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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  Beauty With A Slim Price Tag - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By Beauty With Brains - June 21 - 12:46 pm

  I just purchased this car for my fiance and myself. We are leaving behind a 2004 chevy ss impala.This new flagship sedan from hyundai is their best yet. Smooth ride with enormouse amount of room in the interior. Design is flawless, and for the sticker price of 29,075 is not too bad. Tons of safety features that will have you looking at hyundai in a whole different light. Interior was well thought out.I can say that i have had four cars and this one tops this one. but dont take my word for it go and test drive one and you will see what i mean.-Jason

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  Great Overall Vehicle! - 2006 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By BoboSmith - June 20 - 4:00 pm

  I think the vehicle is great in almost every respect. The only problems are gas milage and the initial quickness off the line for this type of vehicle. If you like to launch off the line when the light turns green, you know what I mean. The midrange acceleration is quite good though. It is great for passing on the freeway etc. Overall, this baby has a lot more pep than I expected from a V6. It handles like a car and yet it has pretty good ground clearance for taking camping trips. This is also where the roof rack comes in handy. God for your tents, chairs, sleeping bags, etc.

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  Great SUV for the price & dog friendly! - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Donna Sanchez - June 20 - 7:43 am

  This is the third Hyundai weve owned and they just keep getting better and better. I liked the Santa Fe but thought it was a little too goofy so I was leaning towards a Toyota Highlander. For a much better price, we got a great SUV thats good looking and has a lot of zip to it. We bought the GLS with the body cladding instead of the LX because were in Texas and certainly didnt need the seat warmers and I preferred the stereo system that had the cassette player anyway, but I wanted leather, so our dealer used a local shop and gave us much better quality leather than Hyundai offers for much less than the LX package price. Great fold-down flat rear seats for the 3 dogs!

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  This is the one! - 2006 Hyundai Tiburon
  By betchadee - June 20 - 12:25 am

  After going through car after car after car buying beaters I bit the bullet and finally bought something nice. My boyfriend who has owned a Tiburon already looked it over and gave it a good word. Ive had it now about a week and so far I love pretty much everything about it, whoever had it before me put after market exhaust on it so it sounds like a completely different car. I did notice that my tires are quite worn and I will have to replace them in about 2 to 3 monthes. The passenger side window motor has either been disconnected or no longer works, Im taking it up to a dealership tomorrow to have that looked at.

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  Our little Osage - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Bill W - June 19 - 9:46 pm

  We have found that our Santa Fe performance to this point has been excellent. We have made a couple of road trips and it is very comfortable. I am over six foot tall and had problems getting in or out of the Honda CR-7 and the Toyota Rav-4, that is one reason we selected the Santa Fe. Another reason we selected it is for the safety and warranty it provides. .

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  So easy to maneuver - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Marshall Lewis - June 19 - 7:33 am

  I owned an Acura previously but because this was so stylish and comfortable I bought it anyway, plus it has 6 air bags. It is extremely easy to handle, and extremely comfortable. It hugs the road very well. I also like the heated seats, 6 CD changers, great sound system. And again the design is a real attention grabber.

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  44000 miles and no problems - 1999 Hyundai Sonata
  By EDISON - June 19 - 2:00 am

  This has been a wonderful car... I have owned more than 18 cars in my lifetime,and I have really enjoyed this one. Not one problem with this car (2000 GLS V-6) I enjoy the sunroof and the feel of the leather seats ... the quiet and smooth ride have been a real pleasure on road trips... just a few months ago we drove more than 3000 miles on a road trip and my car achieved 27-28 mpg - with the Air on and driving between 60- 80 mph. I receive positive comments on the looks of the car quite often (silver w/gray leather). I have placed 16 inch chrome wheels in place of the stock wheels.

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  8 months so far so good - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By Billy - June 18 - 6:06 pm

  The car is doing well for my driving. It is easy to get 25 mpg or better while around town and 30 to 35 on the highway depending on wind and temp.

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  No Problems with My Santa Fe - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Stephen Gons - June 18 - 4:50 am

  I bought my Hyundai new as my first car and other than routine oil changes and 30 and 60,000 mile services....I have had no problems at all. It runs great and drives well in all types of weather conditions. I would love to get a newer one, I love the new body style better.

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  Totally Impressed - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By B777 - June 17 - 10:50 pm

  Smooth comfortable ride, plenty of power, and very sedate on the highway. Many people are asking me about the car. They rave about it more than I do! Striking Good Looks, and Great Hyundai Reliability and Warranty