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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  Sante Fe is Excellent - 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By silo11 - April 23 - 6:36 am

  We absolutely love our Sante Fe. We have had it over 6 mos. now and have had absolutely no problems with it and we still have people asking where did we get our car cause it is so cool looking. Its reliable, quiet, and probably the most underestimated SUV on the market.

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  The Best Deal - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Jigo - April 23 - 2:56 am

  I am very happy with my new car. Ive been driving a 1996 Cavalier over the past 9 years until I decided lately to get a new one. Over the past 3 weeks, Ive been researching and thinking of getting either a Camry or an Accord. But last night, my decision finally zeroed on to the Sonata after reading the reviews and the consumer ratings online. I am very impressed with the design of the car. The engine is very quiet and the ride is very smooth. I bought mine today, Dec 31, 2005 at $3900 less than the MSRP. The good ratings combined with the best price helped me decide for this car.

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  The best value for your money - 2017 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Anuj Arora - April 22 - 9:22 pm

  We went through the process of driving all the crossovers that compete with the Santa Fe but went with Santa Fe because of a few facts that are undisputed... Of all the Crossovers we test drove (GMC Acadia, Honda Pilot, Toyota Highlander, Chevy Traverse, Ford Explorer and of course the Santa Fe!) this one by far had the best color choices, best warranty, top of the line safetly features and for us ranked as good as the Pilot in Driveability. It was also the most bang for your buck by a wide margin. We purchased the LTD Ultimate with the Tech package. This is similar to all the most premium models for other brands. I would say that we paid an average of $7000 less than the others which is unbelievable. The Pilot was $10,000 more for the same features! I love the sunroof that goes all the way to the 3rd row! I have never seen something like this before! I also think that Hyundai Santa Fe is by far the best looking crossover and beats all of its competitors in looks as well!

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  Pennys Comments - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Penny Colomb - April 22 - 10:00 am

  This has been a great vehicle that is roomy, comfortable and gets great gas mileage. This is my second Hyundai and I am very pleased with it performance and features offered.

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  Unexpected perfection - 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By J4k3 - April 22 - 10:00 am

  Best balance of performance, quality and value. Previous SUV was a 92 Explorer XLT (great vehicle, still own it, just getting too old to be a daily driver) and the Santa Fe has performed as well as the Explorer did at the same tasks with additional comfort and economy - for less money!

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  this is my 2nd Santa Fe & I love it! - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By saush - April 20 - 2:36 pm

  I wish the DVD controls were located somewhere else.they get kicked alot. the light interior looks nice,but is not kid-friendly.I really love my Santa Fe.The 07 is so much more luxurious than my previous 01.I like my Santa Fe better than my husbands BMW 325i. We always take my Santa Fe on roadtrips, not the BMW. I love the space, the drive, the warranty, the look & I feel smart driving it. Its a good bang for the buck! Theres only 1 Santa Fe to choose: Limited & fully loaded. i didnt like the bare bones models. Bite the bullet & spend the $32K for the top of the line Santa Fe.

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  New Hyundai - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By Bruce Munn - April 19 - 10:00 am

  Good looing little car. Fun to drive and I am getting 30 mpg overall.

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  What a bang for the buck! - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By troy Clark - April 19 - 10:00 am

  This car is by far a great deal for the Dollars. We have a 1994 Hyundai that has ad no troubles at all in 10 years! So, we are back to try this one out!

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  great car for the money - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By ccatt - April 19 - 10:00 am

  just a great car overall

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  GT Great Secret - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By kbocke - April 19 - 10:00 am

  Went in only to look, left with GT after comparing to Honda and Toyota. Lots of bang for the buck. 14,500 miles so far and not a problem. If this reliability keeps up Hyundais market share will explode. Had I known I would enjoy the GT so much I would have looked harder for the moonroof, traction control, ABS model GT. Already commited to another Hyundai, either Santa Fe or trade in for new GT. Extremely satisfied. My favorite new car in 20 years.