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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  True Fun! - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Mench - September 14 - 2:00 am

  There is nothing we could complain about. The quality is superb, it rides very well, and its a head-turner, wherever we drive that beautiful creation!

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  Check Engine - 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Jadejaws - September 13 - 6:26 pm

  No Sante Fe owner can tell me he/she hasnt seen this light WAY too often. Overall not a terrible car, but the interior has cheap flimsy equipment (the steering wheel literally started to come apart in my hands). I am rid of this car now and couldnt be happier about that. Maybe the later models were better, but way too many "out of warranty" repairs were needed on this vehicle. The stated MPG is an outright lie and I was lucky to get 16 MPG most of the time. I can honestly say that of the 6 cars I have bought new, this was without a doubt the absolutely worst one (1999 Mitsubishi Eclipse a very close second).

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  Quality dropping - 2012 Hyundai Elantra
  By Thomas Klose - September 13 - 5:14 pm

  I have had 5 Hyundais in my family in the past 10 years. All experienced issues with rusting underside, and around all the brakes. The most recent 2012 Elantra went in with a value tap, and they replaced the engine. All the other models are known to have engine issues, but they were in denial on this model. They also pointed out the accelerated rust on the undercarriage. Speaking to other Hyundai/Kia owners, there is an obvious pattern where some cars had this rust issue, others did not. My local mechanic said the underside looked like a car that is frequently parked over the grass, but this car was always on pavement. There is something wrong with their undercoating or lack of in manufacturing. The dealer wanted to charge to fix it. When we got the car back, with the new engine....we immediately traded it in for another new car...not a Hyundai this time. Update 9/2017. Many of our friends with Hyundais says dealerships trying to blame owners for the excessive rust issues on the undercarriage. Said its our fault when its likely lack of rustproofing or bad/cheap metal used in body. FYI: Car always parked on pavement. Also, everyone I know also had the engine replaced. They traded cars in for other brands.

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  I will never purchase another Hyundai - 2001 Hyundai Tiburon
  By trisha - September 13 - 4:50 am

  I presently have 67,000 miles on my car. Recently, I have had nothing but problems it. Although I have done all the scheduled maintenance on this vehicle, everything not covered under warranty is wearing out. In the last couple of months, I have had to put almost $2500 into it to keep it running. I am also being told that the clutch and the power steering are going at this point. I have taken care of the car, and not run it hard. This is my second Hyundai (my first was in the 1980s), and I thought with the warranty I was getting a better car. Not so. The drive train warranty covers only the internal engine and internal tranny parts - the dealerships dont tell you that. Buyer beware.

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  Hyundai is here to stay - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Beverly Nunley - September 12 - 2:16 pm

  This is a great little SUV. So roomy and comfortable seating too. The warranty is unbeatable and proves that Hyundai is confident in its product. The standard ammenities that it comes with just surpass all others (cd, 8 airbags, heated mirrors, back defroster) just to name a few. The gas mileage is average for an SUV. Not great, but then again your not driving a compact 4 cyl car either. The dealership I dealt with was wonderful- not pushy or high- pressure. I foresee many Hyundais in my future. Actually have my sights on the new 06 Accent.

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  Excellent Buy! - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By BFS - September 12 - 10:00 am

  I have only had this suv for about a month but for the money, comfort, and warranty, it cant be beat! The only issues I have with it are minor.

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  Supra Wannabe - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Supra Enthusiast - September 12 - 10:00 am

  Its not that I do not like this vehicle, but if you really pay attention to its design, it looks very much like a TOYOTA SUPRA. Examples of this are the side air duct, only hyundai put the duct near the front end and not the rear and tried not to make it look like the toyota supra, the headllight shape, hood shape, side window frame shape, read spoiler, and the V6 engine that supra had and 6- speed that supra had.

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  105K and running - 2001 Hyundai Elantra
  By mostafaelgamal - September 12 - 3:15 am

  bought in 2001 had minor problems but warranty covered it especially the transmission was leaking @ 95K, and the dealer fixed the problem at no charge and made all the recalls on the car too. didnt do any other repair except the regular maintenance for 4 years now. Had all the luxury I want except navigation at a low price

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  Best Car Value - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By jed - September 11 - 7:43 pm

  After looking for a new car to buy over the last three years, I settled on the Sonata LX as the best value. This model seems to finally compare favorably to the accord and camry on design and quality. The V6 is powerful and fun to drive. It does look very similar to the accord. Seems like Hyundai tries in many ways to make people think it is a honda! It does all this for considerably less money. Major complaints are the gas mileage (average 15mpg with mainly city driving) and the front seats do not give much leg support for tall people.

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  Best Vehicle ever owned - 2008 Hyundai Veracruz
  By Larry Belcher - September 11 - 4:22 pm

  Bought this Veracruz in Nov. 2007 new, traded in a Lincoln Navigator. This has been by far the best vehicle I have ever owned and I have owned numerous vehicles. It will be 10 years old on Nov. 8, 2017, currently has 306,152 miles and still runs like brand new, still looks brand new. Only had routine maintenance done up until last year and had to replace the catalytic convertors (2 of the 3) and the rotors. Id did not hesitate to spend the $$$ for repairs. I only wish they still produced this vehicle as I would but another in a New York minute. My goal is to put 500,000 miles on this vehicle before I replace it unless it just totally implodes. Very proud Hyundai Veracruz owner!!!