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Comments
Good to hear that the XG300 is getting a bigger engine. If it wants to compete with the V-6 Accords and Camrys, it would need more power than what it has been given.
They also have a 2002 4cyl automatic with the same as above plus the moonroof and keyless door locks and CD upgrade OR a 2001 6 cyl with the same features for $16,959. Also seems like a good price but really not as good as above. Again, opinions would be welcome.
Just the work that's been done to the trunk alone is impressive... the trunk capacity increase, the true 90* trunk with struts, the trunk power outlet and emergency release, the trunk lid lining...let alone the S-type redesign of the rear. In the front, the front hood lightness (it weighs a pittance now that the structural concerns are removed from the hood) along with the front hood struts...the 2.7 engine which moves the car with blessed assurance, the C-Class type headlights, standard 16' wheels. Inside...the new dash treatment with a 'wood trim' finish far superior to any previous iteration, the Shiftronic tranny---jeesh---somebody stop me! I think I'm gonna trade mine in at the earliest opportunity!
Just kidding.
I own a '95 Base Sonata and the aforementioned '00 GLS and I can see the logical progression in quality and design. The new '02's are so far ahead in terms of fit and finish. The exterior moldings (rubber and otherwise) are superbly done. The panel seams are tighter than before and the exterior is remarkable in it's solidity. People will say what they will about the design components but seeing the car in person yields an overwhelmingly satisfactory opinion. This car just rocks! I say bring on the Altima, bring on the new Camry. This car delivers the goods at a price point no one will be able to touch.
( worth $50.00 here in Penna) free pinstripe and they also installed a CD player that I had in the Elantra at n/c for $12,799 plus tax and plate. I traded in a 2001 Elantra, 11,000 miles, Pkg #2 and received
$9600.00 so out the door with tax and plates fees was 3600.00
I thought it was a good deal since I drove the Elantra for almost a year and went to a midsize car.
Also thanks for the help on the oil change site. Seems like you do need to remove the right wheel for the filter. The Elantra filter was ALOT better and faster to service.
I did notice that the Elantra had a transmission spin-on filter on top of the case under the hood. The new Sonata does not have this, only a sealed hole where that filter would go. Anyone know if the filter is somewhere else??????
Thanks for the reply!
I love this Sonata!
I have linked this discussion into that folder, but it will always reside here in Sedans.
Looking forward to meeting everyone!
KarenS
Host
Owner's Clubs
I just did a 500 mile r/t today at speeds well above 80 and avg 32mpg.
It is plenty fast and powerful. Think about it for a second, b4 the 6 cyl guys respond... the two engines are about identical in displacement.
This means that each piston is in a 4 cyc is significantly larger than that of a 6 cyl thus providing more torque of the line and spark plugs you can change yourself without removing the intake manifold!
Just my two cents. ALSO I dont need to be reminded I view my transportation as an appliance.
best of luck in your choice of engines. BTW, I have 13k on my sonata and only problem I had was the driver side pwr window motor spilling its guts while on vacation.
Later
Tony
On the other hand, in real-world driving, the V-6 suffers little penalty to the I-4 in mpg's...gives refined and silky operation...is QUIET and requires little maintenance (the plugs are platinum tipped). Also, the auto tranny/V-6 combo is better suited to modern commuting, IMHO.
5-speeds, of course, are a different matter.
.
For '02, however, the V6 will grow to 2.7L and make pretty much the same hp and torque as the Santa Fe. Plus, the Sonata gets the Shiftronic tranny from the Optima... this should get the new Sonata to 60 in the low 8 sec range with an auto.
Nuance
The nicest part about the V6 is how fast and smooth it drives with very little rpms, meaning I really don't need to use the cruise control because of such little pressure needed to keep the pedal down.
Interior seats are comfy front and rear but may be tight for 3 adults. I liked the instruments and cubbies but felt the wood looked too fake.
Driving it revealed a quiet interior and smooth engine and tranny. It is quick and the ride is supple, but not very sporty. Compared to the Camry it is a lot more fun to drive and also compares to the Accord well at thousands less than the V6 model. I would definitely choose the leather interior but ABS may be hard to find. Will try to sell current vehicle to get one of these.
My dealer just posted his price on the '02 GLS I spoke of earlier (#1205). He's asking $16933 which he lists as $100 over his invoice. Of course, his invoice has the dreaded advertising fee (which Edmunds seems to think is a reasonable addition, as long as it is not outrageous). Considering the fact that he is no-dicker and the car just hit the lot (from the holdback standpoint), I expect he'll have to come down $300-$500 on future sales (of std. GLS's) once the supply works out.
Good Luck, osvaldo. I am sorely tempted but I don't like the idea of trading when upside-down on the loan. Maybe in another year. I also don't like buying the first year of a redesign. Just call me 'cautiously in love.' I look forward to reading the good news from the new Sonata buyers.
I drove her car to check this problem out. I witnessed a similar problem after driving the car extensively for hours. I shifted to Reverse from Drive to back the car with the dash indicator showing the transmission has shifted to Reverse. I pressed the gas pedal and nothing - It was like being in neutral. Then as I pressed for more gas, transmission suddenly shifted with a big shudder and a grinding sensation. After this I shifted from Drive to Reverse and back continuously to see whether this problem would happen again. It doesn't always happen, but it does occasionally happen - Maybe 1 out of 15 shifts (?).
If anyone of you experienced a similar problem with 1999 or newer 4 cylinder Sonata automatic, please feel free to help me out. Thanks.
Have the dealer fix the shift shaft sensor.....
