Hyundai Sonata 2006-2007

bobad

I think this is one sleeping dog that I will let lie".

I think that filter is to absorb vapors while fueling up the car. I think it's been EPA mandated for quite a while. Or maybe I dreamed that. :confuse:

desertguy

I think you are on the right track. My guess is they are talking about the charcoal cannister that filters gas vapors. They do have to be serviced or replaced. Could be a problem with translation from Korean to English.

corvette

Yes, I was talking about the Sonata, and the online version of the owner's manual recommends replacement of this oddly-named filter at 37,500 mile intervals (I think the "plain old" fuel filter is scheduled for replacement at 30,000 mile intervals).

I am not aware of any other vehicles that call for regular replacement of the charcoal canister. I can only assume that, should it get too plugged up, it might trigger a check engine light.

sjws

I was wondering if anyone has seen the new 2007 fuel economy guide at www.fueleconomy.gov and noticed that the Sonata is listed as using premium gasoline. Is this a mistake or is Hyundai changing the fuel recommendation to premium gasoline for the 2007 models?

averigejoe

You changed my words. You misinterpreted. Read it again.

backy

Here is what you said:

It can be done. It is not routine. I cannot teach others how to do it and would not if I could.
Most car buyers are routinely unlucky.
A very few are not.
Even fewer are lucky repeatedly.

Here is my reply:

OK, thanks for confirming that the process you follow to get the best price is not teachable, meaning it is not repeatable and is based on factors outside your control.

Here is the thinking behind my reply: a human process (such as buying a car) that is repeatable, meaning it is a series of steps not subject to random factors, is teachable. It may be a complex process, difficult to teach, but it is teachable. Whether or not everyone is capable of learning that process is another matter, based on the complexity of the process and the ability of the teacher and the student.

Please help me understand how I misinterpreted what you said, because that was not my intention. I had trouble deciphering what you meant in the last three lines in particular.

xenon666

Think its a mistake since it lists all the Hyundai models, including the Accent, as using premium.

choe13

will purchase one as of sept, a inline 4 banger cuz of gas

wuts some of your opinions as for a really good color match for this car? anyone seen it in white yet?

bobad

Get a GLS V6, only 2-3mpg less than the I4, about the same price to buy. Get Aquamarine, because it looks really great on the road. (I have the Deepwater Blue)

johnap2

Aquamarine looks really good in my opinion....white is nice, but shows dirt quickly. Good choice in the I4 though...easier to maintain and a bit better gas mileage.

backy

Pearl white is very nice (extra cost though), and I like the steel gray and aquamarine, also the beige (looks especially nice on the LX with the tan leather I think).

bobad

I too like the Pearl White and Steel Gray,,, but ixnay on the eigebay.

There's a Gold Beige in my neighborhood, and it doesn't look nearly as sharp as the other colors when it passes by. It looks fine up close, but just doesn't present well on the road, IMHO.

desertguy

I wouldn't trade my dark cinnamon for any of the colors mentioned. But let's face it, it is a totally personal decision.

backy

The dark cinamon is very sharp too. I just don't like the upkeep of darker colors.

averigejoe

I did not say it is not teachable.

pat

What you said was "I cannot teach others how to do it and would not if I could."

If you meant that it could be taught but you are not capable of doing so, that's fine, but let's drop this back and forth and move on. Please.

djdublm

i have the Dark Cinnamon GLS I4 and i love the color it is really sharp when its clean, but doesnt take much to get dirty quick... especially since i have to park it outside, but that will be over soon were in the process of building a house with a 2 car garage.

averigejoe

You are also adding meaning to my words. Reading between the lines results in misinterpretation. I said what I said.

pat

I have added nothing. This is obviously off-topic. If you want to discuss this further, email me. Let this discussion get back on track.

iluvmysephia1

dark cinammon on this 2006 Hyundai Sonata. Looks very nice, although I'd like to spot it on a moving Sonata to get a better sightline on it. Good old hi-yo Silver presents very well on this rig, too, IMO.

miamixt

. "Get Aquamarine, because it looks really great on the road. (I have the Deepwater Blue)"

So you are asking others not to enjoy the Deepwater Blue too?. You know it might be the best Blue ever?

averigejoe, ever have the feeling people don't understand you?. That's the story of my life!

engineer941

I was thinking of getting a Hidden Hitch too - I had one on my old Intrepid - I looked on the site and they don't seem to list the one with a flat bar receiver - just a 1 1/4 inch square one. Is this what you put on and is it very visible when not in use?

rnjered

I'm a new '06 Sonata owner as of yesterday. My wife and I love the new car! I would like to know where I could get a set of factory 17" wheels/tires for my GLS V6 as ours came with the 16's. I haven't checked with the dealership yet (probably cost an arm & leg there). If anyone does know where I could pick these up or even better - trade with someone who has the 17's & doesn't like the ride let me know. Also - I've checked on e-bay with no luck. Thanks in advance for your help. jered

feizhigao

1. The prices here are not rubbish. I purchased a GLS V6 for 16,600 in Southern California before tax, title, and license.

