2006 Hyundai Sonata: Opinions?

[Matt Whiting]

Thanks for all the advice on tires for winter driving, guys. I think
we've about talked it out. I'm interested in hearing what it's like to
drive the Sonata on a daily basis, if anyone would care to share.

I'll be happy to post my impressions once I've driven mine a little
more. I'm just about to fill the tank for the first time, so I don't
even have an initial impression of the gas mileage as yet!

If there is something specific you would like to know, let me know and
I'll my current thoughts, but with only 400 miles of driving, keep in
mind that they will be INITIAL impressions only.


Matt

 

[Mike Marlow]

Thanks for all the advice on tires for winter driving, guys. I think
we've about talked it out. I'm interested in hearing what it's like to
drive the Sonata on a daily basis, if anyone would care to share.

Well - the Sonata in our family is my wife's car. It's an '04 GLS and we
both love it. Every time I drive it I continue to be impressed with how
smooth the car goes down the road. It's a beautiful little car. Very
nicely done inside, though I'm really a leather interior guy, so I wish it
had that. The seats sit too high for my preference and they're kind of
hard, but not so much so as to be uncomfortable.

Remember all that snow we get? Well, it's on the factory Michelins with
about 28,000 on them and they just chew right through everything we've faced
so far this winter. The car handles very nicely on snow and ice and is
quite predictable. That makes a big difference in how well a car is in the
winter.

 

[Eric]

I'll be happy to post my impressions once I've driven mine a little
more. I'm just about to fill the tank for the first time, so I don't
even have an initial impression of the gas mileage as yet!

If there is something specific you would like to know, let me know and
I'll my current thoughts, but with only 400 miles of driving, keep in
mind that they will be INITIAL impressions only.


Matt

It's kind of hard to put in words, but what does the Sonata 'feel' like
on the road. As I mentioned I like a smooth ride---not floaty and
disconnected like a Merc. Grand Marquis, but definitely to the smooth
side of average---but also like decent handling, i.e. when you turn the
steering wheel the car actually turns right away, and you're not scared
to drive in heavy freeway traffic for fear you won't be able to correct
in time if someone does something stupid.

That's why I keep coming back to GM despite some issues with durability
and refinement. In most cases GM suspension and steering feel right for
me.

The Malibu Classic I drive now just 'feels' good on the road. When I
hit a bump, on the one hand I know it's a bump; on the other hand it
does not throw either me or the car for too big a loop. If I steer
sharply to avoid the bump, the car will respond right away but will not
run off the road, (or if it does it's my fault).

My old Saturn sedan was even better in this respect. If I could do it
over again I would have kept that car and run it into the ground.
Problem was it was just too damn small; the Malibu/Sonata ('06)/Camry
size is just right for me.

Regards,
Eric

 

[Eric]

Well - the Sonata in our family is my wife's car. It's an '04 GLS and we
both love it. Every time I drive it I continue to be impressed with how
smooth the car goes down the road. It's a beautiful little car. Very
nicely done inside, though I'm really a leather interior guy, so I wish it
had that. The seats sit too high for my preference and they're kind of
hard, but not so much so as to be uncomfortable.

Remember all that snow we get? Well, it's on the factory Michelins with
about 28,000 on them and they just chew right through everything we've faced
so far this winter. The car handles very nicely on snow and ice and is
quite predictable. That makes a big difference in how well a car is in the
winter.

Thanks for the info. If I do get a Sonata it will almost certainly be
the '06 model. That's a quantum leap improvement over previous
generations by most accounts. That's what made me consider Hyundai in
the first place.

Note that I don't have to buy a car this year---my Chevy is holding up
OK so far---and it would stretch my budget tight to get a new Sonata.
Still it sounds so good from what I've read and heard that I am
seriously considering it.

Of course if someone is giving away a low-mileage '04 or '05 Sonata for
pennies on the dollar value, I would consider it....

Eric M

 

[Eric]

Greetings! For those not in a hurry to drive, I get the impression that
there will be a full report on the Sonata (both the 4 and the V6), as well
as the new Ford Fusion family and a couple of others as soon as March in
Consumer Reports magazine.

Don't know if you like the magazine, their slant or their politics, but they
are thorough in their testing of cars. They seem impressed by it initially,
much more so the 4 than the V6.

Test drove one myself. Agree that the 4 seems quite good, and people that
own it LOVE the fuel economy. The room, the pleasantness, the amenities and
the safety features are all VERY impressive. This seems like it is going to
be a great car.

Tom Wenndt

Thanks, Reverend.

