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Hyundai Sonata vs Honda Accord
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Comments
I'm not saying that it's not a great car that will be loved by many...but not for me.
At this point, if I choose to go to something other than a Honda, I might check out the Nissans or perhaps Acuras or Infinitis. I've test driven all, except the newer Nissans.
Well, at least I have a year or so before I'll be buying. At that time, I expect the Acura TL's will be way down in price due to a new model coming out. If Accord prices are still high, I could well move in that direction.
In the majority of the Honda vs. Hyundai, and even Toyota, discussions here on Edmunds.com, most posters are strongly in one camp or the other, some even seriously bashing the other brand which is most unfortunate. I would put forth than the majority of those who prefer one brand over the other, or bash the other brand, haven't actually owned the "other brand," especially not concurrently.
Our family owns a Honda (2005 Accord LX Automatic), a Hyundai (a previous generation Elantra GLS Automatic , admittedly not a Sonata as per this forum), and a 2007 Toyota LE Automatic. We also own a couple of European cars. If you want one person's relatively objective analysis on the ownership experience with these, I will do so very succinctly, in an overview fashion:
The Accord has been quite trouble-free, although we had several warranty-related issues during the first year of ownership. It has low mileage, only 28K miles on the clock at present, but is enjoyable to drive. A bit too much road and surprisingly, wind noise, on the road, but acceptable. Enjoy the handling and excellent fuel economy. Dealership experience - Good. Overall quite pleased.
The Elantra has over 100K, and except for routine preventive maintenance, its only true corrective-maintenance repair was the replacement of an alternator. There were no warranty-related issues during the first year of ownership. It's been an excellent car, and still drives today as it did when we drove it off the dealer's lot. Nice mix of ride, handling, and fuel economy for such a small four door sedan. Dealership experience - Excellent. Very pleased with the car.
The Camry has been a love-hate relationship. Since it's rather new, it still has less than 7K on the clock, but has been in to the shop several times for the now infamous throttle hesitation issues. Several TSBs have been applied, but it still is afflicted with this problem. Nice car, rides very well, with little road or wind noise, and also excellent fuel economy on the road, but these DBW (Drive-By-Wire) bugs are driving my wife nuts. Dealership experience - Fair. Pleased, but with reservations.
Moreover, the build quality and fit and finish are equally excellent on all three cars, except the interior dash panel gaps on the Camry are not consistent unlike the Honda and Hyundai.
FWIW . . . This is just my 2 cents worth offered by a person who presently owns all three brands.
I think if the Sonata is driven against the Accord over a course with lots of twists and turns, the Accord will come out ahead. (And that's what the car mags often do when they do a comparo.) Since I drive on a road like that maybe once a year, but do drive on rough roads every day, a smooth and quiet ride is much more important to me than how a car carves canyons.
Buy what you [general "you"] like and what suits your needs, but please don't wax poetic about how Accord buyers are the ones who love sporty cars, how they are true driving "enthusiasts", and Sonata buyers aren't. I see lots of middle-aged suburbanites tooling around in Accords, and I'll bet 95% of them have never taken their car on a twisty road.
That wasn't my goal, and I'm sorry if I implied such. What it amounts to is that as a young guy, I wanted something practical as well as fun. I make road trips often enough (600 miles round-trip to the Gulf (4), 1600 miles round-trip to Oklahoma City (3), and a few 300-mile round trips to Atlanta (3) have all been had by me this year in my 06 Accord. I value ride-comfort and economy, but I want a "fun" car for when I'm tooling around away from the suburbs (say, towards a local river near my home).
The Sonata had the same demeanor a Camry had in my eyes. Obviously that's not a bad thing to a LOT of people. It just left me wishing I was back in the Accord every time I got in the Sonata. Was the Sonata BAD? Heck no! It just didn't suit me. The differences are indeed small, but as y'all have heard me say several times in the past, my two biggest criteria when car shopping were interiors and handling dynamics. The Sonata's interior design (not necessarily the quality, but the look of it) really put me off (while the exterior was at least as good looking as the Accord), and the car drove more like a Camry. It just wasn't what I was looking for.
* Increase in interior volume to break into the EPA large-car class, as the Sonata did in the 2006 MY.
* Added ESC (VSA), traction control, and active front headrests across the lineup, as Sonata did in the 2006 MY.
* Made four-wheel disc brakes standard across the lineup, as Sonata did for 2006 MY.
* Softer ride--more like that of the Sonata.
And then there's little details, like regular back-lit gauges and painted plastic faux aluminum door pulls, like the Sonata's.
There's still a few tricks that Accord could pick up from Sonata, e.g. make the trunk bigger, put in a convenient 60/40 folding rear seat vs. one-piece, make satellite radio standard across the line, and improve the warranty. But maybe Honda is leaving those for the next-gen Accord.
Here's a quote from C/D, from their long-term review of the Sonata, if you think Hyundai and the Sonata in particular is a non-factor and that Honda doesn't care what they do:
It hasn't been until this latest Sonata that Honda and Toyota engineers have paid much attention to it. We guarantee it's now a thorn in their sides and they're losing sleep over how good the next generation Sonata might be.
P.S. Hyundai offered ABS on the first-generation Sonata, long before 2006. ABS may have been offered on the Accord in the early '90s, but it wasn't standard across the the Accord lineup until later--2003, wasn't it? Also, did you know that side airbags weren't standard on all Accords until the 2005 MY, while they were standard on the Sonata way back in 2000?
