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 car for the price - 2007 Hyundai Elantra
  By willie - January 4 - 8:34 pm

  Overall the car is great! Excellent mileage, though a better engine and tranny could really get u going, great for commute/long distance. Plenty of leg space. For a $12k car, you cant go wrong! Forget about trading it in after 4 years!

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  Faulty Brakes - 2010 Hyundai Sonata
  By pas7 - January 4 - 12:25 pm

  This is the second Sonata that i owned. The first was a 2007 and the brakes and rotors needed changing at 45000 miles, at the first service the tech said that the brakes would not release, warantee work cost $75. When I got the next one a 2010 I was told that the brake system was corrected, now at 22000 miles I had to change the pads and rotors. LAST HYUNDAI I WILL OWN. Pads and rotors from Amazon cost $88 Delivered. The h... with the dealer.

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  Our experience..... - 2008 Hyundai Entourage
  By Shannan - January 2 - 9:20 am

  We have had our Entourage for over a year, and have been overall happy with our van. As a family with 5 children, we give two thumbs up for spaciousness and being comfortable. I love the deep well in the rear for grocery shopping day. The two side auto doors are so helpful! I have found the gas mileage to be horrible at 17 mpg on the hywy. Also, I do not like that every time I fill up the van with gas....without warning, when it is full, gas spews out! I have to be careful.

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  Not all is perfect - 2009 Hyundai Sonata
  By ACT - January 1 - 3:03 pm

  Purchased Limited w/nav in Jan 09, traded in 2002 Honda EX and paid 16K, best deal for 4-door sedan bar none. Incredible list of features for the money, and after 5500 miles, I feel this car is superior to Honda. Happy with engine performance, seat comfort, sound system. But considerable body roll and suspension noise on bad pavement, as many people have noted. Gas mileage not as good as advertised, only getting 18mpg in city. Mileage computer only tracks mileage since last fill-up, no lifetime stats. Controls on drivers door not lit, hard to find at night. Limited options for viewing and playing music on USB drive. Trunk is hard to close when holding something, you really have to push down.

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  Awesome little car! - 1999 Hyundai Accent
  By Leo - January 1 - 1:00 pm

  Mine is the sedan with automatic and bought it almost 2 years ago from the original owner. The car feels solid and has amazing fuel economy. This last year took it to 2 road trips from Nevada to Ensenada, Mexico and my wife and I are very surprised of this car! Cruising at 75mph the car feels safe and stable. Its no Lexus or Mercedes, but it offers enough room and comfort for up to 4 people. Its a basic commuter car but we just love it.

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  My Santa Fe - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Monica K. - December 31 - 4:40 am

  This is one of the most reliable vehicles I have owned. I was in a horrible crash (T-bonedI was doing 40 she was 20, I did not flip), and the other vehicle was totaled (front end torn off) my Santa Fe looked remarkable. A blown tire, dented (inside) door, and the axle. Other then that, I have replaced a few fuses. Thats it. I love driving it. Quick pick up, handles great around sharp corners, looks sharp on the outside, inside features easy to reach, comfortability OK.

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  Still strong - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Jay - December 30 - 6:35 am

  I cannot really give a long term review as I have had the same 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe since new and I only have 77 thousand miles on it. I live on Oahu so travel is short no matter where you go. I commute 16 miles a day and have every day since I owned it. I did replace the power steering pump that seems to be a Hyundai problem that is fairly common, serpentine belt which is just good maintenance and proper oil and fluid changes to transmission, power steering and brakes and cooling. The cabin has one flaw, the plastic dash and various parts chirp from bad fits and lack of insulation. Always has been that way. Other than that, I keep it covered both at home in a car port and in an underground garage and always have, perhaps that is why I have no paint issues at all. I hand wash it and always have since Oahu has no public spray wash booths, this seems to have given the paint a long lease on life. The only real issue is that it is realiable enough to get bored with it after so many years.

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  198,000 km and still rolling - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By Nick - December 29 - 10:46 am

  I bought this car 4 months ago had to change the radiator, the battery and the head light now have to change the exhaust, the alternator and the spark plugs despite of this... Man I love my car! Nice plastic wood finish, engine not hard on oil and engine very peppy for a 2.0l 4 cyl. Only paid 1500$ and I knew I had to put money in it but I didnt mind cause Hyundai is a very reliable brand and that my car will last for another 198,00 km )

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  A Piece Of Paper is More RELIABLE - 2007 Hyundai Elantra
  By lemlonboy - December 27 - 4:02 pm

  My used 2007 Hyundai Elantra is ok. Its a very practical car but Ive had to replace my air conditioner 3 times in 2 weeks. My headlight froze and fell out in a -35 Celsius day in Alberta. And Hyundai says its over abuse on the car! Plus Ive only had this car for 3 weeks. It was a former rental from Avis. This car is bad except the looks and fuel economy. DO NOT BUY A HYUNDAI ELANTRA!!!!

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  Good not Great - 2015 Hyundai Sonata
  By dankocke - December 27 - 12:37 pm

  Purchased 2 weeks ago. Bought in Florida and drove back to Missouri. Overall this is a fine car for the money after rebates and discounts. I like cooled leather seats so I bought this instead of Toyota, Honda, etc. Its put together very well, drives great, and is super quiet. The engine sounds a bit strange but at higher speed it is unnoticeable. Car is plenty fast... much better than 2.4l. Gas mileage is ok but should be better - 28mpg on 1000k mile trip home at 75-80 mph. In town it hovers around 24-26 mpg. Overall for all the features it is a good value. Best Nav in the business. Seats are a bit hard but with good support, so be sure to check it out before you buy.