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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  Absolutely Great Car!! - 2004 Hyundai Sonata
  By Jen2 - July 25 - 10:00 am

  This is our second Sonota (our fourth Hyundai) and I can not say enough great things about this car. It is fun to drive, has a lot of pep, the style of the exterior is modern and up- to-date, the interior is roomy (with lots of head room so you dont feel like your in a box), there is plenty of trunk space and it is very reliable! As you can tell, I love this car!!! I would, and have, recommend the Sonota to my friends and family. The price is great and the warranty is phenomial. Take one on a test drive and you will see for yourself!

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  "The Best Car I Ever Owned" - 2005 Hyundai XG350
  By Patricia - July 24 - 12:43 am

  I have had this car since 2002..all I want now is another one with all the whistles and bells on the steering wheel. Talk about great gas!! Youll love it!! It gets a rating of 10 with me! You couldnt ask for more,especially for the price. Who knows what they will come up with next cant wait to see!!Try it youll like it!

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  Biggest bang for the dollar. - 2008 Hyundai Elantra
  By kevin - July 23 - 12:03 pm

  The new 2008 Hyundai Elantra is the best buy out there in my opinion. Best warranty, most standard safety features, most standard features, and it was about $2000 - $4000 less than the under equipped Honda Civic and Toyota Corolla. I recommend this buy to anyone who is looking for the biggest bang for their buck!

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  Santa Fe - 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Albert Grove - July 23 - 1:33 am

  Love this SUV. Had Buicks and Ford before but this vehicles out preforms but. Very nice vehicle and very good price.

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  Excellent Vehicle - 2007 Hyundai Veracruz
  By HyundaiGuy - July 22 - 9:13 am

  I have no real complaints about this car. Came down to the CX9 or the Veracruz. the VC won out price, warranty and dealer experience. It looks great, rides nice too. Perhaps a bit stiff, but its an SUV afterall. Lots of storage, very good fit and finish, leather nice quality too. About a 1000 miles so far, and not a lick of problems.

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  Love my 2006 Sonata!! - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By PhrogLady - July 22 - 6:03 am

  The 2006 Sonata is a totally different car than the 2005! New body style, large interior, to include back seat seating for three! The 4-cyl has plenty of HP for the normal daily commuter and my gas mileage is running 22-24 mpg city stop and go use thus far.

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  love my car!!! - 2016 Hyundai Elantra
  By Melissa Dawn - July 21 - 6:51 pm

  this is my first NEW car and I love it!!! its super stylish, I picked the pearl white with glitter lol, but I cant complain at all no regrets here!!

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  Hyundai Elantra GT - your money x5 - 2003 Hyundai Elantra
  By jlee022 - July 21 - 2:00 am

  great car with outstanding build quality. After countless miles on the city and highway, i can safely say that this car is one of the most reliable ive seen in a long time.

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  Unbelievable value - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By Jeff - July 19 - 3:23 pm

  This is my second hyundai. My first was a 2001 Elantra. All I can say is that this company has made massive improvements in comfort in the last 10 years. Ive put about 2K on the car so far and love it. Getting 31 MPG while doing mixed driving. For the size of the car, the way it rides, and all the features, I wouldve expected to pay way more. Theyve gone above and beyond. They even keyed a garage door opener into the rear view mirror. After testing ford fusion, Malibu, and accord, this one was far and above the best combination of ride and comfort.

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  2004 Hyundai - 2004 Hyundai XG350
  By Kathy O - July 19 - 10:00 am

  One of the nicest cars I have ever owned. The ride, the extras, the room, the price. I would highly recommend this car. Test drive one soon!