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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  Awesome Car !! - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By Joe D. - June 25 - 9:53 pm

  I looked at the Accord and test drove it and then looked at the Sonata and the choice was easy to me, Hyundai was a no brainer buy for me hands down, got the Platinum edition and you just cant beat the price.

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  Great value, solid car - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By Paul - June 25 - 11:03 am

  I have had my 2009 Sonata Limited for about 10 months now and could not be happier. There was an irritating rattle in the drivers side window that the dealership took a couple of tries to fix but other than that I have no complaints. The V6 gives good acceleration when needed and the handling, while not sportscar-esque, is smooth and pleasant. Excellent brakes. I commute every day about 30 miles each way through some mountain passes in Northwest Washington, which can get dicey in the winter. Or for the rest of the year it is raining. The Sonata is a good inclement weather car, at least for these parts. I have averaged a solid 30 mpg highway miles and 25-27 in town. Very solid, reliable car.

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  Lacks Pep - 2007 Hyundai TUCSON
  By JohnQ - June 25 - 8:40 am

  I ve had my Tuscon for several months now. I love the design and layout - both inside and out. Very impressed with the quiet, smoothness of the ride. Handles corners very well. But lacks power on hills. You would expect better from a 6 cyl SUV that only gets 23 MPG. Just things to consider. However, for me the pros outweigh the cons. I am very happy with the purchase.

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  Look out! Toyota! Its comin to get ya~ - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By yount79 - June 25 - 5:50 am

  First of all,Im very proud of Hyundai. Korea is where I came from and even though I love my home country, I never thought Id buy a Hyundai. But, I truly believe this new Sonata can kick some serious rear! (especially camrys and accords). I bought it six months ago, so far I have no problems to report.

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  Very Nice Car - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By Mike - June 24 - 7:53 pm

  I bought this car in March and my mother liked so much she went and bought a fully a loaded limited with the Nav. I have heard some people saying they are not getting good gas mileage. Sounds a bit odd as I am averaging between 38 and 40 mpg. But of course, I do not "punch it" and I drive between 65 and 70 mph which is the optimum speed for mileage. As far as the looks, very nice car, love the inside. The SE version I bought is a bit more stiff because of the suspension, their is a difference as I drove my mothers limited and it is noticeably softer so if you dont like the stiff ride. The GLS or limited would be the car to get.

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  What a surprise! - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Bryan - June 23 - 4:13 pm

  I went to test drive this car because my wife got an e-mail offering $50 to do so, but we had no intention of ever owning a Hyundai! Unlike the 2005, this car ROCKS! I cannot believe how well it handles the road, the way the engine responds to input or the over feel of quality and smoothness to this car! The real selling point to me, was learning that Hyundai has built a $2 billion facility in the U.S.A. I feel good about this car and know I made a smart choice. It has value, good looks, is an absolute JOY to drive and best of all? Im feeding OUR economy by buying it... unlike so many "American" cars. GM, Ford, others (you know who you are), you have let us ALL DOWN!!!

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  Reviewers are wrong! - 2013 Hyundai Veloster
  By rcarra - June 23 - 12:24 pm

  I have to say the base veloster is a great car. Im going from a 2009 Hyundai Elantra and have to say after 4 years Hyundais styling and build quality has improved. The base engine is fine with six speed automatic and paddle shifters its like having a manual shift car. If you know about cars you would know a mushy peddle means mushy performance. This car has a hard gas pedal so it means the engine has power on tap. I only own it a day and have to say its nibble sporty and does have power on tap. So stop giving this car a bad review, most owners love the car like I do.

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  Best SUV Ive Ever Owned - 2011 Hyundai Veracruz
  By Obi_wan - June 23 - 10:00 am

  Im a previous 4Runner & Sequoia owner. No more Toyotas in my future. I purchased the Veracruz and Sonata in August. Wife drives the Sonata, and I drive the Veracruz. I love it! Took it on a trip from Illinois to Oklahoma and was thoroughly pleased. Extremely comfortable ride.

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  2011 Hyundia Limited 2WD - 2011 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Joe - June 23 - 10:00 am

  The Limited meets my expectations and is fun to drive and use. It is comfortable and gets very decent gas mileage. Highway driving at 65 mph with some steep hills averages 29 mpg. Country driving at 45 mph averages 32 mpg. I let the cruise handle the gas instead of my big foot.

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  Review after 1 month - 2011 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Stef - June 23 - 10:00 am

  When I made my decision, competition was between the Tucson, GMC Terrain and Chevy Equinox as these were the only small SUVs that provided the combination of things I wanted. Deciding factor for Tucson was PZEV option and overall price was a good 10K less than the others comparably equipped. Fun to drive, very nice inside and the controls are very intuitive. Ride is tight, more like German cars. Mileage has been better than expected given I drive lots of hills.