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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  Spiffy! - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
  By Pat - January 3 - 2:16 am

  Great looking, comfortable, quiet on the highway. Sunroof very solid. Im getting about 30MPG after 1000 miles of mostly highway driving. Test drove both automatic and 5-speed. 5-speed is more responsive. In the very hot months of July and Aug., the a/c works like a charm!

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  turbo fan - 2012 Hyundai Sonata
  By alfred richter - January 1 - 8:56 pm

  have loved this car over the 4 years I have been driving it- great acceleration and great electronics it has been very reliable for me

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  Surprising Quality & Value ! - 2006 Hyundai TUCSON
  By jcast - January 1 - 5:46 pm

  Only driven 500 miles, but very impressed by the ride, abundance of amenities & overall performance -- it looks & feels larger than a compact SUV & the great warranty is an added bonus. The silver ext. with dark grey leather is very attractive & easy to keep clean. Toyota & Honda better stay on their toes cuz Hyundai is on the way up & has great financial resources to compete with them. Way to go Hyundai!!

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  solid upgrade from the elantra - 2006 Hyundai TUCSON
  By edbegly - January 1 - 2:23 pm

  love my tuscon. everything is good. rides well, enjoyable and evenlooks like a much more expensive car. only the gas mileage is the pits. very roomy with the fold down rear seats. store a load of stuff without any problem. my wife loved her escape until she drove my car, now she cant wait to get out of her lease.

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  A fantastic value, and what a true hatchback should be. - 2013 Hyundai Elantra GT
  By throwingshade - January 1 - 3:50 am

  I test drove all available 5 door hatchbacks on the market right now, and ended up with the Elantra GT. It was a toss up between it or the Ford Focus for me. What swayed me was the styling, including the interior. Nice! This car sets the bar for style and good looks. Also the warranties and standard feature set cant be beat. Although I did opt for the touch and go package, which includes keyless entry with push button start, sport suspension and 17 inch wheels. Hyundai has come a long way since the Excel, and I couldnt be happier with my decision. Toyota & Honda better do some homework, especially with their styling. Hyundais are much better looking, inside and out.

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  Never thought I would own one - 2007 Hyundai Veracruz
  By Joe - December 31 - 8:03 pm

  I have owned Toyotas for the last 3 vehicles and could not believe I would ever own a Hyundai, but it is awesome. Extremely please with everything about it. It is truly as well built as my Toyota Sienna that I traded for the Veracruz!!

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  The Best 23K car thats loaded - 2004 Hyundai XG350
  By mrg4244 - December 31 - 10:00 am

  This car has been found to have alot of room & is very responsive on the Highway. It handles great- especially in the winter & the rainpuddles with the Traction Control featureI have found this car to bethe best for the DOLLAR when you concider that a car of = calibur will cost you at least 7K more for the same features- including the leather interior ! Super comfoftability with the power seats, especially on a long 5 hr trip- No fatigue experienced. Will Cruise comefortably @ 85 so use the speed control.

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  Sonata Experience - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By ADJ - December 31 - 10:00 am

  I have been driving my new Sonata since August 2003. Out of the cars I have bought in the past, i.e., 1996 Passat, 2003 Eclipse, I am beginning to put Sonata on the top of my list. I enjoyed driving my Passat, but there is something about the Sonata that makes me a very proud owner of the vehicle. I have received numerous compliments by people I do not know. A lot of folks thinks it is a Jag. Recently I was hit by a bus on the rear back door. The outside body of the door peeled back like an orange revealing the interior mechanisms of the door. The car swerved about 3 times before being under control. I had a passenger, who was pregnant. No injuries.

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  The best SUV for the price - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By mfgilm - December 31 - 10:00 am

  This is my second SUV, and my first Hyundai. My first was a Chevy Blazer and I hated it from the beginning. Now, Im totally pleased with my new Santa Fe. It has all the features I ever wanted in a car, and they come standard!!!. Its smooth to drive, feels like a car instead of a truck, and responds quickly every time you push on the gas. The interior has been built with quality materials not found in more expensive cars, especially Chevys. This is the best SUV you can find for the price.

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  Santa Fe LX w/3.5 and 4WD - 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Bill - December 31 - 1:26 am

  My Santa Fe LX has been great. This is my second SUV and I couldnt love it more. I do wish the gas mileage was a bit better, I get 18mpg city and 21 highway. I drive in the Rocky Mountains winter and summer and love the control, power and traction of the Santa Fe. I wish I had the automatic head light control, but I can live without it. I would love to have On Star and a Satellite radio.