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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  Great Car - 2005 Hyundai Sonata
  By Dennis - May 19 - 10:40 am

  Just passed 90K with no major problems. Changed timing belt, spark plugs and trans/coolant fluids. Front brakes at 75,000 miles and regular oil changes are all that has been required. Runs great, very smooth. Best car for the money I have ever purchased new.

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  Great car - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By ric - May 17 - 2:13 pm

  Great handling and performance, big trunk, $6k less than Honda or Camry, have 40k miles, tires to be replaced soon, brake pads good for another 10k, seats leather good quality, mileage 20 in town 30 highway fast driving engine computer/02sensors/mixture control have problems-carry obdii reader to reset engine codes, best car in 60 yrs.

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  Solid Transportation But - 2002 Hyundai Sonata
  By BigJim - May 15 - 1:49 am

  I now have 94K miles and the car has provided 100% reliable transportation. Most reliable car Ive ever owned. BUT - the electric antenna never worked right from day one, the clock goes on and off and I cant turn the radio off. It keeps coming on at random times. Love the car, it drives wonderfully, very comfortable, no repairs except oil and tires. Good mileage. Still looks shiny and new. The Rick Case purchasing experience was horrible (very manipulative) and their service dept isnt any better. They charged me $460 to do back breaks but only did one and charged me for both. Found a work light hanging from my car when I got home! Ill buy another Sonata soon but not from them.

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  Love our Hyundai - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
  By David - May 14 - 2:54 pm

  I love our 2005 Hyundai. We bought it because it was the best bang for the buck and weve had 0 problems with it even after owning it for 3 years now. The only thing Ive done with the car is get the brake pads fixed. Ive had to buy a new battery, but thats about it. I could not be happier with the car. It is true that the door handles and some other of the interior knobs might feel cheap but thats not important to me. They dont break, its just Ive read that things like that might make a difference for some people.

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  My first car! - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By Deputy Tut - May 14 - 1:10 pm

  This is my first car and i love it! But i have a few problems. The caps for the fogs lights come off real easily. I have a check engine light on for a cylinder 3 misfire. The emergency brake barely works, the headlights dont last long. The power steer is shot. The power antenna doesnt work. But it is an extremely reliable car. I plan to own it for a long time. I would recommend this car to anybody.

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  Hasnt cost me a cent in repairs - 2002 Hyundai Sonata
  By Pearl - May 13 - 11:58 pm

  Ive owned this car for 8 years and other than oil changes and brakes, it hasnt cost me a cent. There was only one minor steering problem a few years ago, which was covered under warranty. It still rides like new. I would keep this car forever, but Im ready to try out a Hyundai Santa Fe. Hands down, best car Ive ever owned, and Ive owned quite a few over the years.

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  Fun to drive, pretty and good on gas - 2007 Hyundai Elantra
  By KC - May 13 - 8:45 pm

  My car is great. I had 2 door handles on the same side of car break in the first yr, but warranty cvd it. Must have been a bad batch! This car sips gas, I get 30 mpg regularly. Ive driven over 50,000 miles on it (20,000 on it when we bought it used in 2008) & enjoyed every minute of it. We used to rent cars to go visit family - no more. Ours is more comfy and has XM too! Paint does scratch faster, body has a few bumps (8 yo son=damage!) but its really a great buy. The trunk is HUGE & thats why I purchased it. I carry lots of equipment for work. I can keep it in this car, AND go get a few groceries too! Really, its an amazing trunk! Wish the carpet wasnt tan, but it cleans up pretty well.

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  First new car - 2009 Hyundai Elantra
  By Megan - May 11 - 8:04 pm

  This was my first new car, actually my second car all together. I like the car and I think that for the price, and being that I do a lot of short trips, that it has yet to let me down. I do very well in gas mileage. Most of my trips are under 8 miles, to school and work. Took it on a long trip to visit colleges and the gas mileage was MORE than expected. I love it, and look forward to buying from Hyundai in the future.

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  TIMOTHY - 2008 Hyundai Sonata
  By Timothy - May 11 - 2:06 pm

  Ive had two Sonatas since 2001 and they have BOTH been without major problems. Great little cars, Great price and minor write-up have been resolved by Hyundai. By the way, Im REALLY NOT an employee!!

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  more than we needed - 2010 Hyundai Genesis
  By kced - May 11 - 12:31 pm

  Weve owned the car for nearly a month and its been great! Fabulous highway and city driving. Decent fuel efficiency for the engine size (V6). Very smooth and quiet ride. The interior leather and finishes are beautiful. Everyone asked why we bought a Hyundai (had looked at CPO Infiniti and BMW). After they ride in it, they dont require an answer.