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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  Hyundai santa fe - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Santa fe driver - April 19 - 10:00 am

  Santa fe for v6 and size of SUV has great response timing and pickup. Very reliable on open road and quick response to in city driving. Fun to drive and reliable. on top of all that, affordable!

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  easy choice - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By jonk - April 19 - 8:43 am

  i needed to make a quick decision on a car and after testing the mazda 6 and ford fusion - this was hands down a no brainer decision to pick. It drives really well and love all the features, great pickup and smooth drive. xm radio, heated seats, sun roof ... what more do i need

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  Best Buy - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By al - April 18 - 8:03 pm

  Only have 800 miles on "her" but they have all been fun miles. Very impressed with the performance and handling. This is the first non-GM car Ive owned..."why did I wait so long"

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  Value, utility and fun - 2010 Hyundai Elantra Touring
  By hyundaivirgin - April 18 - 5:43 am

  This car has everything we needed and wanted: big on the inside with more cargo space than small SUVs we were looking at like the CX-7 or Tucson, small on the outside and very maneuverable into tight parking spaces and our garage, very good fuel economy for the size, great German styling, a well designed interior, lots of safety features like side airbags and ECS and ABS as standard, and a low sticker price. This car is sold as the i30cw and got the highest crash ratings, include side, from the UK and Australian testing agencies. Note the American NHTSA ratings were copied (inappropriately) from the Elantra sedan, with which this car shares none of its design.

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  No Problems at all - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By RPD - April 17 - 11:53 pm

  Have been completely satisfied. No repairs needed, only routine maintenance. Love the roomy interior and the standard features

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  First time Hyundi owner - 2000 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Batmobile - April 17 - 10:00 am

  Very inpressed with the car

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  Nicest car I ever owned! - 2002 Hyundai Sonata
  By Chispas - April 17 - 10:00 am

  Because they are chronically in short supply, I had a hard time getting my Sonata but Im so glad I perservered! After 7 months and 7,000 miles I have not had a hint of a problem and I absolutely love the car! Loaded with extras, very comfortable, responsive, very smooth and quiet riding...sometimes when I am stopped it idles so quietly I think it has stalled! For what you get for the money, it is way ahead of the competition. Hyundai has a real winner here!

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  What a Value - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By Jason G. - April 16 - 6:53 pm

  After driving all the other brands... for the price we just couldnt beat the 2009 Sonata SE(stickered at 22945 paid 17545 w/cash for clunkers out the door for 13045 w/o tax) the Sonata has more standard convenience features then any model that we drove, after a 1000 mile trip we averaged 32mpg and I dont miss a V6 at all, plenty of power from the 2.4 engine. The car behaves great on the highway and West Virginia country roads we just couldnt be more pleased. The Sonata warranty it made our purchase easy.

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  My first Hyundai - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
  By Frank Maples - April 16 - 2:26 pm

  I drive a lot of new vehicles for a large dealearship I work for. I have to say that I enjoy driving my 05 Elantra as much as any of the other new cars and more than most, regardless of price. Sure its mine, but its also fun! Ride and handling is impressive, and it feels very solid. I would definitely recommend this car, and have.

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  Excellent Buy! - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By mom of two - April 15 - 10:03 am

  After our 2000 Elantra was deemed a lemon, we were terrified at the thought of owning another Hyundai. We have had our 2001 Elantra for over a year, and we love it. The design is sporty, but functional. Fun to drive. It is fairly comfortable. I am happy to say that it is VERY dependable.