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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  Lemon - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By hytib03 - March 18 - 10:06 am

  I bought this because it was so cute! I now know more about cars than I ever thought I would. This car has had almost everything go wrong. Its not built to put 100 miles on it daily.

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  A contender - 2008 Hyundai Veracruz
  By Anders - March 17 - 11:00 am

  I have the 2008 base model. I am very impressed by how good the car is, both in performance, comfort and design. It is very competitive with the 2005 Honda Pilot I also have. In exterior design and ride it is even better. My only peeve is the audio quality, which lacks resolution and "life" compared to may other OEM systems.

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  Great Car - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By Earl Stout - March 16 - 7:48 pm

  The best car for the money I have owned. Previous vehicles owned have been models from Nissan, Honda, Volkswagon, Chevrolet, Mitsubishi, Oldsmobile, Fiat (Fix It Again Tony), and Pontiac. The Hyundai Azera is fun to drive, economical and has elicited raves from gas station attendants, car wash operators, and passersby.

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  My baby - 2006 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Liz from Queens NY - March 16 - 6:50 pm

  I picked up my Santa Fe in August 2006. My hubby & I have a house in PA. We travel out there on weekends and Holidays. I noticed the caravan of Santa Fes on the highways. We look @ each other with wow I made a great choice on this SUV. Sometimes my husband and I start to count on a given trip we counted for about one mile there were at least ten on the same highway. Four were the same color as mine. I love my truck, and just like my American express I never leave home without it. Great SUV, great price for it and relly a reliable. Liz from Queens NY

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  Gotta Love it - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By boston - March 15 - 11:58 am

  I bought my Azera in Feb 06 and I love it. Ride, performance, reliability is fantastic. Truly a rich car for low price. Tested the big 3,Avalon,BMW and Lexas and found the Azera to be as good if not better and for 5 to 8 Thousand less you cant beat it. The only draw back is the mileage is not as stated, only 13 or 14 mpg city. Since the Azera is computer controlled for gas you have to have more highway then city to keep your average up to 18mpg. Take a long ride after filling the tank and your miles to empty will move up to 373+ and your city mileage will increase to 18+. Anyone who passes up on purchasing the Azera is missing out on the best car of this decade. Im totally satisfied.

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  Best Car I ever owned - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By Carmen - March 15 - 3:13 am

  I cant wait to get up in the morning and drive this car. I had a 2002 and a 2006 Sonata all trouble free and enjoyable to drive but they do not compare to the style and performance of the 2011. I cant believe the low fuel consumption for a car this big and powerful acceleration. Too early to tell about reliability but if it is anything like my previous Sonata ownership I will be very happy. No matter where I go the car is a head turner. Most of my friends did not think it was a Hyundai. A lot of car for the money. The bluetooth is amazing and should be mandatory in all new cars. Just touch the button on the steering wheel and make or answer a call via the radio.

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  Its OK - 2003 Hyundai Sonata
  By JY - March 15 - 2:00 am

  I bought this car because of the price. I personally prefer Japanses cars, but financial problems always happen to everyone, I believe. Compared to my old car, Nissan Sentra, its really not fun to drive. But it rides pretty smooth and pretty comfortable. BUT I would definitely go back to NISSAN!!! Just invest a couple of thousands more.

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  great car - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By jim c - March 15 - 2:00 am

  Have owned many vehicles--vans, SUV, sedans, sub compacts--this is among the best I have had--as soon as I brought it home, my wife decided she liked it more than her 2001 pearl white Sonata, a larger, more expensive vehicle. For all of you looking at the more expensive Corollas, Sentras, and Civics, please do yourself a favor and drive this one also. Happy car hunting.

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  Entourage GLS - 2007 Hyundai Entourage
  By pipeman - March 14 - 11:04 am

  This is my second Hyundai, we also own a 2002 Sonata with 96K miles. I have nothing but good things to say about Hyundai. Great value and exceptional warranty. We test drove the Odyssey and Entourage. I honestly thought the Entourage was more refined and better handling. The Entourage is also very well powered, it jumps takes right off and does well on highway passing. The saftey features cant be beat. I have 2 sons and a baby on the way, this van is the safest on the market. The value and saftey cannot be beat. We picked the GLS since we dont need the fancy features. With rebates and loyatly owner incentives, I was able to get my Entourage for under 22K out the door.

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  Great Bang for your buck - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By Cecilia - March 14 - 5:06 am

  I considered the Honda Accord & Toyota Camry before deciding on the Hyundai. The most noticeable features which impressed me were the whisper-quiet interior and feature-rich Limited package. The Honda accord had nicer exterior stying and better handling, but for the thousands of dollars more for equivalent features, was simply not worth it. As others have noted, the suspension needs tweaking- it leans noticeably in corners, and shock absorption on rough roads ruins the otherwise quiet isolation in the cabin. Overall, its an excellent value for someone looking for a refined luxury ride with exception power from the 3.1L V6 engine. Overall, Im very satisfied.