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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  Comfort & Style - 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Sherry - August 8 - 12:36 am

  I traded in my 2002 Crystal Blue for a 2005 Black Obsidian Santa Fe and once again I was not disappointed. I went from a wonderful 4 cylinder that once saved my life in a crash, to an upgraded 6 cylinder model that I couldnt be happier with. I dont need the oversized SUVs which are on the market and the Santa Fe fits our active lifestyle just perfectly. Our family of 4 can pack everything we need in this beauty for a week away camping or at the beach and still travel comfortably with room to spare.

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  Great Car and Fun To drive - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By JimmyCregan - August 7 - 10:00 am

  Buy one, you will be glad you did.

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  My Elantra GT Hatchback (5M) - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By VB - August 7 - 10:00 am

  Love this car! Just turned One Year. Have 8300 miles on it. No major problems at all. The plastic bolts on the wing in the back broke, the dealer fixed them. Very comfortable and decent mileage, when driven carefully.

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  Best Car in the Midsize Category. - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By Richard38 - August 7 - 2:10 am

  Just took delivery of a 2011 Hyundai Sonata SE Pearl White. Sticker-$23,650-Options-Pearl White Paint-$200, Floor Mats $100, IPod Cable-$35. Looked at Accord EX and Camry SE. Car is far superior to both, larger, better equiped, XM Radio Standard. Offered a unbelievable deal on the Camry SE, but the new Sonata is a much nicer and better equipped car.

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  Great! - 2016 Hyundai Sonata
  By Charles Miller - August 6 - 5:38 pm

  We love the car. We are repeat buyers.

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  I LOVE this CAR! - 2017 Hyundai Elantra
  By Kimmy G. - August 5 - 3:21 pm

  I was looking for a car with upgraded technology- My must haves were Back up camera, Navigation, lane change alerts and heated seats. I got the best of all of these along with dual A/C which means I can stop arguing with my spouse about the interior temperature. I cannot believe we got all this in an Elantra! This is my 3rd Elantra (2008/2012) and I honestly wasnt going to get another until I saw this beauty on the lot (shimmery beige). My 2012 got horrible gas mileage, so i wasnt expecting much. To my amazement, I have been getting 33-35 mpg every tank, so that is a mix of all driving. I dont gun it to accelerate, but my husband does, so it is truly a combination of all driving. This week, 35.7! I am not reading the MPG that is on the screen, I am calculating it when I fill my tank, based on miles i drove, so it is completely accurate! It took me awhile to figure out the navigation, but it high quality and great graphics. My only tiny complaint, is that the screen is so sensitive, it is not easy to touch and scroll. I still havent gotten used to that. It has way better acceleration than my 08I have never been happier with a car. Definitely a "BUY!"

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  1996 model better than new model - 1996 Hyundai Accent
  By bosou - August 5 - 2:00 am

  This car is excellent for short distant commute. I put 43k on milage on this car since 1996 and still in shiny, new, excellent conditition. Longest drive - Las Vegas, longest single drive without turning off engine - 7 hours. Fuel consumption is excellent - about 37 - 40 on highway (on economy gear option).

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  Impressed with 2011 Sonata Ltd. - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By Al - August 5 - 1:50 am

  Car rides very smooth and quiet. Pick up for a 4 cyl is excellent and cruises very nicely at high speed. The mileage per gallon is great. averaging about 25 around town and 33 on the road. Could do better on the road if I keep it around 65 mph.

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  Great Mini Van for Family - 2007 Hyundai Entourage
  By YongJin Park - August 4 - 2:50 pm

  Hyundai made wonderful first mini van. It has all options with low price and #1 warranty. Smooth riding, roomy space, enough power... You will love it!!

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  Very Satisfied - 2000 Hyundai Elantra
  By InCogNeTo - August 4 - 2:00 am

  Overall I LOVE this car. Have it only 9 months but trading in for a Chrysler Sebring Convertible. Im a bit nervous cause this car is very reliable, great on gas. Im not nervous to travel alone (im female) Not afraid of breaking down. It only had 25M (11/01) now has 28M (8/02)