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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  New Hyundai Tucson - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By PrestonRich - January 27 - 10:00 am

  A totally fresh vehicle! looks fantastic compared to the Mazda Tribute or the Ford Escape this is sure to be a winner. Driving is a pleasure, the V6 engine delivers good performance and the transmission is very smooth (as in common with other Hyundai products) Rear seats fold down easily, overall this is a very user friendly comapct SUV, added to this the peace of mind of the long warranty from Hyundai....a win win for the consumer!

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  $anta Fe Value - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By CA 93901 - January 27 - 10:00 am

  Bought this SUV intending to use it for my work vehicle. My wife has taken it away from me because it rides and drives so well with lots of creature comforts. For less than $20K after rebate, - we got lots of nice standard features, moonroof, 6/CD. trailer hitch, etc. So far, the vehicle has done great - almost 6K miles. Too bad Hyundai is not building a pick-up truck based on this model. The service/maintenance requirements are pretty reasonable - I took the car in early for the first service - the $125 dealership price was steep but the list of what was done was pretty comprehensive.

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  Cheap to own, fun to ride. - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By wateryear - January 27 - 10:00 am

  There is not much difference between model year 05 and 04, but you can get an 04 now with 3.5k below MSRP. Considering the features and build quality, it is a deal you cant miss.

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  Great mid size SUV - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Mindcrime - January 26 - 2:33 pm

  I was looking for a new SUV for my wife. We had a 2003 Honda CR-V EX that was great. We looked at the new CR-V and the Rav4. We then looked at the new Santa Fe. We really liked the exterior/interior design, V6 engine, interior space, ride, and price. The Santa Fe offers a lot more than the CR-V and the quality seems very good. Outside of the fuel difference between the 4 cyl CR-V and the 6 cyl Santa Fe, the Santa Fe is much better buy in my mind.

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  Real Bargain - 2005 Hyundai Accent
  By Rich - January 26 - 7:34 am

  Bought in May of 2004 and it has been a real nice car. Even on long trips, loaded down, taking daughter to college in midwest (2,600 miles roundtrip), it performed admirably, even in the mountains.

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  What a great car for the price - 2005 Hyundai Sonata
  By Anne - January 26 - 1:46 am

  I looked high and low for a car that looked good, had a strong warranty, that had all the bells and whistles and that cost around $20,000. I found it! I have absolutely enjoyed my Hyundai Sonata, it rides nice, so far it has been very dependable, and it is good looking. Especially in white w/tan leather interior. I finally found a car I could pay cash for.

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  Too much gas - 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By diana - January 26 - 1:23 am

  This is a great vehicle. Too much gas consumption, but I would recommend it to all that dont drive long distances. I am very pleased.

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  Love my new Santy - 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By SeeJay - January 25 - 10:30 pm

  Only one problem with this vehicle - the fuel mileage is really bad compared with the advertised mileage. Im getting worse mileage than my wife, who drives a much heavier, much larger engined car. My mileage is about 35% worse than the advertised mileage. Otherwise, its great fun to drive, lots of room in the back for my 90 lb. dog, and very comfortable to drive and ride in.

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  Reliable, safe - 2001 Hyundai Accent
  By Survivor - January 25 - 10:15 pm

  I bought the car new and kept up with maintenance religiously. The car has never not started and I live in a place where it gets REALLLLY COLD! Gas mileage is good, ranging from 30-36 depending upon the brand of gas. The body dents easily and the interior is ugly. Enough room for things like cups, napkins, etc, but no room for cell phone on dash/console. Car handles well in the snow with four studded snow tires. With the all-season tires, it slides easily. I was involved in a roll over accident in this car and walked away with only a small scratch. The windshield was all shattered, but didnt cave in at all. The accident was not due to the car, it had to do with the weather.

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  Super Car! - 2005 Hyundai Sonata
  By Jana - January 24 - 10:04 pm

  I bought a black 2005 Hyundai Sonata. Several people have commented that the exterior design looks like a Jaguar. I love the headlights, flared hood, and grill. It is very stylish. The interior is very comfortable. The car seems to glide down the highways. The brakes and steering require very little pressure to easily operate. The beige cloth interior is plush. The CD and AC/Heating controls are easily accessible. The trunk space is huge!