2011 Sonata Design

Having seen a picture or two of the new Sonata design, I think having
only a 4 cylinder available will be the least of its problems. I think
the car is butt ugly. I really enjoy the clean and crisp lines of my
2006 and they didn't muck it up too bad when they changed it in 09 (or
whenever it was that they changed the grill, etc.). However, this new
design looks like a Toyota Camry that was in an oven and melted a
little. Yuck!

What do others think of this styling? I haven't seen a good rear shot
yet, just some partials of the tail light and one corner, but the rear
looks as ugly as the front. I probably need another minivan, but
Hyundai dropped theirs and the nearest Kia dealer is too far away. So,
it looks like back to Chrysler for the third time unless I decide I can
get by with a car. The design of this Sonata is making the Chevy Impala
look more and more attractive. It is a sharp looking car (OK, this rear
is somewhat ugly) and the reviews on performance of the new Chevy models
has been quite good. Although, I find buying a car from the Feds to be
a very distasteful proposition.

http://www.themotorreport.com.au/wp...ion_ED29/hyundaisonata_yf_2010_concept_03.jpg


Matt

 

I like it except for the front. The grill is much too big.

 

Have you looked at the shots from the Hyundai webs site? They have full 360
views and a couple of shots from the rear. I like the sculpted side and I
don't think the front in peros will be as dramatic as the photo makes it
look. I think I could like it.

If you buy a new car from GM, you get two free years of Medicare though, and
a copy of Ted Kennedy's book. The new Mailbu is good looking, I just don't
trust GM after the last car pissed me off.

Terrible photo, IMO.

 

I also like the looks of my 2006 but like the looks of the new
one......at least from the photos on Hyundai's website. I'm not sure
about the roof line, particularly by the rear door. It looks like
getting in and out of the rear seat is going to be a struggle. The
other potential issue I see is with the seats themselves. From the
photos it looks like the seat back sides are built up quite a bit.
Similar to my wife's Accord and I find these seats very uncomfortable.

 

I tried, but the section on the new Sonata won't open in SeaMonkey. It
might in IE, but I hate IE and seldom use it or sites that require it.
The home page comes up OK, but when I click on the "All-New 2011 Sonata"
picture nothing happens.

Ha, ha, ha. I was with you until the Kennedy book. That was the
deal-breaker for me! I've actually had pretty good luck with GM
vehicles over the years so that doesn't deter me. My issue was more the
dealers than the vehicles, but I now have a pretty good dealer in the area.

Matt

 

I got it to open with IE. Still ugly to me.

It may look better in person than in the pictures though so I'll reserve
final judgment until I see one in the flesh.

Matt

 

Looks like the Genesis. It won't matter to me because I just go a new '10
so I won't be in the market for a while yet.

I never cared for Hyundai that much until the present models of Sonata
appeared in '06 and I liked it. While my criteria for buying a car take
many things into consideration, no matter how good the reliability is, it
has to be pleasing to my eye. You'd never catch me with a Honda Element and
that black plastic fenders, or most anything from Chrysler. .

 

If you don't think the new Challenge is pleasing to look at, you need
new glasses!!

http://www.dodge.com/en/2010/challenger/

Matt

 

Yes, it has followed the theme of the Genesis (and I found its styling
much less attractive than the Sonata of 2006), but it has taken it to an
extreme with the sloped triangular shaped headlights. I also don't like
at all the hood lines that extend through the grill and look like a
distortion in a picture (which is what I thought they were at first!).

Ugly. However, if I am the only one that doesn't like the styling, then
Hyundai made the right choice! I tend to keep my vehicles a minimum of
10 years or 200,000 miles barring severe accident or having a lemon.
I've only had one real lemon (Honda Accord) and I traded that at 5 years
of age with 90K miles or so). I've had two other vehicles totaled (146K
and 178K) and the rest I still have!

I won't be in the market for a replacement for my 2006 Sonata until
probably 2016 and there will be at least more more generation of Sonata
by then. However, I must admit that the new Chevy Volt is a very
intriguing car and I will give it serious thought if I can charge it at
my house.

If I didn't need at least one more minivan, I would be in the market for
a second car in 2-3 years, but it appears I need to wear out at least
one more minivan before the kids are all gone. :-(

Matt

 

The salesman at the Hyundai dealership said the 2011 is going to be a
somewhat limited edition to see how well it goes over with buyers. Calling
it a Sonata though, seems to limit the possibilities. If it does not sell
well, do they just go back to the older style? I doubt it. Do they have
another more sophisticated design in the works?.

I'm still hesitant about hybrids, but they have been around now for a few
years and seem reliable. My concern is the cost of battery replacement after
the initial five years. Or some other battery related problem as in
hazardous waste disposal or the like.

