Hyundai Sonata
  By n1cdr - May 27 - 2:29 pm

  I love this car..I have owned many cars in my lifetime but this one impressed me the most! I fell in love withit the moment I saw it on the road. For the money you cannot beat it.

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  best value i found - 2005 Hyundai Accent
  By jenn - May 27 - 1:52 pm

  this car has made traveling to and from work an easy hassle-free item in my everyday life. Maintnence is easy and the warranty makes it the most complete package

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  Veeeeeery nice - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Richsap - May 27 - 10:00 am

  Very nice ride for the price. Paid about $5 under invoice when all of the optional equipment I had thrown in for free was considered. I felt I got a fair shake on this purchase. Didnt appreciate the high-pressure sales and finance techniques and questionable business ethics.