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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  Love my Sonata - 2005 Hyundai Sonata
  By Shannon - May 22 - 11:48 am

  I love it. Its economical, has a 10 year power train warranty, and a 5 yr bumper to bumper...for anything, even running out of gas they will bring me it, change my tire, give me a loaner car if mine needs work and if out of town, they will pay hotel...gotta break down in hawaii lol .....awesome!

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  Couldnt be happier! - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By Jason - May 22 - 11:13 am

  We test drove many cars including the Mazda 6, the Ford Fusion and the Ford Taurus. None of the vehicles came close to offering what the Hyundai Sonata did, except the Sonata was priced below the rest of those models! The warranty, the Hyundai Assurance program, and the included features (rear heated seats, more leg room than anyone would ever need, etc.) all made this car an easy choice for us to purchase.

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  Excellent urprise - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By Bill Harris - May 21 - 7:03 pm

  I liike thet attention shown the items we usually take for granted, quality of tires, power, simple appointments, sound quality, trunk room... There is, however, terrible wind noise vibration when the rear windows are opened. This is a bad design, and I am in process of seeing if there is anything I can do about it.

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  great purchase - 2005 Hyundai Accent
  By Don - May 21 - 4:17 pm

  this car was a great purchase for me...its very reliable,fun to drive and cant beat the price. And for a few extra bucks...you get the 10yr/100k mile. I will have nothing to do with this car except drive it...and keep the oil changed.

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  A Great Car - 2005 Hyundai Accent
  By D. Richardson - May 21 - 11:12 am

  There is no better small car, bar none.

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  Cant believe its a hyundai - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By frank - May 21 - 1:53 am

  I have had my car for three months and one week, when i first bought the car i could not believe all the standard eqiupment was getting for the money plus the V6 engine i would have spent more buying a honda or toyota so i do not regret getting my aquamarine sonata GLS V6, my only problems with the car is the gas milage which could be a bit better, but you can you forgive the cars short comings with the V6 engine which suits more than my needs, im glad i got this instead of the basic 2007 camry CE, This is my second hyundai sonata, my major decesion was value of the vehicle, and the peace of mind of not having to worry about changing a timing belt.

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  I upgraded from an Accent to a Sonata - 2005 Hyundai Sonata
  By kcamlet - May 20 - 1:06 pm

  I have owned a Hyundai since 2002...I just upgraded from an Accent to a Sonata. The comfort of the Sonata and the performance is wonderful. I cant say enough about my car and the dealership where I purchased it.... I dealt with West Palm Hyundai back in 2002 and am happy to be a return customer

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  i love this car - 2001 Hyundai Tiburon
  By erica l. - May 20 - 10:43 am

  ive got a 5 speed silver 2001 tiburon at thanksgiving. i first fell in love with the tib as one sailed past me on the highway earlier in the year, and for the same money, id much rather have the tib than a civic. better customer service, the car is so much fun, better warranty, and id rather have a unique tib than the same old civic or corolla. it is zippy, can keep up with just about anyone, the stereo is great, it responds well, it gets good gas mileage (usually about 28 mpg).

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  fun to be in one - 2004 Hyundai Tiburon
  By almav - May 20 - 10:00 am

  shifting could be better

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  The Elantra is the Best! - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By Hector/Hector - May 20 - 10:00 am

  The Elantra outperfroms all cars in its class except one, The Toyota Corolla. The Elantra does not outperform the Corolla but ties it! The Elantra has a higher top speed then all cars in its class! Since I;ve been driving my car, it gives me a reason to drive. The interior is welcoming and secured. The exterior has a sexy European look. Since Oct. 2000 I have never had any problems with my 2001 Hyundai Elantra. Not only do you get more than just an ordinary car, but you also get an unordinary warranty! 10years/100,000 miles on the engine!! Now, thats tight! Pick the Elantra, it is guaranteed to be the best choice in the class!