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, till the clutch went - 2004 Hyundai Tiburon
  By mel - November 24 - 6:46 am

  i bought the car brand new at 19 yrs old..a lil too expensive for what you get i thought...the car has a very sporty style to it with a lot of sleak features as well

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  great commuter car - 2004 Hyundai Accent
  By TTV - November 23 - 7:02 pm

  I bought my 2004 Accent (2 dr/manual) in August at a dealer in CA as an advertised special for $6880. After adding in $1500 for dealer installed AC plus tax, license, and fees, the total came out to $9200. You get a lot of car for this price. Runs great (13,000 miles in 6 months without any problems). Average 35-40 MPG depending on traffic and speed. Did research before deciding to go with Hyundai instead of a Civic or Echo. Hyundai has really improved in quality and reliability over the last few years and I am happy with my purchase. Will definitely consider Hyundai for next purchase. Hope this is useful for others.

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  Not happy with service and Hyundai - 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Susan - November 23 - 10:00 am

  I bought this car and am not happy with the car primarily bc. Hyundai refuses to address my problems with the Air Conditioner. It has a vinegar like smell and the several dealerships refuse to admit that there is a problem. I have owned several Hondas and foreign cars and never before have I met a manufacturer that wont admit to a manufacturing defect. Hyundai has an attitude of superiority starting from the sales department and heading down to the service arena. They dont know how to take care of their customers and treat them with respect and dignity; instead they make you feel as though you are imagining the problem. I will never buy another Hyundai due to lack of integrity!

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  Hankook Tires - 2010 Hyundai Sonata
  By Bob - November 23 - 10:00 am

  Great car, fun to drive. The main problem are the Hankook tires as they wore out in less than 1 year. Only 18,000 miles on car and now I need to spend $600.00 for new tires. hankook tires would NOT even pro-rata tires. Avoid these tires, absolute JUNK!

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  Awesome car - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By MER - November 23 - 10:00 am

  My mother bought a limited phantom black metallic with the nav and I fell in love with it so I bought a pearl white SE with the nav. I love the sporty model (SE) but still love the limited with the backup camera, leather seats and Infinity sound system so I just bought a venetian red limited as well. The insurance is reasonable and the car is just cool in every way. Could not be happier with my SE and limited.

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  A pleasant suprise!! - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By Michael - November 23 - 2:07 am

  I purchased my 2009 Hyundai Sonata in 2010. I was a bit hesitant about the purchase but I scored a really good deal and it had a great warrantee. Looking back, it was one of the best decisions I have made. Im currently in the market for a new vehicle because my sonata was involved in a car accident. But Ive put over 70k miles on the car without hardly any mechanical issues. I had an issue with the power steering pump around 40k but that was it. Besides breaks rotors and fluid changes, I have not had any other mechanical issues with the car. I would recommend this vehicle to anyone in the market for a good used car. It was just as dependable in 100 degree weather or 20 below with a foot of snow on the ground. I hope I am as lucky moving forward to find such a reliable and dependable vehicle.

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  Happy user! - 2007 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Roy Jones - November 22 - 5:40 am

  Really happy with auto!

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  The Only Way To Fly - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By Fred Hirsch - November 21 - 7:06 pm

  Second Sonata, first was 03 that I put 332,360 miles on... most reliable car I ever had so the 07 was a no brainer. Did lots of research over a 6 month period, it all came back to the Sonata Limited. Styling (clean and classy), loads of standard equipment with plenty of safety features and the expectation of the same or better reliablity then my 03 make it the best buy in the marketplace. Car is powerful, smooth and fast. Controls are well placed and have a solid feel. Many thoughtful touches include plenty of storage inside and lit window switches and steering mounted controls. Handles like a true sports sedan. Front seats have great shoulder and back support. Rock on Hyundai!!!.

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  Impression After 2 Days - 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By NJ Buyer - November 21 - 5:56 pm

  After two days of driving the Santa Fe I am very pleased with my purchase decision. My last 3 cars were Hondas so I was a little hesitant to consider a Hyundai but after a lot of research I learned that the Santa Fe has good reliability and consumers reviews. But I am so glad I did. I really love the exterior and interior styling of the Sana Fe. The power of the V6 is impressive even though I am driving easy for the break-in period. The only negative I have so far is that the suspension is pretty tight and road bumps,etc. can be felt (and heard) in the cabin at times. Although, I am coming from a car so it might be that I am not used to driving a SUV.

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  You will get to know the service department people - 2015 Hyundai Sonata
  By Gorpot - November 21 - 5:03 pm

  I had a 2009 Sonata, and a 2012 Sonata, with no problems. I never had them back for any warranty work. This is not the case with the 2015 Sonata. I have had the car for just 1 year, and have been back for warranty work 8 times now. It is the Last Hyundai I will ever own. Had it back 3 times to fix the rear window defogger switch. Twice for the right front brake caliper recall. How can it be that Hyundai does not have the part in stock for a recall item. Service manager told me they can not order the caliper until they are sure I needed one. If that is truly Hyundais policy on a recall item, then I dont want any more Hyundais. I had the car back three times to get the front passenger seat belt fixed, and it is broken again. As far as the gas mileage, I get about the same as I did with the 2012 Sonata, even though the 2015 is suppose to be 2 MPG better. Acceleration is not as good as the 2012 had. The ride and comfort level is good, a little better then the 2012 had. Last time I will buy a first year redesigned model.