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2011 Hyundai Sonata

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    midas69midas69 Member Posts: 118
    Total BS. The screen on my Camry was 7", this is 6.5". Yea, slightly smaller, but the graphics are much sharper.

    The voice recognition is a million times better on the Sonata than on the Camry. The only time I used it on the Camry was to show people how pathetic it was. It was totally unusable.

    Yes, the voice directions themselves are not the best, but that's because they try to pronounce the street names. In the Camry it would just say, "turn left at the next intersection." On the Sonata it attempts to give you the street name too. On the Camry they were thus able to just use canned phrases where on the Sonata they do text to voice conversion.

    Either way, if you're confused, just look at the screen. This isn't rocket science.
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    all4thekidzall4thekidz Member Posts: 2
    Crossed wire jump appears to have shocked my audio system!
    I have looked at all fuses, shocking NONE where bad?
    checked all forums, tried removing the positive side of the battery! Did not work
    Took the car to dealership and they seem to know little about the systems? shocking!
    The radio displays a channel, searches channels, and stops so it is picking up stations. The disc changer appears to be working. Point is NO audio. I have been told that the infinity system has to have an amplifier to function and that it is on the direct feed from the Battery. 1. Where is this amplifier. 2. is there a way to check the darn thing 3. is there a hidden or in line fuse to just the amp?
    I know it does not need the CODE since the dealer said it would display something different. The dealership and techs do not seem to have a clue and will not look up the info for me and want to charge 70 just to pull the radio for the chassis #. I do not want to replace the factory radio to find out the amplifier is bad so i want to check all options first.

    BY the Way I love my Sonata so much i bought an 09 for my wife and gave the 06 to my daughter. Great car just not happy with this stupid audio issue. HELP!
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    lightfootfllightfootfl Member Posts: 442
    just a thought, depending on location, and speed.. try tapping the accelerator pedal once quickly.. that may change it.

    van
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    cooldesakcooldesak Member Posts: 15
    edited March 2010
    After well over a month of research here and theres, I finally bought my own 2011 Sonata Limited.
    MSRP was $26450 (included Pearl White paint, ipod cable, carpeted floor mats, wheel locks, door edge guards, wheel molding), got it for $23.5K at Faulkner Hyundai in Harrisburg, PA.

    Transaction was soooo smooth, no pushy, irritating people, just a bunch of happy, helpful, fun-to-deal-with, promise-keeper people. Great service, great dealership. Highly recommended.

    Dealership documentary fee is $120, which I think is pretty reasonable. They accept credit card payment up to $1500, which means with my 1% cashback credit card, it is like getting $15 off :D
    Oh, almost forgot to mention, they gave me a financing APR of 2.90% (not 2.99%) which doesnt sound like a big difference, but for 5 years of financing tens of thousands of dollars, the small savings can give you like free meals at a restaurant. :p

    So far, I love every moment of driving it, and I dont know why but the car feels better than when I was only test-driving it. It feels quite, soft, and powerful to me, and those gadgets are just too lovely.
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    jsmit86jsmit86 Member Posts: 116
    I just signed the deal on my 2011 Limited w/NAV last night. My dealer had been trying to dealer trade, but since NAV units are rare, dealers won't give up a NAV for a Non-Nav Limited.

    My dealer got a confirmed "allocation" vith VIN on 3/23. My question is can anyone tell me how long from allocation to get a car to Chicago?
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    LASHAWNLASHAWN Member Posts: 303
    Your're amplifier is located in the trunk behind the luggage side trim cover. More than likely if you crossed wire jumped the vehicle than you pretty much shorted out the radio or amplifier maybe even the speakers. The service techs really can't help you in this regard because they, nor do any service tech for that matter, have any training on the vehicle audio system because it's not a Hyundai product, all they can do is replace what's broken. They should be able to check and make sure everything is getting power though.
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    shabadoo25shabadoo25 Member Posts: 232
    Well, my nav unit took 5 weeks to get from Montgomery, AL to Atlanta. However, part of that time was a holdup due to the door latch recall.

    Once your car leaves Montgomery, I'd imagine it would arrive at your dealer within a day or two.
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    rico84rico84 Member Posts: 7
    Pretty good deal! I'm wondering how long it took to negotiate to this price?