I don't subsribe to CR but will keep an eye out for the March issue. If
I buy a Sonata it will almost certainly be a four-cylinder. When cars
this size started coming with 4-cylinder engines it seemed strange to
me, but now having owned a 4-cylinder Malibu and having driven and
ridden in a 4-cylinder Camry I'm a believer.

If you guaranteed gas would drop below $2/gallon and never top $2 again
I would think about a V-6. Also, I don't know about Hyundai but in the
GM world the Ecotech 4-cylinder is considered more reliable than the
V-6, especially the troublesome 3.1L V-6 in the Malibu from a few years
ago.

Regards,
Eric M

 

[Matt Whiting]

It's kind of hard to put in words, but what does the Sonata 'feel' like
on the road. As I mentioned I like a smooth ride---not floaty and
disconnected like a Merc. Grand Marquis, but definitely to the smooth
side of average---but also like decent handling, i.e. when you turn the
steering wheel the car actually turns right away, and you're not scared
to drive in heavy freeway traffic for fear you won't be able to correct
in time if someone does something stupid.

That's why I keep coming back to GM despite some issues with durability
and refinement. In most cases GM suspension and steering feel right for
me.

The Malibu Classic I drive now just 'feels' good on the road. When I
hit a bump, on the one hand I know it's a bump; on the other hand it
does not throw either me or the car for too big a loop. If I steer
sharply to avoid the bump, the car will respond right away but will not
run off the road, (or if it does it's my fault).

My old Saturn sedan was even better in this respect. If I could do it
over again I would have kept that car and run it into the ground.
Problem was it was just too damn small; the Malibu/Sonata ('06)/Camry
size is just right for me.

This one is hard to say as feel is pretty subjective. I haven't driven
many GM cars lately, just the occasional Grand Am rental car. The
Sonata definitely rides smoother than the Grand Am and has more precise
steering. I like a little more feedback in the steering than the Sonata
provides, but it isn't bad. It is also much quieter than the Grand Am,
but probably not much more so than some Buicks I've driven in the past.
Braking is very good. I find the electronic throttle to be the worst
aspect. It doesn't have the tactile feedback that conventional
throttles have and is very light. This is especially trouble-some when
starting out with the standard shift tranny. The engine is quiet so you
lack sound feedback and don't have much feel from the clutch and
throttle. It is hard to watch the tach and also watch traffic. I find
I either overrev to 2000 RPM or occasionally stall it, and I've driven
standard shift for 30 years, including OTR trucks. I'm slowly getting
used to it, but it definitely isn't an easy stick to drive, at least
starting out.

I'd say go test drive one. That is the only way to accurately gauge if
the feel will suit you.

Matt

 

[Matt Whiting]

Thanks, Reverend.

I don't subsribe to CR but will keep an eye out for the March issue. If
I buy a Sonata it will almost certainly be a four-cylinder. When cars
this size started coming with 4-cylinder engines it seemed strange to
me, but now having owned a 4-cylinder Malibu and having driven and
ridden in a 4-cylinder Camry I'm a believer.

I just filled my Sonata for the first time last night. It got 27 MPG on
the first tank. This seems a little low, but I'm guessing it isn't
given the circumstances - break-in, winter, not knowing if the dealer
really had it full at delivery and the fact that one tank does not a
trend make. This was about 70% highway and 30% in-town driving.

I have to admit that one of my biggest concerns with Hyundai was fuel
economy. Every test I've read shows that Hyundai's seldom achieve the
EPA ratings and almost always compare at the bottom of the comparison
group. The Hyundai dealer was handing out fliers of a comparison test
that one of the car mags had down with the Camry, Accord, Hyundai and, I
think, a Chevy. The Hyundai did well in most of the categories of
comparison, but it yielded the lowest actual gas mileage by a fair bit.

It seems that Hyundai must really tailor the car for the EPA test cycle
and not as much for the real world. Even though the EPA ratings aren't
that different from the Accord and Camry, it seems the real world
mileage is a fair bit different. Time will tell...


Matt

 

[zigipha]

I have a LX (V6) with 500 miles. I did some tests on the highway using
the MPQ (G?) on the trip computer. AT 70 mph, steady speed, level road,
2 mile stint, i was getting 27 mgp; at 55 went up to 33 mpg. But stop
and go around town, droppig kids off at school, commuting through towns
with stop lights etc im down to 18. Maybe I should have gotten the GLS
4 and saved a few thousand (btw..i paid 19.3 for the LX, no moonroof,
after 2k rebates and includes destination charge; TTL extra; basically
~$200 under invoice).But I got the car a few weeks ago and believe
that weather plays a significant role in mpg. I just filled up and
gonna drive a couple of hundred miles and compare how much it takes to
fill up vs the trip computer, then try to focus on the temperature
differences.