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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  The right pick! - 2005 Hyundai Accent
  By bob ODwyer - December 17 - 9:39 am

  Only have 300 miles on this car and so far it is great. Very happy with its performance. Just did my first fill-up and got 29.6 mpg. That sure got a big smile on my face.

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  Great Car - 2001 Hyundai XG300
  By teetalk - December 17 - 2:00 am

  13000 still like new will buy a 2004

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  16 months ownership - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By motorman409 - December 15 - 11:46 am

  Bought the vehicle 16 months ago. Have 28K miles on vehicle. Its been as good a vehicle as I have owned. My buddy just bought a Limited, and another buddy bought a Sonata Limited, partly because of my good experience with the brand. Vehicle is quiet, warms up quickly, runs smoothly. Vehicles are expensive in Canada compared to U.S.

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  Max review - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By mrodrick - December 15 - 11:03 am

  I am saving 70 dollars a weak on gas which ads up and with the extra cash it pays itself.Its a great ride .

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  Upgrade! - 2016 Hyundai Elantra
  By bigboy42 - December 14 - 7:28 am

  We just upgraded from a windy sea blue 2013 to a windy sea blue 2016 (we really love the blue color). Our 2013 was the preferred equipment package which we thought was comparable to the 2016 Value Edition. After some research, we realized that the Value Edition is actually a huge upgrade when it comes to options. Our new car has black cloth interior. It is a huge upgrade from the 2013. the cloth feels much more upscale. The shifter actually has a leather boot instead of the plastic track, definitely better. Push button start and proximity keys are great. The back-up cam and touch screen work great so far as well. We also love the sun roof. The exterior chrome and turn signal indicators on the mirrors are nice touches . Our 2013 averaged about 33mpg all the time and 40-42 on the highway. So far the new one is averaging about 31. I think it will be comparable with a few more miles. I only have two minor issues. This car has great fuel economy, but it really could use more horsepower. We have two fairly steep inclines that we travel regularly, and the engine really works hard to maintain speed. I know the sport and limited models have more horsepower, but just 15 or 20 more in this car would make a noticeable difference. My other issue is with the rear view mirror. My 2013 had the auto dimming mirror with the compass. I know it seems like something small, but shouldnt a car with all these great options have an auto dimming mirror?

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  Love My SE! - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By melibrarian - December 13 - 8:43 am

  Picked up my new Sonata SE a week ago and really love my car. NO rattles or noises to report. Driving it is so much fun as it hugs the curves and handles very well. Cant agree with others who say the acceleration leaves something to be desired; I find it zips along just fine, thank you. Yes, the low profile tires give a slightly bumpy ride and the horn is in dire need of a testosterone infusion. Lots of interior room, a very important factor since Im a large person, and comfortable seating in the front and rear. I optioned out of the navigation/moonroof package and dont regret it a bit. I havent enjoyed driving this much since getting my learners permit 30 years ago.

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  great car for the money - 2008 Hyundai Tiburon
  By ed - December 12 - 7:36 am

  Youre not going to get the styling & features for the money in any other car. My main complaint is I could use a little more headroom. The sun roof takes away some of the headroom. Im used to driving cars in this price range & I have to say this is the sportiest car Ive had in a long time. Gas mileage could be better. I dont think I get the mileage advertised. Seems like I dont get very far on a tank of gas.

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  XG350L--Excellent Choice! - 2003 Hyundai XG350
  By jimbo33 - December 12 - 2:00 am

  What a great value! So many comments about the luxury look!

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  Simply a great value - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By M Heider - December 10 - 10:33 am

  Blown away by the overall look and feel of this car which cost $19,700.00 My friend has a G35 and I still cant figure out why anyone would pay twice the price for more horse power and a nav system. Just a great overall value for a driver who is financially smart without a need to impress.

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  Leader of the Smaller SUV Pack! - 2007 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Christy A Jacobs - December 9 - 1:50 pm

  Only have had the car about a week but it drives great, real smooth and has comfortable seating. I love the Nautical Blue color I have. So far no issues, but I have only 320 miles on it. I am a loyal Hyundai owner (traded in my Elantra plus my husband has an Elantra) and the Tucson does not disappoint what I have come to expect with Hyundais. I got the base model, but boy is it loaded with features for a base model! The only complaint I have is the GLS seems to be a touch underpowered at a 140 HP 4-C engine. But then again, the 4-C gets better gas mileage too. Got almost 400 miles to my 15 gallon tank full, so thats not bad.