2015 Hyundai Sonata Long-Term Road Test - Introduction

Edmunds.com

2015 Hyundai Sonata Long-Term Road Test - Introduction

Will the 2015 Hyundai Sonata continue its predecessor's success as the midsize sedan's styling matures?

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tempesting

I dig that color of choice.

emajor

The Sonata is a good choice for a long term test, though I think you missed an opportunity to examine the Eco version with the small high-mpg turbo and dual clutch auto. It's a far more interesting and informative choice since the 2.4 has been a known entity for years now.

ryster

What was Hyundai thinking with that engine compartment layout? Good luck replacing the battery when the time comes. I have the 2.4L engine in my 2011 Sonata and it is much more serviceable.

rjett

Any chance your model will eventually get the update that allows for Android Auto and Apple CarPlay? I am very interested in this feature.

bankerdanny

IDK Ryster, looks like a few crews will allow you to remove the snorkle f t intke and have easy access to the battery. It beats the hell out of stashing it behind a cover in a front wheel well or (like my old Beetles and current MB-GT) under the rear seat, and how many times will you likely need to remove the battery during the life of the car? 2? 3? That access seems just fine to me.

adamb1

I'm not seeing much value there. I got a loaded '14 Fusion Titanium for $500 less than that. The Fusion has more equipment, more style, more power, and I bet lower depreciation.

rowmyown

IMO, Edmunds needs to stop adding cars to its long-term fleet. I'd rather see higher-quality (or more frequent, at least) posts about the cars you already have than the superficial 1-2 paragraph observations I've become accustomed to. As a regular visitor to the site, I'm consistently impressed by how little your testers have to say about living with these vehicles day-to-day.

misterfusion

It may be more conservative in styling than its predecessor, but in person I think the new Sonata is very good looking. Something about the styling just works for me. Haven't made up my mind about the interior, though...

ryster

bankerdanny said:

IDK Ryster, looks like a few crews will allow you to remove the snorkle f t intke and have easy access to the battery. It beats the hell out of stashing it behind a cover in a front wheel well or (like my old Beetles and current MB-GT) under the rear seat, and how many times will you likely need to remove the battery during the life of the car? 2? 3? That access seems just fine to me.

Yeah, probably 2-3 new batteries over the course of 10 years and maybe the need to remove it to get access to the driver's side headlight bulbs. It is just really strange that the battery in the same engine in the previous version has no such obstruction, then Hyundai chooses to mount the intake over the battery. Those fasteners they use for the intake are pretty chintzy and easily broken. It is just an extra layer of effort for something that should be relatively easy.

iamthestig

adamb1 said:

I'm not seeing much value there. I got a loaded '14 Fusion Titanium for $500 less than that. The Fusion has more equipment, more style, more power, and I bet lower depreciation.

Sticker price (as listed in the article) and negotiated price (as referenced in your comment) are different. The Sonta configured by Edmunds has an MSRP of $27,560, and they're selling for $23,049 in my area (Philly suburbs) according to TrueCar.

ebeaudoin

I would have liked to see another Accord, too. The last time you guys had one was 2008, and it's come a long way since then.

kirkhilles1

Interesting choice. Not bad, but not exciting either. I'll be interested in the reliability side, but I won't really be dying for updates.

allthingshonda

The Hyundai Sonata is a really good car. My girlfriend bought a 2011 Sonata because it looked good and in her price range and no other research at all. I started doing some homework after she bought it to find out what she was getting into and was really surprised. Hyundai threw everything they knew at the 2.4 engine since it would be used in a lot of products and it came out as (IMO) one of the best 4 cylinder engines out there. It features direct injection, dual continuous variable valve timing, dual stage intake system, borg warner supplied timing chain system, integrated engine oil cooler, piston cooling jets, diamond like carbon coating on the cam buckets, and a pentroof combustion chamber (think Hemi for 4 valve engines) The 6 speed transmission is the first automatic transmission Hyundai has ever built. It is used in everything that comes out of Hyundai/Kia and is included in the 10 year/100,000 mile warranty so it's over engineered for durability because they can't afford lots of expensive warranty claims. I will say that the engine seems even stronger now with over 35,000 miles than when it was new.

