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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  From the cold alaska winter to florida. - 2006 Hyundai Elantra
  By morgan - November 19 - 2:00 am

  In 05 I bought the car as my first new car. I was 19. Got married and husband got stationed in Alaska. So we took my car and his rsx to Alaska, we found out we were pregnant, this car lasted to and back from Alaska because Brandon was injured via I. E. D. And I moved back to Florida. When you take care of a car like this it will last you forever. We traded it in at the very end of 08 for a pathfinder which was nothing but problems so we got a 335i. One of the best little cars on the road. Brandon has the beamer and I have an 07 Civic. Not gonna lie. I kind of miss the elantra. Hopefully my little brother will get one in January when he turns 16 and hell let me drive it Im sure (:

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  Problems - 2009 Hyundai Accent
  By Patricia A. Ellis - November 18 - 2:00 am

  Elimination of the rear wiper and the addition of the rear spoiler make it impossible to see out the rear window when it is raining or snowing when you are driving. This is a significant safety issue. Why include XM Radio when OnStar would make more sense? The rear spoiler is noisy, particularly when the wind is blowing. Tire wear continues to be a problem. I have had difficulty with tire wear on all of the Hyundai vehicles I have owned. I have been disappointed in the gas mileage. I got better mileage with my Elantra. The small size of the gas tank is also a disappointment.

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  Too low to the ground, and inside seating - 2006 Hyundai Elantra
  By joy - November 17 - 2:00 am

  Ive always driven manual cars, Honda Preludes, Toyota Celica but times changed and I bought this car my first 4dr, and its a jewel. Its not fancy its functional since I could not afford a Prius. My only complaint its too low to the ground making certain curbs and deep snow, and potholes a major challenge. The seating is very low and very uncomfortable. With so many trucks and SUV in this area, my car has been hit three times in there years, meaning its low to the ground the big guys back into my car though parked and take my bumper or leave a major expense to the back of car.

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  Unbelievable car for the money - 2011 Hyundai Genesis
  By marcfer - November 17 - 2:00 am

  Done all the research before buying and I am blown away by the quality of this car. Checked out c class Mercedes and 3 series BMW those cars a nice but for the same money you get way more car in the Genesis.

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  Try to find a better built car for the $ - 2010 Hyundai Accent
  By Hyundaiman - November 16 - 2:00 am

  I purchased this car brand new in 8/2010. Price before taxes was $10,400. I never owned a Hyundai before, previously Ive owned Subarus. Long story short, my last car was an OB Sport SE, I put it on Autotrader & basically sold it for what I paid for it 3 years ago when it was new. I felt like saving some money given the crazy recession & decided to get a simple commuter car. Although the Subaru is a better car in every way this little Accent has been a pleasant surprise for what it is. Its sporty looking, interior is high quality, I average 40 mpg & its crash tests are good. So far it has been reliable & I hope that I wont have to use the warranty.Heard that Hyundai service dept stinks!!

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  Poor Manfacturer Follow Up - 2005 Hyundai Sonata
  By JJTucker - November 15 - 2:00 am

  I have loved my Hyundai Sonata except for one thing.It started making a horrible noise from the rear at about 36,000 miles and has gotten much worse over time.The servicing dealership (Pinehurst Hyundai) would not acknowledge the noise, and the Hyundai Corp. simply ignored our plead for help.No Hyundai area rep would even take time to contact us! We are left with a vehicle that we cant sell and get anything out of because of this.The poor customer service has literally cost us thousands of dollars.If you are planning to purchase a Hyundai you need to consider that if anything happens They will not stand behind there product. That tells me that they do not believe in their product. Beware!

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  Mucho Bueno - 2008 Hyundai Accent
  By Don Tony - November 14 - 2:00 am

  Just bought it 0 miles {new} {dealer had about 6 of them just received from Hyundai and some 2009 also} After reaching 1200 miles I took a little trip to see how it behave, it did beautiful love the responsive handling although the engine is a bit weak (hard to accelerate when you are moving on the highway). Have not checked for mpg but I suspect its in the high 20s...So far, So good

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  Drive One, youll love it. - 2011 Hyundai Genesis
  By Georgia Dawg - November 14 - 2:00 am

  There is just something about some cars that makes you want to have an excuse to drive them. The Hyundai Genesis sedan with the 4.6 V8 is one hell of a fun car to drive. The quality is equal to or better than our BMW and our previous car, an Acura. It also looks right at home at the Atlanta Athletic Club. Dont be a snob and discount this car because it is a Hyundai. Drive it and judge for yourself.

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  Solid Car - 2002 Hyundai Sonata
  By Brandon - November 13 - 2:00 am

  My Sonata now has 130,000 miles on it and repairs are starting to add up. I bought it brand new and have to say up until now, it has been a good purchase. My O2 sensor went out a few times, but was covered by the warranty. The power antennae broke but covered by warranty. The interior door handles also started to peel, but was covered by a recall. At about 75,000 the paint started to bubble on the roof of the car, and at 120,000, the power steering line started to leak, which cost around $300 to fix. The speedometer and cruise control just went out at 130,000, so who knows how much that will be. The car does ride nice and handles beautiful though, maintenance is expensive but would buy again.

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  Great little car - 2011 Hyundai Accent
  By wolfman - November 13 - 2:00 am

  I bought this car in part to tow behind my motor home. The SE package is the trim to have. The car has all of the options that one would want in a subcompact. The blue lit dashboard is easy on the eyes at night, and the sport shifter makes for slick easy shifts. The top shelf stock stereo works great. Seating position is excellent, and power is on par with cars in this size and class. So far, Ive been able to beat EPA highway figures, and the engine is not broken in yet. On that note, my primary gripe is the too short 5th gear. Revs need to be lower in 5th on the highway, as anything over 60 MPH sends the tach over 3,000 RPM.