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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  Good buy for the money and reliability - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
  By LJ - October 29 - 6:33 am

  This is my second Elantra, both 5spd manual, the 04 model got all the newer details just right,i.e., dash construct, console style, and AC features. Very happy with the overall car and drive experience, fits long and short trip needs. Roadside assistance has also been a very nice feature when keys get locked in by mistake. Power feels good and is responsive, but I miss the gas mileage I used to get with my Toyotas. Cant see why I cant get that yet with these cars... So, overall scale of 1-10, 8

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  exterior noise - 2009 Hyundai Elantra
  By beth - October 28 - 12:55 pm

  Can hear a lot of the road while driving but other than that a great car so far.

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  Front Seat Comfort takes away from excellent ride - 2017 Hyundai Elantra
  By Paul - October 28 - 9:28 am

  Im a big guy- 6 feet tall 240 and the front seat in the SE is not giving me support- my back aches driving to car but I am planning to get a special seat cushion- this is an ok car and lacks some extras that could make the car more technical savvy- Only one USB that we can find- No back up camera, and a CD player?? We wanted the basic model to lease AND WE GOT A GREAT DEAL.......payment is only $180 a month with zero down- Dealer was very knowledgeable and we were in and out in under two hours- that was cool- car looks awesome- and has a lot of room vs the competition- but it is like a rental car and I wish Hyundai would have made some simple additions in technology to the basic SE model-

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  Loved My Elantra - 2001 Hyundai Elantra
  By Scott - October 28 - 3:05 am

  Had my elantra for 8.5 years and had NO problems. Started up every time. Performed routine scheduled maintenance only. I bought it straight out of college. Would not have just upgraded, except I wanted 4 wheel drive after a bad winter last year. Was worth way more to me than trade in value. Gave it to friends in need of a car.

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  Y Spend More ? - 2003 Hyundai XG350
  By mike h - October 28 - 2:00 am

  nice ride, great interior and features.atrractive appearance. no one recognizes it as a hyundai until i tell them. its my 1st new car in 15 years, and i cant imagine going back to used vehicles. alot of bang for the buck with the XG350L. enjoy

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  Love! - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By Approve Hyundai - October 27 - 7:50 am

  I bought this car used at 10000 miles and the only reason I would go to the dealership was to change the oil or change the tires. I love the Hyundai and it is good on gas! I drove this car from Miami to Tallahassee (which is a 600 mile drive) like 10 times and I drove this car from Miami to Washington D.C (which is more than a 2000 mile drive) and I still have no issues. Theres little things that gets on my nerves but overall good car. Now my car is at 80000 miles and it is still running great!

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  Best Hyundai Ever - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By dutch047 - October 24 - 2:00 pm

  So far so good! I love the comfort of the vehicle and cant beat the interior designed. But with standard stafty features this is one of the safest suv to buy, espeacially with a family.

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  Crashed Approved - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Chambers - October 23 - 11:25 pm

  This is my second review. Wife and daughter T-boned a lady driving a Saturn Outlook doing 50 MPH in our Sonata GLS, then spun out into a ditch. Based on the damage our car was totaled. The Sonata held up very well, all 4 doors would still open and the front end crumple zones took the impact very well. I was very impressed with the safety of the vehicle, both wife and daughter walked away pretty much unharmed. I would buy another Sonata based on this alone, including other features like the fun to drive, comfort and reliability factor. BEST car on the market for the money, hands down.

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  Fix the brakes - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By On the right track - October 23 - 1:43 pm

  Hyundai has continued to build more stylish vehicles, improve quality, and keep prices reasonable. This suv compares in options to the more expensive Lexus and Acura, but at a more reasonable price. Of course, its not equal in quality , materials, and status as the forementioned. Safety is the main concern for me. This suv is filled with safety devices from the air bags to the drivetrain. Im waitng for the side impact crash results. The one area of concern is the very long stopping distance. Im cinfident Hyundai will correct this problem.

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  the best for the price - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By couchy32 - October 23 - 10:00 am

  This car is realy good, specially for the price. the manual transmision do the job. and his 135hp are realy acceptable.