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 BAng For your Buck!!! - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By Thundercat - June 8 - 3:33 am

  I was going to buy an Accord or Camry when I decided to also test drive the 08 Sonata SE. As soon as I got it in, I knew it had something special.I couldnt find an 08 when I was ready to purchase it so I decided to get the 09 Limited V6 instead in Willow Gray(nice color!). It offers an excellent, comfortable, & quiet ride. 30 days and 1,015 miles later heres the scoop: Mileage is about 17-18 mpg/local and Im averaging 23-25/hwy.(Not bad considering its a 249 Horsepower/6 Cylinder). The ride is very smooth and responsive. The bottom line is this: Dont worry about its resale value, save your $, and go with it. At least test drive and consider it vs. its peers.

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  Excellent Car - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By swork - June 7 - 6:56 pm

  Ive had this car for over two years now and its been very comfortable and reliable. A cv boot needed replacing a year ago, but was completely covered by the warrenty. Otherwise, the car has given me no problems. The ride is a little "boaty" and the gas mileage is something like 17 miles to the gallon. . .which in these times is not great. However, I feel its a great deal for the money involved.

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  Fantastic Car! - 2006 Hyundai Accent
  By pearl15_1999 - June 7 - 5:10 pm

  The 2006 Accent sure has impressed me. I have had it for 3 months now and Im very pleased with its performance. Very good gas mileage, am averaging about 31 mpg combined. It is very quiet and drives very nice and smooth on the highway. I have not found any faults with this car yet. It does not have cruise control but I would buy another 2006 Accent in a heartbeat if something happened to this one.

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  Hyundai Elentra 2.0i GLS - 2000 Hyundai Elantra
  By Califorguy - June 7 - 10:00 am

  I am very happy with this car. Very comfortable, reliable, good gaz mileage (measured 31 mpg on average) and a lot of standard features for a reasonnable price. Also the engine 2.0L 16V engine of 140 HP is powerful enough for all situations.

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  What a Deal! - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By Cyn - June 7 - 10:00 am

  I traded in my 1990 Acura Integra for a new Elantra. The Integra had sports suspension, terrific handling, dual overhead CAM, and real spunk. I was afraid Id have to make a "fun" sacrifice in order to have the Hyundai Elantra. I was wrong! It handles wonderfully, corners and accelerates well. And it cost the same as my Acura did in 1989!

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  Better than the rest - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By jeffhall76 - June 7 - 10:00 am

  I like my Elantra GT more and more every day. Solidly built with a lot of attention to detail and an incredible value for the money, I have no regrets on buying this car. Its a Saab at half the price!

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  Good Value with a glitch - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By vmh - June 7 - 9:33 am

  I was impressed with the presentation, comfort, and features of this car. Initially considered because of its extreme quality rating, I liked the drive as well. One problem is the hesitation of the accelerator. The dealer indicated it cannot be fixed and it is a computer problem, but I find it hard to deal with rush hour traffic. The hesitation makes reacting a hazard. Also had a problem with the rebate check that took 5 weeks to show up. Otherwise, the car is loaded with great features.

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  The Blue Ravyn - 2004 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Blue Ravyn - June 7 - 9:20 am

  My experience with my 2004 Tiburon is that it is FAST!!!! I love driving it. Everywhere I go people ask me "What kind of car is that?" When I tell them that it is a Hyundai they are amazed. They proceed to tell me how stylish it looks and how much they love the color. I also love the sound system.I only wish I could have gotten it with a CD changer. Performance wize it shifts like a dream,has great pickup and as I stated before it is FAST!!! I love my car!!!!!!!!!!! THANX RIK

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  Hyundai Lies About Its Warranties - 2000 Hyundai Accent
  By HyundaiLies - June 7 - 8:04 am

  I faithfully serviced my car at the dealer but immediately after servicing it for a problem, they left me stranded in the desert w/the same problem just after the first warranty ran out. Before the 2nd warranty expired, it burned and leaked oil like crazy. I had to fight Hyundai tooth and nail for everything. If anyone buys a Hyundai & believes their ads, theyre missing a chromosome. Spend the extra money & buy a HONDA or anything else.

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  Great car for the price - 2008 Hyundai Sonata
  By Raja - June 6 - 5:50 pm

  After renting cars for the weekends for six months, and thereby driving a lot of cars extensively, I purchased Sonata. And Im happy I did it. I got a GLS with all options included, for $18500 (including 7.75% tax). The nearest rival in the same category, in terms of features and ride quality, would have been a Camry SE. Thatd be $6000 more, at least. Ive driven the following cars extensively (tested them as my potential next car): Civic, Accord, Corolla, Camry, Malibu, Cobalt, Maxima, Sentra, 9-3, Sebring, PT Cruiser, Caliber, Avenger, Elantra etc. and found Sonata delivers the most for the price. maxima and 9-3 have far superior ride and handling, but costs a whole lot more.