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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  Getting alot for a little - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By Johny B - October 12 - 2:00 am

  Its amazing how you get so much in this little car for so little. The same features on any other car would cost you thousands more! Things like the airbags, leather, sunroof, the tripometer (I love that thing), heat mirriors, the seat, and the good cd/soundsystem. Another cool thing is the great handling it has for small car. I can drive that thing like I never thought possible! For only having one hundred and some horsepower it sure does have some go. And above all that warranty is the best!

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  Satisfied Elantra Owner - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By A. B. - October 12 - 2:00 am

  Have had Chrysler, GM, Honda and Toyota cars, as well as one of first Sonatas sold in this country. The Sonata was in the middle of the stack in terms of quality, but towards the low end. However, it appears as though Hyundai has made a lot of quality improvements on its more recent vehicles. With 13,000+ miles on it, the Elantra has thus far been a trouble free car, and has been an easy car to get into and out of, as well as drive, for this 62" driver.

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  Peters - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By psdchgo - October 12 - 2:00 am

  Best Auto I have ever bought

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  From an SUV to a car: - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By Medical Transcript - October 12 - 2:00 am

  A little disappointed that it has already been in the garage to replace rack and pinion due to leak. Jeep was never in the garage in 8 years except for oil changes, etc.

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  Really is inexpensive....not cheap! - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By Giovannitx - October 12 - 2:00 am

  I was skeptical of buying such an inexpensive car. I thought it would be cheap. After 6 months, I really couldnt be happier. It both looks and drives great!

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  I LOVE this car - 2008 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Caroline - October 11 - 11:40 pm

  I have only owned this vehicle for a short time, but I already love it. I love the exterior and interior design and the price tag was great too! It is sporty, and practical compared to some other sports cars, especially with gas prices being at 4.14 per gallon where I live. When most people first look at this car, it takes them a while to realize that it is a hyundai tiburon. In my opinion, it somewhat resembles a Maserati GranTurismo. Compared to my friends 2008 honda civic si coupe, this car is more solidly built and more pleasing to the eye inside and out. Overall, I love this car and would definitely recommend it!!!

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  GREAT CAR for the money.... - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Good Car - October 11 - 5:53 pm

  I am only 16 years old and this was my first car and I bought a 2002 Hyundai sante fe and I bought it used at 60,000 miles and for about 6,200. I was hoping to get an suv because I have to drive about 2 hours each weekend during the winter through the snow and this car holds up really well, I dont have the all wheel drive version but even just the 2 wheel drive does really well. Its great in snow and rain. Another reason I got this car is because for an suv it has pretty good gas mileage. Its a good car pretty cheap and I love I highly recommend it. The only thing I could complain about is how when I go over 70 the wheel shakes but that has happened since I had the car. But great car!

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  Great Smaller Car - 2008 Hyundai Elantra
  By Lane Benda - October 11 - 3:20 pm

  Traded large car on this car because of fuel prices and no longer needing a large car (Buick). Looked at other makes of this size car. This one was the best for the money and has a lot of new features found on cars costing much more. My wife loves it. Drives nice and looks good. Gas mileage on the road is OK. In town driving gas mileage is great. Has a lot of pep and can go in traffic great. Nice car for the money.

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  Ode to Tibby... - 2004 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Tracey - October 11 - 3:03 pm

  My Tibby (as it is affectionately called), is very reliable and is fun to drive. I am the 2nd owner and I have put almost 20K miles on her in less than 12 months. It is a not a five passenger car in my opinion, but a two seater with a comfortable rear seat for luggage or a pet in the back. ;c)

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  Glad I upgraded! - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By KWilli024 - October 11 - 10:00 am

  I just traded my 2010 Sonata for the 2011, and the difference is unbelievable. The car has cleaner lines, ECO mode, and I love the power lumbar feature. ItÂ’s amazing how much acceleration from a normally aspirated engine. My dealership experience was pleasant as well. I was also impressed with the fact that I can play music from my cell phone using the Bluetooth and MP-3 mode on the radio. Nice job Hyundai!