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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  First Glance - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By justme - December 31 - 4:30 am

  Whats this poor gas mileage? Got 26.3 mpg on the first trip of 320 miles! Sound system is great - cruise control is tight and the ride is solid. Its just fun to drive and Ive been doing that for over 45 years. What used to be extras are included - heated outside mirrors, fog lights...and what a warranty that includes roadside assistance. Seems impossible to beat or even come close!

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  Lovein My SantaFe - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By SantaFeMan - December 31 - 2:00 am

  I love everything about my 4 cylinder SUV!! I have recommended the vehicle to 3 other friends and they all have bought them as well!!!

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  Santa Fe More Room for 6 people PLZ - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Florida Guy - December 31 - 2:00 am

  This is very good or the money,the model does not seem from year to year. For people over 6 a litle more head room or lower the seat. Can not beat the price of arong $22k loaded.

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  SANTA FE - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By MSNICKY - December 31 - 2:00 am

  iT WAS NICE BUT I WOULDNT DEAL WITH THE SAME DEALER SHIP I BOUGHT IT FROM

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  The best value for your buck - 2012 Hyundai Sonata
  By jay105 - December 30 - 11:30 pm

  I am very careful when I buy a car because I tend to keep them for long time. I built a matrix to help me decide what car to buy. The objective parameters (I add one subjective at the end) where: 1.- First class gas mileage . 2.- Excellent Crash Ratings 3.- Better than average warranty 4.- First class in space 5.- Better than average 5 years cost to own ) 6.- Excellent Price. Two cars came on top Hyundai Sonata/Kia optima. Both leaded the pack in gas mileage, tops in crash ratings, but the Sonata was bigger than the rest in almost any measure,great price tons of added standard features (Bluetooth was important because recent laws) around $2000 cheaper than Equivalent Camry/Accord

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  Smart buy! - 2002 Hyundai Accent
  By Millercupl - December 29 - 11:22 pm

  Bought my Hyundai for $3800, valued it between $5,200 and $7,200. Id never buy a new car, they lose value from the get go! Anyhow, I went looking for a used Hyundai because other family members swear by theirs. Zippy car, 5-speed, roomy, and reliable! I keep looking for problems because I practically stole this vehicle, but truthfully its a dream!

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  For Real! - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By Texas - December 29 - 7:54 pm

  This CAR IS FOR REAL! Ive been getting around 26 in the city (semi- aggressive) and around 32 on the HWY (70-80 mph), 34 if I drive normal. i have never had leather, a 6 cd changer, or a moonroof! I Love it, baby! Couldnt of got that with the pontiac vibe, toyota matrix, mazda 6, or the chevy maxx (with extras, all these OVER $23,000!!! It just doesnt add up, does it?)

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  More then expected - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By patches2 - December 28 - 3:16 pm

  I like the feel when you get in the vehicle and how quiet it is. When you start the vehicle its extremely quiet. I test drove the vehicle for 2 hours after I figured they ( the dealer ) knew I was serious about making a purchase. I took every kind of road in the area and it was smooth. The excelleration was exceptional, smooth, with no hesitation of problems with the trans. The stero has something to be improved upon I can only load 1 CD at a time. But the sound is just OK.

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  I love my Tuscon Limited - 2011 Hyundai TUCSON
  By fly girl - December 28 - 7:13 am

  Just purchased the Hyundai Tuscon and I love it. Very comfortable seats. Went to Dayton, OH and got about 26 miles per gallon. Highway noise was limited, and the ride was comfortable. Plenty of driver and passenger leg room. The controls are very easy to reach. Good pick up and go. Was able to pass with having to floor it like I did in my Saturn Vue. So far I am very pleased.

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  Better than Germans - 2009 Hyundai Genesis
  By rodman - December 28 - 12:43 am

  This is my 96th vehicle and one of the best, if not the best. Ive owned many Toyotas as well as other Japanese, German, Italian and American cars. This one has the quality, the luxury, the comfort, the performance, the fun-to-drive and great gas mileage.