The Volt only goes 40 miles on a charge. It could be my daily commuter if
I charge it at work, (50 mile round trip) but for taking a trip, it does
not seem to be the way to go. Unless the gas engine proves economical for
charging as you go.

Minivans did not exist when my kids were growing up so I was spared that
situation.

 

Interesting that they would experiment with probably their most
mainstream vehicle, at least in the US.

I have been hesitant also, but I know a few folks that have hybrids (one
who has a first or second model year Prius) and so far the results
have been good. His Prius is still on the original batteries and it is
something like 10 years old now.

My commute is almost exactly 40 miles round trip so I would be close to
all-electric propulsion. What I would really like is an engine that can
run on both gasoline and NG! I have fairly cheap NG where I live.

Wow, you must be old!

My first minivan was a 1996 and now I have a 2003. I am debating
whether to buy a 3rd, but with a second child about to enter college and
a 13 year-old it seems to make sense. We could carry all of the stuff
for college in the van, whereas with a car I would have to rent a
U-haul. And the vans aren't bad for daily commuters although not as
efficient as a car. They are great for long-distance traveling though
as they ride as well as most luxury cars (better than my Sonata), have a
nicer seating position and are very quiet. And the fuel mileage isn't
that much worse than the Sonata (25 vs. 30) on the highway.

I wish Hyundai had not dropped the Entourage as I was very close to
buying one of those when I found out they were to be dropped. Oh well,
the Chryslers haven't been that bad to us, but they are more troublesome
than some other vehicles I have had. And you can about guarantee that
you need a fuel pump at 100-120K miles!

Matt

 

My kids are 41 and 39. Vans just came into existance in the early '60s with
the Ford Econoline and a Chevy version. Most were used as utility vehicles,
not so much for passengers. The passenger versions were usually big
families or commuter vans more than the main family ride.

Along the way, I did have a couple of station wagons though. A '68 Olds
Vista Cruiser and a 71 Ford LTD that was, I think, 3 inches longer than an
aircraft carrier.

 

OK, so you had the minivan of its day! My uncle had a large GM wagon, I
believe either an Olds or a Buick and it was far larger than my
minivans. However, I think the minivans had more useful space inside
and got far better fuel economy.

It appears now that the "cross overs" are putting the vans out of
business so I don't expect to see the Entourage ever return. That is
too bad as it looked like a decent vehicle and I was hoping to try
something other than Chrysler for my last minivan. However, nothing
else is on my short list. I loath all things Honda and Toyota and that
pretty well narrows the choice.

 

If you want to buy a used Entourage, let me know. We have about 50K on
ours. It has been maticulously maintained and has no problems, but my wfie
is/was the daily driver. That being said, it has tons of dents, dings and
other abbrasions. I'd tell you why we are getting rid of it, but it's a
long story and has nothing to do with the vehicle itself. We love it.

Eric

 

Ed,

My first new car was a '72 LTD. 400 cu in engine....and, as you said,
bigger than an aircraft carrier!!!

 

If you want a Chrysler, hurry (if you dare). They're currently in no
condition to be a viable automobile company. A quick look at their
product lineup will show that all they have that's competitivie in the
marketplace is the Challenger/Charger/Trucks. This isn't nearly as
large a portion of the market as they need. Reports are that it'll be
a couple years before they have a reasonable product lineup.

 

I had one of those Country Squires (71 or 72) that felt like driving a boat.
Couldn't keep the front end aligned, did you have same problem?

 

I don't think it mattered much given the soft riding suspension. Reminded
me of bouncing from cloud to cloud.

 

Ed;
As another Nutmegger (Marlborough) with children the same age I'd like
to share some of my own experiences of that time. My first two
daughters used to ride behind the back seat in my '68 VW Bug. No seat
belts, no car seats, nada. In fact nothing but hard metal trim and
pointy knobs and cranks.

Then in '74 we moved up to the big world... a Pinto Country Squire
wagon. Yep - 4 banger auto with A/C. With the family aboard in the
summer it took all it could do to hit 60 MPH. Following that was a
move to a '79 Olds wagon. Almost as big as the LTD in size and the
rear (3rd) seat faced rearward so my kids would make faces at the
people behind up who would then pass and look in and yell at me and my
wife for having unruly passengers.

These days we both drive '07 SF LTD AWD's which are far better than
most other cars I've had. My brother in law has an 06 Sonata with
416K miles on it. Waiting for it to die I suppose.

Just my $.02 worth...

 

416K in 4 years? That is 104K/year which even with a 50 MPH average
speed is 2080 hours per year. It is basically 40 hours per week, every
week. You are pulling our legs, right? I'd like to know what sort of
job he has that allows him to drive 40 hours per week every week with no
time off!

And where can I get such a job?

Matt