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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  Reliable & Fun to Drive - 2004 Hyundai Accent
  By Betty Boop - September 25 - 2:00 am

  My 2003 Hyundai Accent GL has been a surprisingly reliable fun to drive car. It has great pick up, Air conditioning and shifts almost undetectably. GREAT BUY!!!!! The sound system is unbelievable!!!!!

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  one of the best cars i have ever owned, - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By ciao baby - September 25 - 2:00 am

  Well im 63 and said that i would never buy anything but american , but after owening this sonata for two years and just returing on a vacation from florida to calfiorna i am sold on this car .30 mpg on the road and a smooth driving car that after driving 600 miles a day for three weeks you never feal like it , when the new 2006 models come out i will be the first in line to get one.

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  First new car! - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By gregandbarb - September 25 - 2:00 am

  The car was purchased new off the lot, we needed to replace a 1988 car. We have driven the car everywhere, the only down side is we put a lot of miles on it. It has become our primary car, and has made several successful long trips with out even a slight rattle. The standard stereo is pretty good and the adjustable belts are comfortable. The economy is really good on the highway, city driving does reduce the performance. I great all around car and good entry level car for the price!

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  Ex Mercedes/BMW & Current LS460 Owners - 2016 Hyundai Equus
  By A. Robinson - September 24 - 8:48 pm

  Have owned 1995 BMW750il,; 2000 S430 Mercedes; and 2007 Lexus LS460L. I enjoyed those vehicles and at my age, decided to shop for another car of equivalent styles, updated electronics and options. Have followed Equus since its introduction in 2011 and this year I was so impressed with their progress that I purchased one and am very satisfied with it. I am 66" tall and and am comfortable in the Equus. It closely resembles the LS460 and differs only slightly as I see it. I love the LS460, hence we still have it. I noticed that it will soon be replaced by the G90 Genesis which in essence is the same car with a different badge to be the flagship vehicle.

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  Good Stuff - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By b - September 24 - 7:03 pm

  Gas gauge a little off but no issues outside of this. Great to drive in all weather. Plenty of room for 4 grown ups on a long trip. Sunroof a plus.

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  Bought new and still own - 2010 Hyundai Elantra
  By ladybugshome@gmail.com - September 23 - 10:04 pm

  Car has 120,000 miles on it and did change transmission fluid and other items that were listed in manual to do. Car is running great still and looks great, yet it spends 9 months in Florida where there is no salt. Park it under carport and the paint has remained true to color since I purchased it. Gun metal I think was the color listed. Will probably still have it for years to come. On third set of tires and just general maintenance has been done on it. Timing belt was done at 93,000 and struts were replaced already. Brakes done once already..... will be re doing front ones this year. Well worth price paid for car. Still run it 1500 miles back and forth to Florida to NY~

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  Bought new and still own - 2010 Hyundai Elantra
  By ladybugshome@gmail.com - September 23 - 10:04 pm

  Car has 120,000 miles on it and did change transmission fluid and other items that were listed in manual to do. Car is running great still and looks great, yet it spends 9 months in Florida where there is no salt. Park it under carport and the paint has remained true to color since I purchased it. Gun metal I think was the color listed. Will probably still have it for years to come. On third set of tires and just general maintenance has been done on it. Timing belt was done at 93,000 and struts were replaced already. Brakes done once already..... will be re doing front ones this year. Well worth price paid for car. Still run it 1500 miles back and forth to Florida to NY~

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  2004 hyundai Sante Fe paint problems - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By lorie920 - September 23 - 11:04 am

  I bought it new in 2004. It has plenty of room for passengers and plenty of cargo room. The car has great power on take off. The biggest issue I have is they use bad paint. These hyundais are peeling and fading. This in itself is why I wont buy the new 2013 Hyundai Sante Fe.

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  im loven it - 2004 Hyundai Accent
  By isabeau osby - September 23 - 2:00 am

  what a great car

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  SWEET THING - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By BARBARA - September 22 - 2:16 am

  I love the vehicle.Fun to drive gas mileage is o.k. about 19 mpg city 25 hwy.Smart looking,ample cargo room.Inside plastics are a bit cheesy and cloth seats could use some updating on design. Stability control is really great.I have the wood trim package and it dresses up the interior nicely. I plan on owning this vehcle for many years.The only fault I find with this vehicle is it is a bit sluggish even with 6cyl. engine. Other than that I love my Tucson!