bc1960

The styling is more appealing from some angles and less from others; the value proposition is getting more and more questionable. >$27K on the previous model would have also included the moonroof, but now you need to move higher in trim and still purchase a more expensive option package, resulting in $31K minimum. That opens the doors to a variety of better cars. The base model, even by sleight of naming it the same as the previous middle trim, seems a bit grimmer than before.

redgeminipa

allthingshonda said:

The Hyundai Sonata is a really good car. My girlfriend bought a 2011 Sonata because it looked good and in her price range and no other research at all. I started doing some homework after she bought it to find out what she was getting into and was really surprised. Hyundai threw everything they knew at the 2.4 engine since it would be used in a lot of products and it came out as (IMO) one of the best 4 cylinder engines out there. It features direct injection, dual continuous variable valve timing, dual stage intake system, borg warner supplied timing chain system, integrated engine oil cooler, piston cooling jets, diamond like carbon coating on the cam buckets, and a pentroof combustion chamber (think Hemi for 4 valve engines) The 6 speed transmission is the first automatic transmission Hyundai has ever built. It is used in everything that comes out of Hyundai/Kia and is included in the 10 year/100,000 mile warranty so it's over engineered for durability because they can't afford lots of expensive warranty claims. I will say that the engine seems even stronger now with over 35,000 miles than when it was new.

Well... you're being a little naive about the drivetrain. It's fairly good, but it's far from bullet proof.

The 2.4 Theta engine is mostly good, but they're not exactly a long-term warrior. I've read plenty of forum posts (at least 5-6) of this engine dying well before 100k. The big problems are, 1) if you're the original owner, you better have every documented oil change record, or Hyundai will deny claims; 2) The 10/100 only applies to the original owner (which your girlfriend is), so a few of those people were stuck holding the bag for a new engine at just past the 60k miles mark. One was completely SOL around 35,000 miles, since he/she couldn't provide proof the car was maintained by the previous owner.

As for the transmissions, they're average... my '12 SE 2.4 was starting to slip in cold temperatures. Dealer said it was old learned driving habits. They reset the TCM and called it a day. Problem persisted. Going by others with the same issue on the forums, it required a transmission replacement. My car had 35,000 miles on it when it started doing it. I wasn't alone with this issue.

Since I was the 2nd owner, I was afraid of long-term reliability, and the fact that I was only covered to 60,000 miles. I traded it in for a new '14 Elantra GT, which is also starting to have some minor issues at 14,000 miles and only 5 months old. 1) rough idle, 2) high beam switch issues, 3) thermostat is going bad already, and some other minor stuff. This will be my last Hyundai/Kia. I'll be cutting my huge losses, and unloading this car. It'll be cheaper for me to put money into keeping my '05 Passat 1.8T 4Motion on the road, versus the payment and trips to the dealer in my future with this Hyundai.

If she has any trouble with the stereo, they're only covered for 3 years, 36,000 miles. If it happens just outside the warranty, just install aftermarket. The dealer wants outrageous prices for those crappy things, and they're known to be unreliable. Another common problem area is the starter: they use cheap plastic for a part that should be metal.

Oh, make sure she contacts the dealer for pending recalls. Hyundai/Kia are horrible at contacting owners, and I know there are at least a couple for the '11 Sonata.

Your or she should really sign up on hyundai-forums dot com. It's an excellent site.

fayrankin2

I guess if I had read this before I just went out one day and bought my 2015 Hyundai Sport that I might have been better educated but feel vindicated that my gut was mostly good about this being a pretty solid auto and a good replacement for my 2008 Accord. However, I have learned a new term called "cut-off hate" and am very, very unhappy with the black windshield effect on dark undulating roads and the disturbing lack of visibility when cornering at night that the projector headlights bring to the party-what progress?. Hope the test isn't over and a few comments on this issue might be aired. I view both issues as terrible safety hazards and predict that there will be a lot to be heard about the short-comings of these headlights in the near future. The total lack of visibility under certain conditions can't help but contribute to accidents and deaths even though they are touted as providing better visibility.