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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  Bad Rotors - 2006 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By ryan.prentice - December 4 - 7:56 pm

  Rotors warp continuously. Warranted item but no easy fix. The red tape process for getting approval to replace a warranted item will have you eating blood pressure medication at age 30. Hyundai claims they have a "Bumper to Bumper" warranty for 5 years 60,000 miles. Good luck getting them to honor it. Not to mention the replacement of the wheel bearings and seals at about 15000 miles! Of course it took another 3000 miles for them to replicate the sound! Recently took a service manager for a spin and he heard it every turn but the service tech couldnt replicate, hmmm sounds familiar. Overall Hyundai promises you the best warranty but hardly delivers! Still trying to get the rotors replaced.

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  Great car - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By kim - December 3 - 11:20 pm

  After having BMW for years, I got very tired of the very expensive up-keep ($1000 every time you visit the mechanic, and $125 oil change) I decided to buy Hyundai, man what a great decision the car is everything you expect from a car that size plus some. My wife dumped the awful 2009 Camry and now I can not get her out of this Hyundai, it is quite comfortable on a long trip the gps is very user friendly, the dealer is extremely nice. In short I would recommend this car to my mother over in garbage that Toyota is dishing out.

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  1st Time Hyundai Sonata Owner - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By jac0bsdad - December 3 - 8:23 pm

  I have only had the car for eight days but I have a little over 400 miles on it, and Im very pleased so far. The car handles well and has an excellent ride! A very comfortable car indeed... My son calls it "The Luxury Cruiser"... I want to add that I had a 2001 Honda Accord and before that I had a 1993 BMW 325 IS.. I keep cars 8- 10 years, but this Hyundai is certainly as fine a vehicle as the Honda and BMW. Great power from the engine, excellent gas mileage, lots of features like Bluetooth, Dual Zone Climate Control, etc.. I test drove it and 4 hours later, I bought it. I also looked at the new Accord but the seats are way too firm.. I liked the Fusion but the Sonata has more room, etc.

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  Get One Before Everyone Has It!! - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By PCLIII - December 3 - 7:10 pm

  I set out to find a vehicle that was inexpensive by todays standards yet comfortable, safe, reliable yet fun to drive. I found the Azera. Quick off the block, very spacious, comfortable to drive. Responds very well and a sharp looking car inside and out. The leather is supple, controls are easy to reach. Why spend the money on the hood decal of Mercedes or Lexus, this car is fantastic. Bravo Hyundai and thank you.

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  Great Car! Great Price! - 2008 Hyundai Elantra
  By angelrose971 - December 3 - 1:23 pm

  My initial criteria for buying a new car was it had to have fuel efficiency of at least 35 MPG, have 4 doors, and be comfortable for me to drive. I narrowed my search to 3 vehicles, 3 different manufacturers. Surprisingly, the Elantra wasnt one of them but I decided to look at it after ruling out the Accent (only because of comfortability). Im not disappointed and very happy that I did indeed look at and test drive the Elantra. What a great car for a great price!

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  Awesome car! - 2000 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Nettie - December 3 - 10:00 am

  I bought this car for my daughter for when she turned 16 yrs old. I got to drive it for two yrs before having to hand the keys over! I absolutely LOVE this car. It looks great, handles great and was a great price. Now that my daughter drives it, I actually miss the car! BTW-my daughter is in love with the car too!

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  NOT GOOD - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Tracie - December 3 - 10:00 am

  I have had the vehicle for 1.5 years and had the transmission replaced once. Now I maybe looking at another new tranmission. Just got my oil changed and they informed me that I have metal scrapings in my transmission fluid. When I called the dealership, they said they are out of loaner cars and cannot get me in for 2 weeks. Very poor service! This thing has been in the shop for a good portion of my ownership. Maybe I got a lemon, but I would expect the dealership to go out of its way for me to rectify the situation. I am a young buyer and have many more vehicles to buy in the future. Sad to say but I will never buy another Hyundai!

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  Red Hot Santa Fe - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By linlouro - December 3 - 10:00 am

  I looked at a lot of suvs and read lots of consumer reports before I bought my Santa Fe. I am completly happy with my suv. The interior has plenty of room, the seating is very comfortable, great visibility, it handles great, a lot of vehicle for the money.

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  A pleasant change - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Normster - December 3 - 10:00 am

  This car is a workhorse! We bought it and immediately drove 5000 miles. No problems, good mileage and great performance. After a a year of research and looking at other cars, I kept coming back to think about the Santa Fe, and Im glad I did. Now if I can keep my college age son out of the car I would be completely happy!

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  What a dream car for the price - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By brookelynn - December 3 - 10:00 am

  I love this car I find the ride to be smooth, even on long trips! I also feel Hyundai has taken the time to place all creature comforts perfectly in any drivers reach and fit any drivers wallet. I never imagined myself at 25 driving a brand new suv. Even in the 2.7 size engine I feel the power of this beast but also feel I am in complete control. My Santa Fe feels like safe and sturdy luxury all around me, unlike when I am in my other halfs toyota rav 4 (I feel like Im in a can of pepsi!) The amount of room is amazing for cargo and people. Only my other half is quite tall he needs a bit more room.