    Has anyone else in the Northeast get a good deal like this? I'm not finding many posts regarding buying experiences for the Northeast.
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    syitalian25syitalian25 Member Posts: 303
    This is the forum for the 2011 Sonata, are you talking about the 2006 or 2011? If it's the new one, I would say find another dealership because that should be well covered under warranty. As far as the questions you asked about the amplifier, I have no idea. There is probably a technician's manual available somewhere online that would tell you how to pop out the head unit and check the number yourself though.
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    syitalian25syitalian25 Member Posts: 303
    My dealer also located the car at another dealership for me, once they found it I had the car within two days.
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    mannygomannygo Member Posts: 9
    I noticed it too when i test drove the Sonata Limited with no nav package. I did not drive the GLS or SE so i am not sure if this extends to those 2 trim lines.

    I had a 24 mile test drive and 2 separate occasions when i was easing towards a red light i let the foot off the gas. That's something i usually do when there is no traffic behind me. The speed dropped off sharply and i got the jerky downshift of gears. The first time i instinctively looked at the gear shifter. It was still in proper place. And then i had to accelerate again to get to the red light. That's one of the reasons that made me disappointed with my test drive.

    Also the drive was comparatively noisy over concrete roads as compared to my current car although that can be attributed to the low resistance tires.

    Other thing being on the day i drove we had high wind conditions all day. I thought the car swayed more in high winds at high speeds(75 to 80 miles per hour) compared to my ole Honda Accord EX V6 in those winds on those exact roads. At times it was a slight effort to keep the car in its lane. I have used that section of interstate for my daily commute for more that 6 years and never experienced that kind of sway.

    Plus side i did not notice as much engine noise at low speeds. This is something i had read about in multiple reviews and was expecting it. But the car was surprisingly quiet at low and medium speeds. The interior i think is the best amongst all sedans and is very well laid out. The drivers seat was very comfortable and heated. The complaints about the rear seat not having enough room (read in some reviews) seemed overstated. I thought there was ample head and legroom in the rear seats. Like the capacity of the trunk.
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    shuale_ejsshuale_ejs Member Posts: 115
    I still haven't been able to see my contacts. Granted I haven't spent much time trying to figure it out but on all other cars once I connect my phone (through bluetooth) my contacts are there also...so I dont' know what's going on.

    Also, my Traffic System is not on...I call practically every day and each time they say I'm set up and I need to put XM on Channel 1 and it'll reset. Well it hasn't...and yesterday I drove all the way to work (took almost 20 mins) with the radio on Channel 1 and it still hasn't 'registered'.

    Maybe I should have stayed at the dealer at let them set everything up for me :blush:
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    shuale_ejsshuale_ejs Member Posts: 115
    I have to admit I have not used it much yet; however, my one disappointment is the 'directional voice', it is WAY too soft. I noticed that when I took a car for a test drive...so it's not just my car...AND I have the volume set all the way up.

    I've also that my speed volume doesn't seem to do what it should. Whether I go fast or slow, the volume stays the same. When I get in the car for the first time...if I forget to turn it down before I turned the car off...it's really loud.
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    shuale_ejsshuale_ejs Member Posts: 115
    I don't have that problem...and I have a Limited. It's very smooth and when I take my foot off the gas it slow downs at a moderate pace. It's not jerky.
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    shabadoo25shabadoo25 Member Posts: 232
    I don't know if this is a change in the operator or the vehicle, but I've noticed a lot of "loosening up" of the car now that I have 1,000 miles on it.

    Perhaps it's just me getting more used to it, but there was kind of a clunkiness to the response right off the truck. The more the car is driven, the more responsive and fluid the driving is.
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    shuale_ejsshuale_ejs Member Posts: 115
    edited March 2010
    The car I have now took 1 day. It all depends on where the car is coming from and if it's currently at the dealership. If it hasn't arrived to that particular dealership yet, then that tacks on a few days. I imagine you should hear something from your dealership with a week.

