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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  Best car for the money - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By Orako - October 29 - 10:00 am

  I love this car. There is nothing to compare with the Accord or Camry. This is the best interior, exterior, mechanical... and cheapest one. The ride is very comfortable like any American car. The only thing I am a little bit disappointed is the audio. Its not bad but feel like an Aiwa. The subwoofer is not that good and I think its better to have 8 speakers rather that 6 for the limited.

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  Best Buy - 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Geoff Lamm - October 29 - 5:53 am

  Have had this car for 4 years and not one problem. Use it off road on occasion and performs well. Plenty of room inside. Has met all of our needs at a great cost.

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  Most bang for the buck you can get - 2008 Hyundai Sonata
  By Kevin - October 27 - 9:16 pm

  This is an outstanding vehicle, far more for your money than anything else on the market. Great features, impressive performance, and eye catching style. The engine has a great combination of power, performance, fuel economy, and smooth operation. Everything about this car is impressive. Every time I drive the car I feel that I am in a car that has to cost over $30,000 and cant believe all this was had for just over $20,000. Hyundai stands behind their cars like no other company, and the built quality shows. This car is built to last at least 100,000 miles with minimal repairs. This may be a Korean car company, but the Sonata is built in Alabama with 35% US/Canadian made parts.

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  Happy owner - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Lori & Mike W. - October 27 - 7:13 am

  This is a very fun SUV...it is small enough to fit in parking spots in the city yet roomy enough ot fit a lot of camping stuff for the weekend away. I am pleased with it.

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  OH WHAT A CAR - 2003 Hyundai Sonata
  By G.CHARLES - October 26 - 1:00 am

  GREAT DRIVING CAR AROUND TOWN AND ON THE ROAD. RECENTLY COMPLETED 2000 MILE ROAD TRIP WITH THREE OTHER ADULTS. AVERAGE 32 MPG USING CRUISE CONTROL AT AVE SPEED 62 MPH. ALMOST ALWAYS USE THE SELECT SHIFT SIDE. FIND THAT IT INHANCES PERFORMANCE OF 4 CYCLINDER ESPECIALLY UP HILL GRADES. DEALERSHIP (NORM REEVES-TEMECULA) HAS BEEN OUTSTANDING. NO HASSLE PURCHASE, ONLY ONE MINOR PROBLEM. ONE WIPER BLADE MADE NOISE WHILE IN OPERATION. THEY REPLACED BLADE AND NOISE WENT AWAY. VERY ROOMY FOR FOUR FULL SIZE ADULTS. LOTS OF HEADROOM. VERY COMFORTABLE. VERY COMPETITIVE PRICING. GREAT WARRANTY..

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  Hyundai Grows Into Luxury - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By Bill - October 25 - 3:40 am

  I just transitioned from a Lexus LS 430 to the Hyundai Azera LTD with the Ultimate package. This car is new and its hot!! Fit and finish is flawless and the quality of the components is second to none.

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  Glad I bought it - 2003 Hyundai Sonata
  By Anthony from Texas - October 25 - 2:00 am

  The car is beautiful and its perfect if your on a budget like I am. I drove the car brand new from Texas to New York and back. No problems and the ride was extreamly comfortable. The warranty is great and Ive had no problems with the car as of now, I have 15000 miles on it. Get one - theyre inexpensive and will last for a long time.

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  Very Impressed - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Reddye - October 25 - 2:00 am

  Hyundai was the last SUV I test drove and I knew within 10 minutes that it was the one I was going to purchase. With the many features, interior room, and gas mileage, you cant beat the price when compared to other SUVs in its class. Having to drive for long periods of time and in many traffic jams in a city like Houston, it is the ideal vehicle. I am constantly recommending this vehicle to others.

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  First Hundai - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By PhilJr. - October 25 - 2:00 am

  Bought my first Hundai two days before Christmas. I would have liked the V6, but settled on the 4 cyl. Acceleration is more than sufficient. Ride is smooth; seats are comfortable; styling is superb. Combination highway & around town is 26 mpg which I consider excellent because the car hasnt even been broken in yet - 360 aggregate miles. With limited resources, I was very P&Q (Price & Quality) conscious. The price was right, the quality is apparent, & their warranty manifests the confidence of Hundais engineering for the next 10 years or 100,000 miles. As a discriminating buyer, I was completely sold on this car.

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  great buy - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By jgirl@aol.com - October 25 - 2:00 am

  We were looking for an affordable SUV. We looked at Ford but every feature was more costly. The Santa Fe offered all the features we wanted as standard.