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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  my 04 accent - 2004 Hyundai Accent
  By gaf - February 14 - 2:00 am

  i love everthing about my new accent, i have been a gm buyer for over twenty years, i cannot not find what im looking for at the american car dealers, some one at gm ford and chrysler should wake up, i dont want a suv or giant sized pick up, my accent does everything well , ive had 0 problems, mine is the 3 door, i call it my mini truck , this is my third hyundai

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  Long Live the Sonata - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By Remoris - February 14 - 1:43 am

  I bought the Hyundai Sonata because I am fed up with North American car that keeps on braking after 100 000 km. I will say this in my 23 years of driving the only car I have ever driven that compared as far as quality and comfort was a 1984 Buick Century. The Hyundai Sonata is an outstanding car that easily compare to its Japanese competitors. I honestly find the comfort surpasses what of the Accord and this while being $4000 Canadian cheaper then the Accord, for the same equipment fit. I own a GLS 3.3 6Cyl 5A. In short it has great fuel economy and outstanding comfort. And Exceptionel comfort. The only negative is the road noise being louder due to leather seating.

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  Hyundai Navigation System - 2013 Hyundai Sonata
  By Kenneth Bildstein - February 14 - 12:21 am

  The navigation system SUCKS. You dont talk to a real person like you do with GM On Star. With Hyundai you talk to a machine and MOST of the time the STUPID machine cant understand what you say or can not find what you are looking for. I have to carry a portable GPS in the car when traveling because the Blue Star Navigation dont work Most of the time. For this reason, I most likely will buy another Hyundai. I will most likely buy a Chevy Malibu instead. With the Malibu On Star you actually talk to a real person when using the Navigation System, and they understand what you are asking for and can ALWAYS HELP you and find what you are looking for.

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  Miracles never surprise me - 1994 Hyundai Elantra
  By MelissaAlleva - February 13 - 2:00 am

  We bought this car from a neighbor. Originally, the car had been owned by a mechanic (which was the reason I decided to buy). I have owned the car for over a year, I have only needed to replace the alternator. The car had 119,000 on it when we bought it and made it through a trip from New York to Florida and still runs great. I am glad to have as a 2nd car.

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  Pleasantly Surprised! - 2000 Hyundai Elantra
  By dally135 - February 13 - 2:00 am

  I bought the Elantra in Oct 2001 after driving all the compact sedans. With the spoiler and sunroof, it was BY FAR the best looking, best warrenty, and had the best price. Over 3 years, I had one problem with the driver side window, but the dealer fixed it in 30 min. Great gas mileage, low insurance, more horsepower . . . the only drawback is that the resale value is low.

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  Great Ride. - 2002 Hyundai Accent
  By GooberSnattch - February 13 - 2:00 am

  It was my first car and I am very impressed by the quality of the vehicle. Ive learned a lot from driving my Accent. And I recommend it for anyone looking for great gas mileage for a low cost.

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  not a bad car - 2002 Hyundai Elantra
  By bubba Gump - February 13 - 2:00 am

  I use this car as a comuter car. I put 30 miles a day 5 days a week. I go two weeks between fill-ups. It meets my needs and works great.

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  The Love of My Life - 2002 Hyundai Sonata
  By MelissaAlleva - February 13 - 2:00 am

  Next to the family of course! I love this car, I went from a Ford Explorer (piece of @$%^^)to this wonderful auto. I have had it for 2 years and I cant say enough good things about it. I pretend its a jaguar but 1/2 the price. The ride is smooth, love the moon roof. Tons of value for this class of cars. Its a keeper for sure.

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  A Great Vehicle - 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By HyScott - February 12 - 5:03 am

  I do owe this car a hand. It has been a really great economical and reliable car. We have always had either European luxury cars or GM SUVs so this car had a lot against it to impress me. This was my first car and definitely not my last Hyundai. They handle VERY well and are extremely easy to drive and operate. The interior is bland but has some accents that set it above GM and Toyota. All of the V6 Santas have leather wrapped steering wheels and gear selectors, many other marks don’t. The sound system is surprisingly good and will blow away any base system on other marks. The manual mode on the transmission is GREAT, and I love how they went the extra mile on it.

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  definitely worth it - 2000 Hyundai Elantra
  By cmt - February 12 - 2:00 am

  I have a 2000 Elantra with about 60000 miles on it so far and it has worked out great. Its a decent little car which could be considered phenomenal for the price. The only problems Ive had were with the power windows which have all needed repairs at some point. It doesnt compare with the pricer automobiles and it wasnt designed to. bottom line, if it fits your budget, you should definitely go test one out. Personally, I like the pre-2k1 body style though as opposed to the new ones.