    What are your colors?
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    chrisk10chrisk10 Member Posts: 19
    edited March 2010
    I might look into getting a K&N cone then. Have you been able to find part numbers listed in your owner's manual? I looked all through it and couldn't find low/high beam part#'s or the air filter #. Although I did notice it has "H7" stamped on the headlight housing so I'm pretty sure they are H7's. I know that the 09's and 10's had H11B bulbs which after doing some research I see are pretty hard to find in anything other than a standard halogen. I'll look into getting some Silvetstars since going from HID's in my previuous car to standard halogen in my SE kind of sucks. I have found HID kits for the '11's but you have to drill a hole in the dust cap that screws in behind the bulb, and I'm not sure if I want to do that yet to a brand new car.
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    syitalian25syitalian25 Member Posts: 303
    I know the Nav system is a nice feature, but why not just spend $300 and get a top-of-the-line 5'' Garmin that does all of these things, plus real time traffic, and lots more. Sure, you don't get the backup camera or the extra 40 watts worth of stereo, but you save yourself $1800. Better off spending it on a vacation or something.
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    shabadoo25shabadoo25 Member Posts: 232
    You answered your own question: better stereo, backup camera plus a full color touchscreen.

    I had no intention of paying more than $25k for a car and still needing to suction cup something to it that it didn't have.

    Plus, IMHO, the one tacky looking thing in the whole current design is the non-nav radio screen.
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    bneuman542bneuman542 Member Posts: 10
    Thank You.....makes me feel better.
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    bneuman542bneuman542 Member Posts: 10
    Total BS. The screen on my Camry was 7", this is 6.5". Yea, slightly smaller, but the graphics are much sharper.

    The voice recognition is a million times better on the Sonata than on the Camry. The only time I used it on the Camry was to show people how pathetic it was. It was totally unusable.

    Yes, the voice directions themselves are not the best, but that's because they try to pronounce the street names. In the Camry it would just say, "turn left at the next intersection." On the Sonata it attempts to give you the street name too. On the Camry they were thus able to just use canned phrases where on the Sonata they do text to voice conversion.

    Either way, if you're confused, just look at the screen. This isn't rocket science.

    Great...I'm liking what I'm hearing!
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    ajacobs1979ajacobs1979 Member Posts: 2
    Yeah, I had ONE dealer out of 5 say they had my exact model in. However, the day I went down to purchase, it turned out another salesman had already made a deal for it. Great job by my saleswoman! In any case I really hope one turns up soon. Not that my '04 Corolla S isn't a wonderful car, but it's time to make a change!
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    shuale_ejsshuale_ejs Member Posts: 115
    Personally I like having the nav integrated with the car...that's just me. I don't want a gadget hanging from my dashboard or window. I like having all the bells and whistles.

    Also, it wasn't a matter of $$$ for me. If it was, then YES I agree, buying a Garmin for $300 would certainly be the way to go.
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    cooldesakcooldesak Member Posts: 15
    It took several phone calls/emails to fight for their best prices to several dealers around (two phone calls to this dealer where I finally buy the car).
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    jsmit86jsmit86 Member Posts: 116
    I am getting a Limited with Nav -Pacific Blue with a Gray interior.
    The New Car manager told me that he expects the car in 2-3 weeks. I know that the cars come in by rail to Joliet IL, and then are transported to the dealership. I am not sure that the car is actually fully built yet.

    I used to sell Dodges (many years ago). We would get computer printouts once a week with status updates of where the car was in production. i.e. scheduled, frame, paint, final, shipped etc... The cars took a few weeks to advance through all of the steps. We had the VIN# early in that process, before the car was complete.

    I have heard that the Sonata line is about 7 miles long, and I think it takes a week of so to build. I am wondering at what point can the car be allocated with a VIN.

    Hey, I'd love to pick up the car in a day or two!

    Perhaps one of our posters from Montgomery ALA can chime in. I have the VIN if that helps.
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    rich27514rich27514 Member Posts: 41
    That's my experience, as well. I have about 3200 miles on my Limited already. At about 2500 miles, the responsiveness and smoothness increased noticeably, and I was already very satisfied. My only problem so far seems to be a (sometimes) rattle with the glove compartment door.
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    shabadoo25shabadoo25 Member Posts: 232
    I'm surprised you had to wait on that combo. It's one of the most common ones with nav out there right now.
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    meikmeik Member Posts: 63
    It might be a cabin filter misplacement or something inside in your glove box. It might be a good idea to empty your glove box for a while to see if you still have the issue.
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    meikmeik Member Posts: 63
    I am just curious when you guys (current 2011 owners) are planning to have your first oil change. 7500 miles? 3750 miles? or sooner (like 3000 miles as a general recommendation)?
    If you already have it done, at what mileage did you have it done?
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    moontrainmoontrain Member Posts: 83
    edited March 2010
    I am looking for a Sonata Limited in Black Plum Pearl with NAV. I heard that the hold up was the camel interior. Does anyone know why this is not available,or when it will be?
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    moontrainmoontrain Member Posts: 83
    Your first oil change is the most important one of all due to metal particles from the new engine in the oil.Change it about 2500.
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    midas69midas69 Member Posts: 118
    It might be a cabin filter misplacement or something inside in your glove box. It might be a good idea to empty your glove box for a while to see if you still have the issue

