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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  dont buy this car! - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By 56man - January 28 - 12:06 am

  Please keep on getting those tired old Camrys & Accords; because I really like having the best looking car in the neighborhood. I really feel smug about all those extra features that I have and they dont. Took my boss for a ride and he said "my 04 BMW 535 doesnt even have some of this stuff" ha! So keep on buying those other cars and IÂ’ll keep on looking like the smartest guy in the neighborhood. Oh yeah, makes me look like I got bucks too. (DonÂ’t tell people how little it cost!!!)

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  Near Perfect Car - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By larrye98 - January 26 - 11:03 am

  Would have given it a perfect rating but the ride is not perfectly smooth. Limited is supposed to be the "luxury" model & it is. The features are awesome. The ride isnt totally smooth, maybe its the roads I drive on - but I was expecting a noticeable difference vs my last car & theres a difference, just slight.

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  Great First Car purchase - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
  By Benjamin Nazario Jr - January 25 - 10:53 am

  Great performance, very smooth on road, great first car purchase. Saves me alot on gas. But need to include ABS as standard option with cruise control. Needs better speakers for good quality. Overall outstanding car.

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  Fun and Flexible - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By pharmac - January 25 - 6:50 am

  I have had my Tucson for about 2 months now, almost 2,000 miles into it I have no complaints. It is well put together, handles very well and is both fun to drive and flexible in carrying items. The second row lays down quick and flat, not having to fool with the head rests is a plus. I do wish it had a 5 speed auto instead of the 4 and I would like a bit more horsepower, but then again, with gas at $3+ a gallon, maybe not. It is certainly agile enough, I pass easily on the interstate and I enjoy the sound system (I have the LX). Overall when people first hear I got a Hyundai, you see surprise on their face, and you see it again when they see it and especially when the get in it. VALUE+

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  Exceeds Expectations! - 2010 Hyundai TUCSON
  By mel - January 24 - 9:33 am

  Traded in my trusty 2002 Santa Fe and went from a really good car to a great one. The Tucson gives you incredible value for your dollar. Am very impressed with both the crisp steering and the smooth ride. The build quality seems very solid. Have the Limited black exterior / black interior and it continually turns heads on the road. Well done Hyundai!

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  Tiburon attacks! Yes! - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Samuel G. - January 23 - 7:50 pm

  Ive had this car for a couple months and Im overall very pleased with it. Its a head turner, thanks to its unsual sleek, yet angular, exterior design. The double spoke, 17" aluminum wheels, the high rise spoiler, the large sunroof, the projector headlights and fog lights, its all leather, "racey" interior, and its high level audio system, give this car a unique personality and sporty look, in sync with todays popular, "tuner" style trend. Performance is more than adequate and fun for its rather small displacement V6 engine (2.7L). Hyundai has definitely come a long way! I think Tib wouldve reached perfection if Hyundai engineers had bumped its engine output to 200HP, though (vs ~170HP)

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  Wow - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By formerToyOwner - January 23 - 6:06 pm

  Ive owned 15 sedans so far in my life and this Sonata is the best, period. I cant believe I can get all of these safety features and "options" at a price $5000 lower than my previous Toyota. There is absolutely no reason to buy Toyota anymore. Everything works perfectly and I LOVE the A/C. Its colder than my freezer in the summer heat! It handles well, gets admiring looks from neighbors and can seat five people comfortably. The build quality is really awesome. I now believe the Consumer Reports story that Sonata is the best quailty car in the USA. I just wish I had a bit more money to get the V6. I hear thats even better! Bye Toyota!

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  saturnf - 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By saturnf - January 21 - 10:00 am

  I just boought the Santa Fe and I Love it. It not only was priced right but the style is terrificand the ride is suprisingly comfortable for and AWD . I love the shiftronic. I have the 6 disc cd changer which sounds great the warranty is the best so like all cars they do have problems from time to time but hyundai will fix it for 10 years

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  fun car that wont break the bank - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By edcal - January 21 - 2:00 am

  My first Hyundai was a 2001 Tiburon that lasted 1 car payment and was totaled in an accident. I thought Id give Hyundai another try and bought a 2003 Tiburon. I am very pleased with the car, I have yet to find the least little thing wrong with it. It is a real fun car to drive and I am always getting asked what kind of car is it. It is a lot of car for the money.

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  surprised at how good - 2003 Hyundai Tiburon
  By Erinn Strain - January 21 - 2:00 am

  I bought it because of the styling and needed to get from here to there in a fun vehicle. Very powerful torque and the strength of the vehicle feels really solid. I feel safe in it and it takes corners at a very smooth and fast rate. Feeling the raod a bit but well worth the money.