Shiftronic:
Some of you might not even know how to use the Shiftronic. I used the Manual Shiftronic nearly everyday driving my Santa Fe now-a-day...They are quick, easy, fun, and control speed just like a sport car....You can shift down to lower gear for fast speed and also for cornering and brake....Let say you are driving at 20mph+ and you want the ABS to brake instant for you then you just shift down to 1st gear and tap on the brake lightly but if you want to speed up then you press on the gas pedal and prepare for the speed..If you want to make a wider curb turn make sure you use lower gear for the Traction Control to work for you; basically you don't have to press the brake very much...The car will go the way you want it.....Do not worry or hesitate to learn and drive the Shiftronic...
the car read MSRP$18824 with the
following options Pw moonroof $550
Mud guards $75, Sunroof wind deflector $62,floor mats$78,inland
freight & handling $495. TotalMSRP
$20,006.This is the front end which
the salesman handles. The back end
is where the business manager takes
over.Here I paid sales tax $1140
Tag&Title$ll5,Waste tire & lead acid
battery fee Florida Law $6.50,Lemon
Law $2(book).He tries to add on
$399.95 for Delivery fee(preprinted
on form)which I didnot pay, ready to
walk out before he gave in.A local
dealer called me the day (8-31-01)
and offered me a GLS with cloth seats
no moonroof,CD,AMFM Stereo w/o tape
with floor mats,mud guards,cargo net
for $17,000 plus tax,title,tag,plus
what ever else he can get(dealer prep
freight & handling.Iam sure I over
paid, but I dont think he would go
much lower on a 2002.Keep in touch
I was a bit surprised by a few things. Fist they looked shorter than I expected; they just looked longer in the pictures I'd seen. Second, the lower fascia in the front isn't as attractive as I hoped, although the fog lights were very cool. Third, the rub strip on the rear bumper looks odd, although it should protect the car from minor abrasions due to rubbing against things. Fourth, I was surprised to see steel wheels and plastic wheel covers on most of the cars, because the 2001s had alloys even on the base model. Fifth, the higher end models do have alloys, but for my taste the 2001 GLS alloys are much more attractive. Last, I had an ambiguous feeling about the front lights. I liked them a lot in the pictures I'd seen, but seeing them in reality left me feeling unsure about them. Perhaps when the cars are clean and all the plastic is completely off, they'll look better.
Now, I can't wait to go to a dealer to sit in one and to drive it. The interior is supposed to be much improved, and I really want to feel the power of the larger V6.
This shouldn't be very hard, because the XG 300 will probably get a 3.5l displacement for the 2002 model.
Ugh.. can't Hyundai take a risk?!!
I have heard that the Tiburon will have a 2.7l 214 horsepower V6.. why doesn't the Santa Fe or Sonata get this horsepower with their 2.7l's?!!
To sum it up, Hyundai/Kia puts out cars with more gadgets per dollar, while Honda, Toyota, etc. put out cars with better powertrain and reliability, but less gadgets inside. It's like either getting a computer with all the software you want with a slightly less hardware capacity, or getting a super computer that doesn't come with free softwares.
all before 60,000 miles. I also had an Elantra and had no problems with the car. I think some disgrunted Toyota and Honda owners are reading this board and do not like the fact that Hyundai builds a great car today. You will see this if another posting degrades this car. So Sorry Camry and Accord owners.
Also--I don't think Hyundai is doing the right thing introducing the XG.. yeah yeah, it does improve the image, but the XG is preventing the Sonata from getting a larger engine, or even a larger body.
What are they going to do? Perhaps they should of rather made a luxury division?
Looks like dealer cost is 16,833. with a 2% holdback. Whats a good price to offer on the Sonata??Do they deal on these cars?? I also went to the Toyota dealership to see what they had for Camrys. They have a 2001 Camry LE..list 25,008....less 4,077 for a total of 20,931.. The Camry sounds like a good deal,but I REALLY like the looks of the Sonata. I really like the price of the Sonata also. Is the sticker a "bottom line" price. Thanks, Harry
That's awfully a good deal.
lokking at a 2002 sonata LX with traction.
If you would like to read something on Korean car quality, go here:
http://www.autonews.com/html/main/stories0903/koreans903.htm
The news is all good. There is much here to assuage doubts about the seriousness of Hyundai/KIA's efforts in North America. Har1bush, however, will likely find something to complain about :-)
If you're talking about a wider range of different vehicles, then you're right. But as far as contents for the individual car model, Hyundai does quite well in matching and often beating the competitors.
I think Toyotas and Honda make great cars, and I wouldn't badmouth their vehicles to make Hyundai look better. Besides, there's no need. Hyundai cars' great values and vastly improved build quality are beginning to speak for themselves.
Is Camry a better mid-size sedan than Sonata? My answer is still a definitive YES. However, my question before making a buying decision was: is Camry $4000 better? My subjective answer was NO - so I bought a '99 Sonata. Plenty of folks answered otherwise and bought Camry. And that's just fine by me.
Check carsdirect.com -- for my ZIP (91773), carsdirect price is $15,251 (invoice price is $16,951).
But if you're looking at a 2001, you should be able to do better than carsdirect price at this time of the year...
The Sonata is a 2002 GLS V6..(2.7L 4A)
Base 17,499.
Power sunroof 550.
Total MSRP 18,544.
They have two on the lot at this price..A silver one and a white one....Both look great.
Edmunds shows this price also.
http://www.edmunds.com/new/2002/hyundai/sonata/gls4drsedan27l6cyl4a/standard.html?id=lin0014