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! - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By dgj - October 23 - 6:46 am

  Overall, I love this car. I bought it brand new and was initially concerned about reliability. However, that has turned out to be unfounded. I have 89,000 miles on it after 4 years and have not had any major problems. The car runs smooth. No rattles (surprising for the price range). I had one recurring problem with the air conditioner. Thought it might be a factory problem but think it could have been a dealership problem instead. It kept freezing up. Took them forever to fix that. Then kept getting leaks. I kept telling them but, what do I know, Im a girl! I think the freezing of lines caused them to dry-rot, causing leaks. They finally fixed it!

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  Luxury without guilt - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By Dennis - October 23 - 6:46 am

  I can afford almost any normal car. I saw the 350 at an auto show a year ago and was prepaired to buy one in August. The dealer had several on the lot but made sure I knew a whole new version was coming out in the Fall, which was nice. I waited-actually until 12/13 for the first one to come in. The Azera was 50%+ better in all respects than the 350. Without the closeout discounts it costs $5000+ more than the 350, but worth it: performance features, size, looks. My co-workers (Lexus, BMW, Mercedes types) sneered when I said I was getting a Hyundai, But have shut-up as soon as they saw the Azera in person. I paid 5% less than sticker and think the car is grat AND a bargain.

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  Im Hooked! - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Network Guy - October 22 - 10:00 am

  Being in the market for an SUV for a long time, I looked around and test drove quite a bit. For the money and standard features the Santa Fe is unbeatable. Better comfort and roominess than its competitors and I think a much better looking vehicle inside and out. Unless you are willing to spend another 10 to 15 thousand dollars, this is the truck for you. This is my second Hyundai purchase (bought my wife a 2002 Elantra GT) in less than a year, love em both!

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  Great Little Car - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Clinton - October 22 - 10:00 am

  The new Tiburon is everything this car should have been back in its introduction (1999). Peppy power with great styling and look. A load of fun to try and a quick head-turner. For the price, it is hard to beat.

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  Cant beat the value! - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By MattGuy - October 22 - 10:00 am

  I bought this car without a trade in and got out the door (including taxes, tags, ect...) for 13988.98. It is the 5-speed with a moonroof, and I love it. Corolla was 2k more and had less options, same with the civic. You just cant beat the value. Not to even mention the industry leading warranty.

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  What a ride!!!!! - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By J-Nut - October 20 - 7:40 am

  Purchased the car and took it for a test spin of 1,800 miles round trip. Needless to say the car and I bonded. I have never had so much fun driving. I actually look forward to driving and sometimes find myself looking for ways to make my drive time longer. The interior comfort is beyond perfection. The performance is outstanding. With 263 horses, who needs a sports car (which by the way the last two cars I owned were). I have owned a Hyundai in the past & sold it to a family member. Now 8 years later it still looks great. If this car performs as I expect, it will be in our family for a long time. Thanks Hyundai for a dependable and well appointed alternative.

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  Excellent - 2006 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Random - October 20 - 7:33 am

  Its a real good value for money car.It sure is an open tourer car for long distance travelling..Great quality, reliability and quality..Lacks in low end acceleration..but after 4k it takes off satisfactory..

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  Underrated and low priced - 2004 Hyundai Tiburon
  By cblue - October 19 - 10:00 am

  GT V6 has outstanding handling and quickness over 3800 rpm. A real kick to drive. And the "Italian"styling is a real head-turner, (mine included). Have taken long road trips in considerable comfort and support due to the contoured leather seats. Enjoy the high pitched sound of engine and the flat cornering. Great buy for under $18000!!!

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  I "did" get some satisfaction - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By Gary G. Gansz - October 19 - 10:00 am

  After careful review and examination of all direct competitors we purchased our second Hyundai (Sonata in Nov-03). Compared to the competition, the Elantra is in a class by itself from interior comfort, storage/trunk space, real drive ability and take charge road handling performance this buggy is a real sleeper. The sporty yet some what sophisticated exterior draw you in to an exciting and very pleasureable ownership experience.

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  great car - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By peter1 - October 19 - 10:00 am

  the car is fun to drive looks good not noisy inside great on gas