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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  Gas mileage - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By Maldonado1050 - August 14 - 2:00 am

  Ive been pretty disatisfied with the poor gas mileage Ive been getting the longer Ive owned this car. When it was new, I was getting about 28 mpg in the city, but that was still less than my average 30 mpg Id been getting from my 94 Mazda Protege. Also, performance has suffered, too. Now it seems like the engine isnt breathing right. Ive taken it in to my local dealer and theyve been great! But my mpg continues to decline Im now getting barely 23 mpg/city, 29 mpg/highway. Also had some hesitation problems upon intial ignition FYI, there is a fix for this at your dealer. Ask them to update the software on your cars computer.

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  best car we ever had - 2002 Hyundai Sonata
  By lella - August 14 - 2:00 am

  nothing has gone wrong with this auto since we bought it.

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  I like my Santa Fe - 2001 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By NYdriver - August 13 - 10:50 am

  I bought this car in August 2001 knowing nothing about its reliability. Ive been pleasantly surprised. I compared it to the Ford Escape and Toyota RAV. Hands down the Hyundai was more comfortable, and had better handling and a better price. I got the base model, and although I live in Western New York, have never regretted not getting the AWD. It handles great in the snow and on corners. Ive had only one minor mechanical problem fixed under warranty. I plan to keep this car for a long time.

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  Great Job, Hyundai - 2009 Hyundai Genesis
  By JPG - August 13 - 2:40 am

  Ive had my Genesis for two weeks now and cannot say enough about this car. I also own a 2005 Infiniti and the build quality on the Genesis beats the Infiniti hands down. The acceleration on the V8 is amazing. Given the fairly similar fuel economy to the V6 and all the small extras you get with the 8, its definitely worth the few extra bucks. Ive driven an LS 430 several times and can say that this car knocks the Lexus out of the ballpark. Anyone who owns any of the major luxury brands and is in the market for a new ride should not discount this car simply because its a Hyundai -- and if they do, its their loss.

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  Worth a look. - 2005 Hyundai Sonata
  By Unexpectedly nice - August 12 - 9:03 am

  Received this car as a rental for a week inplace of my Cadillac(what! no devilles for rent!,lol). When i got in this car i noticed it was quite decent. It was fully loaded but did not have leather(Hyundais leather is cheap and rubbery anyway). This car accelerates, brakes and handles well, had a robust V6, sunroof, good sound system. For what? $18-19k, and thats without any discounts. I must note this car does have questionable high-speed handeling.

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  First New Car - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Nick Rowland - August 11 - 6:26 pm

  Im an army guy and I just bought my Tucson fully loaded 3,000 miles ago. It has been wonderful. I moved from GA to upstate NY and needed the winter features and 4WD. I love the car, the price and the warranty. The SanteFe I drove did not fit my 64 frame as well as the Tucson does. I got the extended warranty option which is 10 years bumper to bumper and its transferable! The price was the same as the sunroof. I testdrove all of its competitors and thought it over for couple weeks. I love the car.

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  2nd Santa Fe Owned - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Jan - August 11 - 5:23 pm

  This is the second Santa Fe I have owned. I loved the 1st (2001) and I love this one even more. I still own my 1st and it has 174,000 miles on it and few repairs. This 2007 model is fun to drive, comfortable, stylish and dependable. I have my oil changed at the dealership because they are comparable in price, but their service and customer service is the best Ive ever encountered. I wont be surprised if my next car is a Santa Fe also.

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  Great Car for Money - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By hyundai2 - August 11 - 11:36 am

  This is second Sonata owned. Previous 2005 model. Great ride and handling. New saftey features found in more expensive cars. Sound system upgraded.

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  A lot of fun in a little package - 2008 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Ted - August 11 - 10:43 am

  When I first saw this car, I knew I had to have one. So I test drove and bought my Tiburon about a month ago. After driving a Jeep for two years and an Explorer for five years before that, I was ready to get back into a fun car. The Tiburon is just that - fun. Very smooth ride and decent acceleration for a 4 cylinder, though when the a/c is on, the power cut is noticeable. The five-speed transmission is a little stiff. Also, that blind spot took a little getting used to. And dont expect to give rides to anybody over about 5-10", especially in the back seat. Face it, this is not a family car. However, it is a lot of fun for the buck. Oh, and despite fuel ratings, I average 25 city/34 hwy.

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  Hyundai has come a L-O-N-G way! - 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Michael Puzach - August 11 - 4:00 am

  When my wife and I decided to buy a small SUV as a 3rd vehicle, we first looked at the Hyundai Tucson. We liked it a lot but decided to also look at the Santa Fe. We were immediately impressed and after checking out all competitors, we bought our Limited AWD with XM and Premium Package fresh off the truck. After 1 month and 1500 miles I can say positively that the Santa Fe is a wonderful SUV. Its comfortable, well-built, and every bit as enjoyable to drive as our former Volvo XC90. The Santa Fe has the feel of a much more expensive vehicle. There are no rattles or squeaks and everything has a solid feel to it. Im a "car guy" and this Hyundai has not disappointed me.