Backy,
You didn't really state this but it did sound like it was implied. I make a point to drive Accords, Camrys, Altimas, Fusions and find I like my Sonata the best "for me". All models have "better" features in other aspects for different drivers, but the price I paid and what I have make the difference. If my Sonata treats me well for another ten years I'll buy another...unless some other manufaturer comes along with something different/better/bang for the $$$ model. I'll stick with Hyundai. Just like the Honda, Toyota, Yugo, Chrysler people. (had to put that last jab in)
Yep, that's my strategy also. Whatever car meets my needs best, at the lowest cost, gets my money.
Glad you liked C/D's long-term wrapup of the Sonata, including I'm sure the part about Honda worrying about the Sonata.
Since you drive a car that is a generation behind the current Accord, maybe you'd like the Sonata?
If I would have bought an 03 Sonata instead of 03 Accord, I would have been a couple generations behind. And, since I'm not ready for the retirement village, and don't like suspension noise, I don't think I would like the current Sonata. Retirement Rides, I love it.
Well, I care more about my life, than anything an Insurance company values. What do you think would cost more, airbags or doctor and hospital bills? Maybe airbags are worth more than your life :surprise: , but not mine.
Frankly, your constant Hyundai - and, every other brand - bashing, and Honda flag waving, is growing rather tiresome.
Frankly I don't see the need for VSC, and my 03V6 doesn't have it. It's just extra cost for something I will probably never use.
Frankly, your constant Hyundai - and, every other brand - bashing, and Honda flag waving, is growing rather tiresome.
They bash, I bash back, simple as that. If you're tired, you should take a nap.
Not to say Honda doesn't make a better overall car than Hyundai and can't compete if they don't match Hyundai, i'm saying they are obviously losing customers(if not a Sonata than what would you buy) due to intelligent marketing, and more car for your money.
It all works to the consumer's advantage. The ill fated stigma that some people still hold of Hyundai is what keeps the company giving us extra for a value price. Hyundai's presence in the market keeps companies such as Honda on its toes, trying not to lose much market share. Hyundai HAS solidified its position in the market, and are here to stay.
When you created this, you wanted to specifically compare the 08 versions of these cars. Do you want to change the subject?
The Altima and even the Camry in all its lacklusterness is still gaining sales and marketshare while the Sonata is pretty much remained a stagnent selling car overall. Fleet sales move the Sonata muscle and I think even with this new Accord its sales will go up too.
I'm not saying the Sonata has not helped change the game and is not competitive, I am saying that the car has NOT YET solidified its place in the marketplace because had it done so, the car would sell better with fewer fleets. It set a standard (for about a year) for safety features and still sets the standards for overall value, but the car doesn't stand out for much else. It has no more "Pizazz" IMO than the Camry. I also do not believe that the Sonata is as refined as the Accord or new Altima overall, but that with it's discounts its a much better value than those cars. The Camry, to me, is a differnt story all together. If any car in this class is overrated, its the Camry. The only Camry of substance to me is the Camry SE or the Hybrid.
I do believe that this Sonata is the basic foundation for better Sonatas to come and that maybe by the NEXT generation perception overall will have changed so much that the car will be considered more by other consumers. Most folks who I have talked to only consider the Sonata BECAUSE of its value pricing compared to say the CamCordTima. If the Sonata were priced anywhere near it's immediate rivals, it wouldn't sell as well.
Us enthusiast here are very well informed, but many other car buyers still have a problem with the Hyundai name which is ignorant on their part for lack of research but it's a reality because if not Hyundai could have done the same thing Nissan did with the previous generation Altima when it was released, price it around the same price or HIGHER than the immediate competition. Altimas back in 2003 retailed for higher than the comparable Accord, even after the Accord was redesigned.
Hyundai perception is changing but the Sonata has not quite Solidified its position in this marketplace because had it done so the car would be selling better and to fewer fleets with fewer discounts on an already price competitve (before discounts) vehicle.
U.S. Sonata sales in 2004 (last year for prior generation): 104,000
U.S. sales of current-generation Sonata (started selling in April 2005) as of 10/31/05: 109,512 (about 7 months' sales)
U.S. sales for Sonata in February 2005 (right before current generation debuted): 9,762 (58% increase over Feb 2004)
U.S. sales for Sonata in February 2006 (current generation): 13,741 (41% increase over Feb 2005)
U.S. sales for Sonata in February 2007: 12,137
So although Sonata sales are down some in 2007 compared to 2006, the Sonata is selling in considerably higher volumes than the previous generation did, despite the fact it costs considerably more than the previous generation. The Sonata has gained sales, and market share, over the life of its current generation. The Accord has lost sales, and share. Maybe the 2008 Accord will change that trend.
http://www.bizjournals.com/birmingham/stories/2007/08/20/daily23.html?ana=from_r- ss
The Accord was not on either list. So does that mean it appeals to mostly middle-aged people?
As for lists, both the Accord and Sonata made C/D's list of top 10 safest cars under $25k, while the Accord (2007) made the top 10 quickest cars under $20k (won't be eligible for 2008 however).
2005 - 26.5%
2006 - 50.1% (Explains a big increase over 2005)
2007 - 27.6% (Explains decrease from 2006)
Feb. 2005: About 7150 Sonatas (2005 models) sold to individuals.
Feb. 2007: About 8790 Sonatas (current generation) sold to individuals, or about 23% increase from two years before.
Now that the new Accord is out and other new cars are coming (Malibu, Mazda6), I think Sonata sales may be held down some until the mid-gen refresh this spring.