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 - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Kevin - December 27 - 6:33 am

  Bought the 2003 Tib GT as my first new car at age 35! Have loved it. Clutch replaced during week 1 of ownership - no problem since. A few minor hiccups - parking brake sticks, stuff like that. I am astonished by the level of service I have received from Hyundai!!! Never have I left feeling like I got screwed. Looking at another Hyundai now. Satisfied Hyundai owner!!!

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  Whole lotta car for the money - 2008 Hyundai Elantra
  By Purpy - December 26 - 11:29 am

  I LOVE THIS CAR!!! This is my first "foreign" car but absolutely love it. You get a lot of car for the money, and I feel so safe with all the airbags that almost surround you.

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  Junk - 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By kat - December 25 - 6:10 pm

  Never buy a Santa Fe again. It was brand new had it 1 week the AC tore up had to return it to dealership 1 year later the Throttle Sensor went out after taking it to the dealership 2 times and saying they couldnt find the problem. When it is in Idle in jumps and feels like its gonna quit all the time. Never again will I buy a Hyundai my first and last. I only get 17 miles to the gallon of gas.

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  gas guzzler - 2008 Hyundai Sonata
  By Chuck - December 22 - 6:27 pm

  Very comfortable. I purchase the car for the size. It in between the other cars. Good handling in the snow. The gas mileage is the worst I could imagine. 14 mpg around town. What a let down. I had them check it out and they said it was ok. Very disappointed.

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  New car - 2006 Hyundai Azera
  By Spencer J - December 20 - 9:30 am

  I have looked for a new vehicle for over a year. I checked out every new car in the range and all lacked something. The Azera has room, performance, class, and style. I love the pass thru rear seats. Went on a ski trip and was able to lay skis inside (my skis are a long 203CM). I felt complete control of the car on steep, wet, and winding roads in the mountains. Also got about 27 MPG on the highway. 18 MPG in city. Car is a definite winner.

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  Have had this car seven years! - 2001 Hyundai Elantra
  By Terry - December 19 - 3:03 pm

  First let me say that Hyundai sticks with you all the way with their 100,000 mile power train warranty. They fixed the differential in my car at 95,000 miles free of charge! I never incurred any major repairs other than worn parts. And its been a gas to drive. Steering is very responsive and the standard drive provided excellent gitty-up especially in the mid ranges over 40mph. I would buy it again but the exterior of the 2009 model is just plain looking and they discontinued the hatchback.

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  USED 2006 Hyundai Tuscon - 2006 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Robyn - December 16 - 1:17 am

  I bought this 2 yrs ago it has 150,000 miles runs great looks very clen inside and out. Engine looks brand new. Runs rellay good, no problems with car and has oil changed every 3,000 miles and checkups on all other parts. Love my SUV very dependable

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  Why you might consider Sonata 2010 - 2010 Hyundai Sonata
  By Gary - December 13 - 10:00 am

  If you are tight on cash and need to save those $2000 but dont want to buy a second hand car. I mean $2000 could buy you 2 years of gas. I will only compare this one to 2008 Accord and 2006 Camry because i have driven them both. The drivers seat is not as firm, steering is not as nimble and car has a floaty feel to it. Suspension is not as tight. The dashboard plastic crackles once in a while. The mileage is great, controls are easy and well placed. I saved $2000 on similarly equipped Camry and accord.

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  Nice car, but could be better. - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By SevenBizzos - December 12 - 11:57 am

  Bought a 2004 GT new and with the car approaching 5 years old, Im overall satisfied with the car, but... Doing the suggested, periodic maintenance has been a huge headache, mostly focusing on the dealerships. The prices for the 30k, 60k, etc. check- ups are horribly overpriced and the dealerships dont even perform what the owners manual suggests they do. Youll take your car in for a repair (like a PCV valve) and its 10 minutes of sales talk before they tell you they havent even looked at the car. Ive even had them tell me I needed a grossly overpriced cabin filter replacement only to find it missing a week later when I did it myself. Thievery or the car didnt come with one.

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  Good value for the price - 2012 Hyundai Sonata
  By sean1776 - December 11 - 4:10 pm

  This car has surpassed my expectations. The acceleration and power with the 2.0 turbo feels like I have a six cylinder under the hood. The SE package gives a good feel for the road and handles very good. Yes, you are going to feel more of the bumps, but that is what you get for the handling package. The price for what you get is a value.