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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  Its the perfect car - 2003 Hyundai Accent
  By kristinac - November 13 - 2:00 am

  I just bought a brand new 2003 Accent and I love it, it is a very comfortable ride and it looks more expensive than it is. I was very impressed at how quiet it is and how good the sound system is for being stock. For a small car, it has guts. It has more horses than most cars its size. The best thing about the model I have (4DR sedan GL)is that its so convenient, with power everything. Its no Mercedes but it has a very stylish apppearance, very futuristic and nice looking.

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  Just Purchased - 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By The Black Family - November 12 - 9:56 pm

  We were sceptical about buying a Hyundai at first, husband sold in late 80s and it was wasnt pretty at that time, HOWEVER after doing research and test driving, we are surprisingly happy with the design and the performance of our 2005 Santa Fe. For the money and the options there is NO comparison. Hyundai beats the competition hands down. The warranty and dealer incentives are the icing on the cake. Hopefully it will be a dependable vehicle and we will definately update our review. Some of the reviews are comical at best (illuminated cruise control?) that would not be noticed if everything wasnt already illuminated. Ignore the Reliability rating above-doesnt count =)

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  Best Family Hybrid Sedan - 2011 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid
  By ohio_pop - November 12 - 7:28 am

  My family has 2 Sonata hybrid sedans because they are safe and fun to drive, get good fuel economy, handle well including braking and transition from EV to gas motor engaged. The car has excellent power when it is needed because the electric motor can supplement the gas engine. The Sonata hybrid has the most interior room of any hybrid sedan that cost less than $40,000. I read the negative reviews from some and do not agree with them. The cars equipment, such as the excellent Bluetooth hands free phone use, all work well. The cars ride is very smooth and quiet. In contrast to comment - the electric engine operates only at low speed, I found that the car will go into EV mode at 60+mph

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  I love my Sonata - 2003 Hyundai Sonata
  By lucynethl - November 12 - 2:00 am

  I never thought I would ever own a Hyundai, well this 2003 Sonata is my second. In 94 I bought an Excel and still have own it, I love the reliability. The Sonata looks like a Jag and runs awsome. The truck is huge and the back seat is very comfy for my 2 kids. We will be buying more Hyundais

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  One Heck of a Contenda! - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By jww - November 12 - 1:23 am

  Ohmigosh - Hyundai have shocked the heck out of me. This is a fabulous car, no doubt about it. If you can get over badge snobbery, and are in the market for a new family sedan with some punch check this car out. It is as good as Honda or Toyota, and is far more feature rich than either of the Accord or Camry. Hyundai is close to setting the standard here.

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  I love my new SUV! - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By theone - November 11 - 10:00 am

  The car is perfect. I was upgrading from a Ford Escort and was worried about the Fuel Mileage of a SUV. I was shocked with the gas mileage I got. I would like a few things better on the interior because Im a smoker, but Ill get over it.

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  Impressed - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Ivashie - November 11 - 10:00 am

  I would never have thought that I would by a Hyundai. That changed 3 years ago when I purchased a Sonata, and just recently traded up for the Santa Fe. I am equally impressed with both of them.

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  Why would you buy anything else - 2003 Hyundai Sonata
  By cdb - November 11 - 2:00 am

  As soon as I saw the updated Sonata with the Jaguar-ish front end I knew I had to have one. Who can afford a real Jag? Not only is this a beautiful car but you get some many features for a reasonable amount of money. Even the plastic wood-grain trim is nice. And I also got abs and traction control and still kept it under $20k. Ive had the car for 19 months and just hit the 50k mark. Its only been in a shop for its regular oil changes and its 30k tune up. I have had many compliments on my car. I loved it the day I bought it and 19 months later I still do.

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  My Second Gen Coupe - 2013 Hyundai Genesis Coupe
  By briten88 - November 10 - 12:55 pm

  I had a 2012 GenCoupe auto that I was disappointed with and traded for this 2013 2.0T Manual which is a huge improvement in performance, economy, interior fit and finish. Having owned 5 mustangs I was ready for a change. With its modern look both inside and out, better suspension, and value for the dollar I am happy I switched.

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  Made The Switch! - 2012 Hyundai Sonata
  By sackc26 - November 10 - 1:12 am

  Coming from a 2010 Nissan Altima SL 2.5, I needed to get out of my lease (I just got a new job that requires a 35 minute commute each way). I researched Honda Accord, Ford Fusion, Toyota Camry, Subaru Legacy, Honda Civic and the Hyundai Elantra. To me, it wasnt a tough decision. I opted for the GLS base trim and although I missed out on power seats, chrome interior handles and alloys in the GLS Option #2 package, it boiled down to what was important to me. The base still has bluetooth and XM (my Altima SL didnt have them both), and the performance is the same on all trims. The car drives well also - fluid steering, nice acceleration and great MPG.