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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  Worst Car Ive ever owned - 2011 Hyundai TUCSON
  By amym71 - January 19 - 10:10 pm

  Bought this car thinking it would be perfect once the kids left home. I couldnt be more wrong. The seats are very uncomfortable. The bluetooth wouldnt work. Within the first month, the brakes were squealing so bad, you couldnt hear the radio. On cruise control at 70MPH, the transmission started slipping then started in everyday driving. I took it to service, they found nothing on the diagnostics. Before anything else could go wrong, 10 months into owning it, I traded it in. I will never own anything from Hyundai again and will tell everyone I know about this horrible car.

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  Warning: Test-driving this vehicle will compell you to purchase it - 2012 Hyundai Sonata
  By cecmazda6 - January 19 - 4:54 pm

  Please, do not test-drive a Sonata Turbo unless youre youre ready to buy, because youre gonna be compelled to buy it. The engineers of the 2.0 turbo Sonata are geniuses. The GDI was already cutting-edge for the regular 2.4 4-cyl, but the performance and fuel efficiency of the 274hp turbo are just pure genius. Simply put, its a rocket. I effortlessly pass pretty much any car I want, anywhere, at any time, yet I get consistent 30-35mpg on the highway WITHOUT the ECO on and enthusiastic driving. Even the softer limited suspension handles tight corners with great agility (18" low-profile tires help too). Beautiful engineering. And oh yeah, did I mention its beautiful to stare at as well?

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  Nothing like anything on the road. - 2012 Hyundai Veloster
  By edz3 - January 19 - 2:33 pm

  Exciting exterior design is what drew my attention. And the high fuel efficient engine was what got me hooked. Its been about 2 weeks since I bought the car and I have been pleasantly surprised by the sporty handling. I have owned faster turbo engined cars that cost more but never had this many features. I love how frugal this car is on gas. The GDI engine was designed for regular grade gas and it is very efficient as well. I easily get 40 mpg on the highway and it seem to be the most efficient around 45-60 mph. I love how the 6 speed manual transmission shifter just slides and clicks into position. The clutch travel is very short and smooth compared to other cars I have driven.

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  Bravo Hyundai - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By tinydog1 - January 19 - 12:23 pm

  Have owned my Azera for 2+ months and I am happy to report it has performed flawlessly. I love everything about it, looks, inside and out, excellent build quality, great performance, super quiet and great ride. I find it to be a great touring car. Excellent feature content on Ultimate package for the price.

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  Very good car, could be better! - 2015 Hyundai Sonata
  By John - January 19 - 6:37 am

  Ive had the car for a little longer than a year with almost 6,500 mi. Its my first Hyundai and Im generally impressed with the overall build quality and performance of the car. Because of its quietness and solid road feel, it makes a great trip car. The seat support is very good and the dash arrangement is logical which makes it easy to use while driving. The roomy back seat is comfortable for 3 adults and the oversized trunk is well laid out, great for grocery getting and large suit cases. A few miner complains though; (1) Exhaust note, needs to be refined, doesnt sound all that great. (2) Holds first gear a little too long when accelerating even in sport mode. Overall, I really do like the car. The outside styling is very nice and the ride is firm and takes most bumps and dips in the road with a secured refinement. I just couldnt give it a perfect 5 stars. Sorry, Im picky!

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  Original Owner, finally got it correct - 2001 Hyundai XG300
  By KD - January 19 - 2:33 am

  Original owner. Purchased for warranty. Thank God. First 72K Hyundai covered new Trans., rear struts, 3 radios and many, many sensors. After warrentee, found if you replace all 3 coils at once, and the air mass flow sensor, $800 total, she has been running extremely well for the last 40K. Have 135K on it now (8/2/09) getting 26 to 27 mpg w/o AC and 23.5 to 25 w/ AC. Find it comfortable for a 64 long legged guy. Overall good car because of warrentee and loaners from dealer.

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  Go Ahead - Compare - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By Jill - January 18 - 3:25 pm

  I cant say enough about my first Hyundai. Drove Avalons for 10 years then when ready I compared Avalon with Azera cost less & has a better warranty. I LOVE my Azera. It rides as nice & easy as a Lincoln or Caddie has a powerful engine, comfortable seats, easy to reach dash controls.

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  skip the GPS Navigation system-buy a portable - 2013 Hyundai Sonata
  By Rick - January 18 - 10:31 am

  Navigation system doesnt work. If you were where the indicator says you are you would be swimming in the ocean. took it to a dealer and they wanted $5k to replace it...i wish he was joking. He wasnt. I took it to another dealer and they charged me $400 to update the maps. It worked for about 3 months. Now I am swimming again. You can go to mapnsoft.com and do it yourself for $169.....its cheaper to buy a hand held portable GPS system.

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  Problems with being reliable - 2008 Hyundai Veracruz
  By Dianna - January 18 - 10:00 am

  The first week I had It I had to have the battery replaced. The other day I started it up, put it reverse and it gave a hard jolt. 5 minutes later I pressed the gas pedal down and It would only go 5 miles an hour. I stopped, call road service and when he arrived it miraculously was back to normal. The next day, it wouldnt start at all. I do have a 100,000 mile warranty but this is my very first Hyundai. I have always owned Toyotas. I am very discouraged and only hope whatever the problem is, they find it, fix it and I have no more problems. I have never had any problems with any of my new cars before. 4 xs in 2 years is 4 times too much. I have to have a reliable car.

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  Great car - 2010 Hyundai Sonata
  By pat - January 18 - 10:00 am

  The ride on a long trip is great! Ive made 2 long trips (over 2000 miles each) My first trip I averaged 34 mpg and the second trip only 32.5. On good pavement the car is very quiet at 70 mile per hour. On some pavement at that speed there is an annoying sound. In town the mileage is only 22-24. The ride is soft and comfortable both on a long trip and in the city. In the city at slower speed the car is very quiet.