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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  Checked them all - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By wvlawyer - October 13 - 10:00 am

  I tried every small and mid-size suv on the market. For the money, the Santa Fe has them all beat. It drives better than all but the Rav4 and the Forester, but comes in a V-6. Its bigger too, with more features. The only worry is whether it will be reliable, but with a 100K mile warranty, Im hoping this wont matter much.

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  Bought 55 inch tv with money I saved - 2002 Hyundai XG350
  By jagrimm - October 13 - 10:00 am

  I bought a 55 inch tv with money I saved by not buying the Toyota Avalon. Great car!!! Great price, awesome value, bought a titanium XG350L for for $22,040, invoice $23,200. Dealerships have some great incentives from Hyundai to sell volume.

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  Best Value - 2002 Hyundai XG350
  By Daman - October 13 - 10:00 am

  We looked at several near-lux cars. The XG350L stood up to all of them for far less money with a better warranty. We got a very good price and a decent trade-in allowance for our old car. We also got Hyundai 2.9% financing for 48 months. It was the most pleasant buying experience and we have owned many cars over the years. The car is smooth and quiet, handles our rural roads very well and it a joy on the interstate. A very under-rated car! Car loafs along at higway speeds, about 2200 RPM at 70 mph! We got 24 MPG on first tank of gas with very spirited driving. A Lexus at 2/3 of the price!

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  I CANT BELIEVE ITS A HYUNDAI - 2009 Hyundai Genesis
  By johnnyb - October 12 - 11:16 pm

  I can tell you from owning a BMW, that the Hyundai Genesis is a very comparable and as high a quality as you can believe.It has great extras with the navigation and bluetooth. You cant ask for much more in a beautiful car. Great style and luxury.

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  Happy, happy, happy - 2003 Hyundai Sonata
  By Jim Nagourney - October 12 - 9:25 pm

  I previously owned a Lexus 400, and thought I was spoiled. In a move to economize, I bought the Sonata. Of course, it does not perform like a Lexus, but I have been nothing but happy. I have 50,000 miles on it and it ahs not cost me an extra penny beyond regular maintenance and replacement of consumables. The dealers treat me like a Lexus customer. I will never buy any other brand.

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  11K - First Report - 2009 Hyundai Genesis
  By Habu71 - October 11 - 8:26 pm

  This car is simply a stunning thing to behold. It looks good, drives well and is very comfortable for my 6,2 frame. On a recent round trip from Florida to Cleveland the car averaged around 30.4 mpg at highway (some mountain driving) speeds. I deem that outstanding considering the cars size and weight. I have two complaints; 1.The suspension seems to hit the bump stops quite often on choppy roads. 2.Sometimes the rear doors wont automatically unlock. This situation happened after a software update to the car. The dealer will check it out at the next service. Other than that I am a "happy camper."

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  vics review - 2001 Hyundai Elantra
  By Vic - October 11 - 7:19 pm

  So far I am impressed with the looks and comfort of the Elantra. I got 35.9 mpg on a distance drive which is below our 01 Civic(41mpg) and 00 Saturn SL2 5-spd(40 mpg) and about equal to an 01 Sentra 2.0 L. It feels more like a Camry in quietness except for road noise. The handling seems very similar to the Camry---not sporty but good. Will it be reliable4---time will tell!

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  Amazing Coupe for the $ - 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe
  By sponge - October 11 - 4:13 pm

  Was trying to decide between G37 and BMW 328...was driving by the Hyundai dealership and decided I would check out the GCoupe just for kicks. Wow, I was immediately impressed. While its not a G37 and its not a BMW, it is pretty darn close..but way cheaper. Given the uncertainty in the economy, I thought maybe its best if I save some money this time around. I have not been disappointed. If it didnt have the Hyundai emblem, people would be paying big $ for this. Hyundai has definitely upped the ante with this one.

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  Just bought a certified used hybrid - 2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid
  By kurtster1 - October 11 - 3:23 pm

  I just bought a lease return 2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid. I prefer cloth so I was glad to find this a basic package car. I love it. Averaging 33 mpg where as my Jetta got 20 in town. Such a quiet car and have had it up to 72 mph on the interstate in electric mode. So far, it rocks!

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  Excellent choice - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By Margaret Bergwall - October 11 - 2:59 pm

  I got this car in January 2004 and on one trip I took from Florida to California I averaged 34.9 gallons per mile. I set it on cruise control at the speed limit (which varied) and kept going. Didnt check the mpg until I got there and needless to say I was pleasantly surprised. I am trading it in for a 2006 Santa Fe only because I need more hauling capacity for things I buy.