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 Little Car - 2004 Hyundai Elantra
  By K_N_Texas - October 8 - 2:00 am

  I bought my Elantra as a little commuter car to drive to work instead of a truck. I am very happy with this little car. It is surprisingly peppy and fun to drive. It sounds like a sports car in sheeps clothing. For the price you cant beat it. Im amazed they are not flying of the lots... but had I not come out to Edmunds I might not have ever looked at them. Compared to a Honda or Toyota you get a whole lot more Bang for the buck.

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  Bought used, driven for 4 months/5000km - 2012 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By splatapus - October 7 - 6:27 pm

  Bought used, I have driven it for 4 months and 5000km now. Ride is a little rough, you can feel and hear some little bumps in the road. The fan and AC system sometimes has a mind of its own. It will turn on by itself after I turn it off. Although Im starting to figure out how to get around it by adjusting the fan speed then hit OFF. Driving on highway to merge and stepping on accelerator, sometimes there will be a dead spot on how far you push the accelerator. The car will hesitate or not accelerate as fast as you want to for 2 seconds, then accelerate normally. It is roomy and comfortable inside. The center armrest between driver and passenger sometimes creaks. Overall not a bad car.

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  Better than Ford Focus - 2013 Hyundai Elantra GT
  By justaguy6 - October 7 - 4:55 pm

  Owning a 2012 Ford Focus Titanium hatchback for 5 months, I was in the shop 4 times for transmission issues and once for the nav/audio screen shutting off. All in all, it was a mess. I have purchased a silver elantra gt with tech and style package, manual transmission. Owning it for about a week, I am averaging 37 mpg (not sure where everyone else is driving). Prior to Ford, I was a BMW owner (2003) - fed up with costs to own. Although this is no BMW, this car is a lot of fun. Feel solid and handles pretty well for a car in this segment.

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  Watch out for Hyundai Customer Service. - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By mpayne2112 - October 7 - 6:33 am

  I had some with the passenger seat and it failed VA inspection. I took that car to Pohanka in Fredericksburg VA. They were nice but they ended up keeping the car for 2 weeks to get parts from Hyundai.OH Yeah, Hyundai does not provide a loaner. The car is nice, but the service and support for their products are awful. They did fix the seat but there were some cosmetic things they forgot to fix and I have to take it back again. When I bought this car, It was between this and the Saturn Aura. If I could do it over again, I would have purchased the Saturn but wanted to save some money. You get what you pay for. The car is nice, but if you want the company to back the product, go somewhere else.

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  Not so hot - 1993 Hyundai Sonata
  By Ryan Usher - October 7 - 2:00 am

  This was my first car, and the two yeas I owned it were an exercise in frustration. When the thing was working, it drove pretty well. Handling and brakes were decent. The interior was uncomfortable, and at least half of the controls stopped working within six months. Fuel economy was so-so. My main problem with this car was the terrible reliability, I had it in the shop eight times in two years, and for some big problems: Transmission, alternator, starter, and finally the engine failed, costing me a total of twice the price I paid for the car, before I called it quits and donated it to charity.

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  Good on gas, not too much else - 2001 Hyundai Elantra
  By jelmisc - October 7 - 2:00 am

  The dealership gave me an incorrect purchase agreement and it took me over a year to get the correct title and VIN.I have had extensive problems covered under warranty (broken seat frame,cracked manifold,etc).While they cover the work I am left carless and it often takes multiple visits to get the repairs done correctly.LCD panel on radio blew-not covered.Was part of a class action lawsuit due to "overstated horsepower" which is very noticeable when accelerating. Received terrible customer service at Rockland Auto Plaza (Nanuet, NY) and had it not been for the excellent service at Liberty Hyundai (Suffern, NY) I would have ditched the car long ago.We probably will never buy another Hyundai.

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  Proud to have a Hyundai... - 2004 Hyundai Tiburon
  By BSvKITTEN - October 7 - 2:00 am

  After having a Mits. Eclipse GST for the last 7 years, I was very hesitant to get the Tiburon. Then my husband drove me home a loaded blue standard Tiburon GT with leather and 17" tires in a snow storm, no less, because it was time to retire the old girl(Eclipse). I freaked!!! After the weather settled, I started noticing all of the stares I was getting on the road. I was even getting asked about my car every time I went to the drive-up at the bank. It took a little time adjusting, just slight differences, but now I am very satisfied. Its a HOT car that looks SWEEEET, and it didnt kill my pocket$$.

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  Its my new Supra - 2004 Hyundai Tiburon
  By DougJ92264 - October 7 - 2:00 am

  Had a Toyota Supra that I loved. Im now in love with my Tib! Sits, rides, drives like the Supra. Have only had 2 small problems. Mirror vibrated (rattle drove me nuts) and drivers window motor broke. They replaced both items without a question Drive the Santa Fe occasionally, but always feel better in the Tib!!! Wish they made a convert! Gas mileage disappointing. Avg 18.4 mpg (accurate records) in 5700 miles. Supra got closer to 30 than 20. I LOVE THIS CAR!

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  Luxury Car; Affordable Price! - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By slw - October 7 - 2:00 am

  Test Drove LX: loved it! Got the ABS & sunroof package. Paid a little over invoice (1%). Great customer service... no haggling! Inside, the LX is luxurious! The added features like the climate control, leather seats, auto rear mirror, and power drive seats are great bonuses for the buck! Dont get the Accord or Camry! Get the Sonata and youll get more!

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  FROM HONDA TO HYUNDAI - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By WORKING MAN - October 7 - 2:00 am

  Due to the many miles I drive each year, I trade in every year. For past 5 years I had purchased a Honda. This year I got a Hyundai and with 35,000 miles on it, I have not had any problems while I used to have to take the Honda in after just 20,000 miles for more adjustment.