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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  Great vehicle - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
  By madmax-ooohhh - February 2 - 11:23 am

  Impressed with the fit/finish, driving comfort, handling, styling, and gas mileage of this wonderful reliable small sedan. Only suggested improvement is a Turbo!

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  Sporty Lite Station Wagon - 2011 Hyundai Elantra Touring
  By Ruprecht - February 2 - 10:00 am

  I bought the 2011 Elantra Touring recently and think it is a nice car so far. It is reasonably priced and nice- looking. The steering and braking are excellent with the new Electronic Stability Control. Hyundai did a good job of updating the car and creating what is essentially a small station wagon. It looks more like a station wagon than a hatchback and has a huge amount of space for a compact car. Overall I like the car!

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  Happy I upgraded! - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By KDubb43 - February 2 - 10:00 am

  Its been a week now since I picked up my 2011 Sonata and I couldnÂ’t be more pleased. I love the Pacific Blue Pearl color and I getting great gas mileage, between 30-40 mpg. Its a completely different car than my 2010, very thoughtfully laid out, especially the trunk release feature. It goes all the way up so that you dont bump your head. I would recommend this cat to anyone, and my sales experience was wonderful as well.

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  Fantastic Value - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By JPP - February 2 - 10:00 am

  Fantastic car for the money. The SE looks fantastic and after 6500 miles on it, I havent had a single issue. Ive experienced a 3-4 MPG difference between the the car computer vs. real world, but still getting very good mileage. I have driven Hondas, Toyotas, Lexus and the car quality of the Sonata matches them.

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  Impressed - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By Joe - February 2 - 10:00 am

  I have own this Limited for 6 month with 6000 miles on it. I have received numerous positive comments from strangers. It is fun to drive, great mileage, at any speed. The electronic gear is impressive for a car of this price and i particularly enjoy the Bluetooth feature and the ease of using the controls. One problem has been keeping the front and rear window shields clean. Ive tried numerous produces but continue to have a haze that is distracting in sunlight. The horn is not loud enough to be heard in noisy conditions.As a skier I not sure if a ski rack can be added and find my bike rack just fits the trunk still allowing me to open the trunk without the bike mounted.

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  A winner - 2009 Hyundai Genesis
  By Mike S. - February 2 - 8:03 am

  Have owned many luxury automobiles, Lexus, MB, Infinity, Audi, and Acura. This car is a winner. Comfortable, responsive, quiet and fun to play with. Have the Premium Plus pkg and Tech Pkg. Also included the "European prestige" pkg. Given the choice, I would pick the Genesis. Just to note, some of the comments indicated that they had not read the manuals. The outside mirrors do not tilt down if the control is centered. Left or right will tilt if the control remains on either left or right. This car should not be overlooked by anyone looking for a handsome, well made luxurious and reasonably priced auto.

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  Love the car - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By Joyce Armentrout - January 31 - 8:26 pm

  Love the car but I was used to the ride of a Lincoln Towncar. But I know I cant get that in a smaller car and I dont need a large car since my husband passed away.

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  sporty and smooth - 2007 Hyundai Elantra
  By gincana - January 31 - 3:03 am

  I never thought I would buy an Elantra, but this car won me over. The combination of sportiness, quiet cabin, spaciousness, and very sharp interior and exterior made me walk away from the Camry and the Sentra. I still cant believe what a comfy ride I own.

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  "I didnt know Hyundai built sports cars!" - 2010 Hyundai Genesis Coupe
  By Devon White - January 31 - 2:24 am

  "Man what kind of car is that??", ask the car wash attendant. "Oh its just a Hyundai Genesis..." I say as I start to feel all giddy on the inside for someone talking to me while wearing socks and sandals. "I didnt know Hyundai built sports cars! That is much nicer than my new V6 Camaro.." the man says with slight disappointment in his voice. The Hyundai Genesis Coupe is an understated performance sports car. Why do I say understated? With the open market of the FRS/BRZ twins, Ford Focus ST, Nissan 370z and Honda Civic Si, it is very easy to forget that Hyundai offers a competitive RWD, 300hp sports car for a cheaper price. After spending a week of searching, I was able to find a Genesis Coupe for $4,000 cheaper than a FRS and $6,000 cheaper than a Focus ST (Take a guess on the price gap between the Hyundai and the 370....Yikes!). After owning the car through both Winter and Summer I can say that this car makes a decent daily driver. I went for the top of the line "Track" package which includes 19 Wheels, a stiffer suspension, big Brembo brakes, and low profile tires which, in the winter, makes for a questionable journey. Though the weather was not in the Genesis Coupes favor, it handle the snow and ice better than most cars on the road. Traction Control is a feature that will automatically prevent you from getting in-over your head, and the climate control system will keep you warm while the temperatures fall bellow zero degrees. During the summer months the car can come into its own. If you have never taken this car out on a back-road, it is highly recommended that you scare your local Hyundai Salesman. The stiff suspension allows you to feel the cars sports car spirit as you abuse it through sharp hairpin turns, the car does not buckle at the effort, it laughs and yells "More!". Though I have found this to be an excellent car, it is not perfect. The stiff suspension will really begin to make you feel your age, even if youre 2 years old. Long road trips can be rather tiresome and make you question why you didnt walk to your Aunts house in Idaho. The interior is a nice place to be, but is filled with cheap feeling materials and more plastic then a aging supermodel. Though it has 300HP, I feel that the car under utilizes that power in the high gears and makes use of it in the lower gears. What was a major surprise was how roomy the car is (in the front seats), as a 6 foot 2 individual, I have plenty of space to bob my head to my fast and furious soundtrack. My dad (who lets say is a lot more "healthy" than I) felt that the race like seats was firm and quite comfortable to sit in. MPG has been much better than I could ever imagine, when driving home from an overnight party I had the A.C. on with the windows down (who needs logic?), I managed to get 31.3 MPG without even trying. Remember this is a 300HP, "Track Edition". Overall this is a great car for the price. This Hyundai looks greats, sounds great, and next to an RX8 or a Civic, its fast. If youre like me and you want good performance out of the box youll opt for the 3.8 motor because it is strong and capable of performance without being dangerous to a young driver. Tuners will go for the 2.0 turbo model as their is plenty of aftermarket support for the 2.0 to make it as fast, then faster than a 3.8. At the end of the day the suspension is very stiff but if youre looking at this as an option, you probably already have a yearning for back pain.

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  First Hyundai Experience - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
  By Matthew Dickey - January 29 - 12:23 pm

  I have always bought American for no good reason but I took a chance on the Elantra Hatchback because I needed a practical family car. I love it! For the price, I have a great car with a sunroof, quasi-leather seats that fold completely flat in the back, and a fun drive. I recommend it and have had no problems after a few months of ownership.