    I've got the same rattle. The only thing left in my glove box is the owner manual. Can you be a little more specific regarding the cabin filter? Where exactly should I look?
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    jaimzjaimz Member Posts: 15
    I love the bluetooth, no-hands phone in my awesome black on black limited, but...

    Is there any way to stop the voice from saying, "Call (name), default, say "yes" to continue or otherwise no to cancel....blah, blah, blah. :mad:

    Just make the fu**ing call. Enough with all the "default, say yes to continue" bullsh*t.
    :mad:

    Does the computer have to go through that crap every time I make a call, or is there some way to program it so that it just makes the call?
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    syitalian25syitalian25 Member Posts: 303
    if you press the voice dial button (top one on the steering wheel) again it will skip all that and go right to the next part where you talk. Then just say "yes" and it will say "dialing"
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    syitalian25syitalian25 Member Posts: 303
    check in the manual on how to remove the cabin filter, looks pretty easy from what I saw.
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    meikmeik Member Posts: 63
    To be honest, I am guessing.
    Since you can take a glove box out to replace a cabin filter, it might be a loosen screw issue. As syitalian25 said, check your owner's manual and check screws on your glove box and cabin filter.
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    rich27514rich27514 Member Posts: 41
    I have emptied my glove box, but the rattle persists. It stops if I leave the glove box door open.
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    meikmeik Member Posts: 63
    Well, yes. It has to check if what it hears is correct. If it doesn't check and makes a call to a totally different person, people will complain more. ( I am a programmer )

    Me: Call xxx
    System: Call xxx at mobile, say yes to continue ....
    Me: Yes
    System: Calling

    I think it is pretty nice. Also it picks up my command quite well. Even a human secretary would confirm who you want to make a call to.
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    swingmanswingman Member Posts: 54
    At that point, you would be better off picking up the phone and dialing it yourself.

    My dad has bluetooth in his car and takes way too long to make a call and get through all the confirmation. I've actually witnessed where it confirmed the correct name, displayed the right number and dial the wrong person. He owns an infiniti though but just shows that even confirming the number doesn't really make it 100%.

    If it can't learn your voice commands without asking for confirmation then it's not very helpful IMO, especially when it's not short and to the point.
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    meikmeik Member Posts: 63
    Sure, if you set a speed dial, all you need to do is press & hold the number on your phone. I am sorry for your dad. He definately has a bad system. If it confirms the right name and displays the right number, it should make a call to the number. If it doesn't make a call to the number you confirm, it is absolutely a piece of junk. :(

    We all want to have a human-like computer system, but unfortunately we don't. At least we don't have it on Sonata yet. IMO system on Sonata is pretty nice. All you need to do is to say "Call xxx" and "yes". Oh! Also just wait few seconds (may be 10-20 seconds).

    I have no idea what type of bluetooth system other cars have. But it is definately nicer than Infinity based on your experience. ;)
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    longhaullonghaul Member Posts: 17
    My dealer didn't even offer to set up BT :mad:

    I can't "see" my contacts, but instead dial thru the VRU.

    It does take a while after I get in the car for all the contacts to register.

    Also, I've decided my enunciation needs work because the silly VRU always makes me repeat
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    longhaullonghaul Member Posts: 17
    Before my Sonata I was driving an old minivan. Been using synth. oil for years. Any thoughts on synth with the 2011 Sonata engines?
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    darkhelmet16darkhelmet16 Member Posts: 13
    For those of you waiting on certain color combinations, they're just starting to produce some of them; It's been stated on this thread before that (for example) the camel leather interiors are just beginning to be installed, and should be at dealers in a few weeks' time. Hopefully your circumstances allow you to be patient, so you get the car you want :D

    As for clunky transmission behavior, it's my understanding that the transmission uses a "fuzzy logic" system that learns how you drive over the first few thousand miles, which explains why the car feels smoother now than it did off the truck (or doesn't yet feel smooth). Hopefully again the solution is patience, and you'll see things smoothing out over time. If excessive engine braking / mis-timed shifting occurs after a few weeks of regular driving, then you might want to see your dealer.
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    dbatowdbatow Member Posts: 5
    edited March 2010
    I live in Southern California and saw TWO Sonata 2011 within about 10 minutes during the Thur evening rush hour. When I saw the 1st one (grey color) I was like wow cool. Than 10 minutes later on the freeway I saw another one (blue ?).

    At least in the appearance department Sonata 2011 looks as good as MB 500 that was next to it. Trust me I see tons of super expensive cars here and Sonata 2011 looks like one of the best. :shades:

    Because of the sloping lines seen from outside, the car doesn't seem to offer that much interior room. But we all know Sonata 2011 has one of the biggest interior space in the class. Been driving toyota/honda only so far but this might be my next car in a few years.

    I was wondering when they would start showing up around here...
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    ramkatramkat Member Posts: 23
    edited March 2010
    I have been looking into the valve deposit problem associated with DI engines for a few days now. I don't have a clear answer yet. Hyundai Canada responded with a "trust us" response . My dealer was helpful and did some investigation but could not provide me with a clear answer either. However, one of the solutions to help minimizing the residue build up is to use a good quality oil. Here is a oil from a uk site - not sure if it is sold in North America

    http://www.goldcrestoil.co.uk/manual_images/68_09082008_222213_havolineultrav.pd- - f

    As you can see it is a synthetic oil - so using a synthetic oil in the 2.4 GDI engine would probably be a step in the right direction
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    podpod Member Posts: 176
    I don't understand. Wouldn't the DI issue be with the deposition of gasoline derived deposits on the injectors? How does the type of oil have anthing to do with it? The oil never seen the combustion chamber or intake lines or injectors. Isn't that true?
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    jsmit86jsmit86 Member Posts: 116
    Replying to: mikemartin (Mar 24, 2010 10:09 am)

    I agree that the seams in the pavement could clearly be heard in the video suggesting a tight suspension which would be expected in the SE variant of the car. Those who dismiss discussion of indisputable thumps from the road seams are either deaf or fanboys. That is to be expected in the sports tuned variant of the car. You can't have a tight suspension for aggressive driving and a quiet suspension; at least not at this price point. It is not a criticism, rather an observation that might steer some to the non-sports tuned models of this car. I suspect that the Limited is sprung more softly and that the sounds would be relatively damped. Open minds folks and open ears. Yes, but keep in mind that any microphone in a car that is not on an isolation mount will emphasize these sounds in comparison to what you will hear in the car. I am driving a 2010 Sonata Limited loaner until m 2011 arrives. It is very quiet (in fact probably a bit quieter than the 2011) I can still hear the tar strips and bumps, like I would in ANY car. They are relatively muted. I took a small video clip on my blackjack, and it of course sounds very noisy. The point being... if you are concerned about the actual experience... DRIVE THE CAR! ;)
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    chrisk10chrisk10 Member Posts: 19
    Hi All,

    Posted a new video so prospective buyers could hear the stock SE exhaust. Its nothing special obviously being stock, but it does have a better "growl" than the GLS or LTD models.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NO-utC4fCMc
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    lancep97lancep97 Member Posts: 36
    Thanks for posting. The exhaust sounds great. Anyone have a nav unit that they could send some video of? I'm curious to see how responsive it is. I'd also like to see a video of the bluetooth in action that so many people keep talking about. Thanks again.

    On a side note.. Do some of the reviews on Edmunds for the 2011 Sonata really seem unjustified to some? I just read a glowing review in which the reviewer rated some of the elements of the car a 5 (esp on reliability). I mean how can you rate a new cars reliability at 5 when you just got the car?
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    shabadoo25shabadoo25 Member Posts: 232
    These reviews are clearly from people with an agenda to drive the Sonata's rating down.
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