You are looking at the published dealer invoice amounts. In fact, they are rubbish! Our Hyundai dealer claims they they are "losing" money on the cars. How can they lose money and stay in business? The fact is that dealer invoice amounts posted on the web vary from dealer to dealer. Some dealers can buy for significantly less. In the case of Hyundai, I have to wonder if most dealers can buy for significantly less. That is why my car is only worth 14500 trade-in when I take it to any dealer or CarMax, but on KBB it is supposedly 17500. The problem lies with Hyundai- and unless they stop this deceptive practice, no matter how good they make their cars, they will continue to be regarded as depreciating junk!!!

2. Don't trust the GLS V6 mileage numbers. Real-world town mileage is 18 MPG for normal acceleration. heavy acceleration will get you 17 MPG and grandma like pace will get you 19 MPGs. The car significantly eats gas on hills and on startup, so short trips get lower mileage. Highway mileage is about 28 with the AC at 80 MPH and no hills. You can get 32 with no AC at 60 MPH if you are careful not to accelerate quickly. Going up the mountain will get you sub-20 mpg, no matter the speed.

3. The cars have a problem with the windshield wiper resevoir clogging up. The trunk remote release can stop working if you aren't careful. Otherwise, the car is very nice.

mamamia2

Are your mpg numbers based on calculations of gas consumed per miles driven, or your Trip Tech readings?

bobad

2. Don't trust the GLS V6 mileage numbers.

That statement shows a misunderstanding of the numbers. Those are not "GLS V6 mileage numbers" or Hyundai numbers. Those are EPA numbers assigned to the car when EPA testing was done. They are a guideline only, and variance is not the fault of Hyundai.

I agree with your real-world mileage numbers. They are spot on. I have gotten as high as 32mpg, but never below 24mpg, because I have never driven in excess of 50% city miles on a given tank of gas.

mamamia2

Can you just put a 17" wheel on a car that's built for a 16"? What about your speedometer, a larger wheel will register the WRONG speed on your speedometer, no???

Also, you need to take into consideration that the stock 17" wheels on the Sonata are low profile, and their ride is much STIFFER than the stock 16" wheels.

averigejoe

Speedometer error will result if you replace the stock tires with ones that have a different circumference. The wheel size does not matter so long as the tire circumference is not changed.

averigejoe

Huh? What do you mean by that?

johnap2

Yes, this is what I put on. Only a Class I hitch (1.25) is available for the Sonata and all the major brands are identical in design...the hidden hitch was my choice because it came with everything except the tow ball.

It is visible, but it doesn't look too bad. If you want a picture I can email it to you...

iwantacar

Hi folks. I know that the 2007 Sonata will have Satellite radio. However, my question is, has anyone found a way to hook up an ipod without using an FM transmitter? Also, it seems like it would be difficult to put in an aftermarket stereo. Anyone with experience in this regard? I just got my steel gray GLS V6 here in AZ and i'm mighty happy with my purchase. Now if i could only play my Ipod. The Tejano stations get old after a while.

schdy

Costco sells a ciggarette lighter FM transmitter that works fine with my Ipod. You can select 1 of many different FM frequencies. I think it is around $25

bjw1

Hello everybody i am thinking about purchasing a sonata here in the next couple of months and would like to have owners input on how they are, i heard the redesign is better than past years, and looked great when i looked at one, i have not been to dealer yet, i dont go to dealer till i am ready to buy, please fill me in on you experiences, on leaning on a 4cly for fuel costs but would like to know differences in the gl and gls models, thanks.

mamamia2

You need to spend some time here, READING the stuff -- LOTS OF STUFF -- that's been posted here over the past year or so, to REALLY get the idea of the new Sonata.

And you need to go to this site to compare the different Sonata trims:
http://www.hyundaiusa.com/vehicle/sonata/trim/comparetrim.aspx

And then you need to make a VISIT to the dealership, and ask for a comprehensive TEST DRIVE.

Only than you can consider yourself READY to make a decision...

joedirt

Hey all, remember me?

Hyundai has their new incentives out. $2,500 minimum rebates for GLS V6 and LX models.

I finally broke down and bought a new 2006 Hyundai GLS V6 with an MSRP of $22,391 for....

....drumroll please....

...$15,248 plus TTL.

I drove the car for at least an hour over every road surface to make sure there was no K-thunk sound.

I know these cars depreciate FAST, so I am planning on keeping it for a long, long while.

rhduke00

I second what mamamia2 said. In the end it all comes down to personal preferences. Both the 2006 GLS 4 and GLS 6 are fine cars. I've owned both (purchased the 4 cyl at the end of Dec and traded it in at the end of Apr for a 6 cyl. My GLS 4 cyl was smooth and had decent acceleration. However, the V6 with 5AT is even smoother. I have not regretted my decision in upgrading to the 6. With the 4 cyl, I averaged 25.5 MPG. With the 6 cyl, I average 24.4 MPG. In addition to the extra gear in the tranny and bigger engine, the GLS 6 also has solar glass. BTW, the dealer sold my GLS4 two days after I traded it in. My salesman told me that he sold it for $16,000 + TTL. I said you can get a new one for that and the salesman responded "You know that and I know that but the guy who bought the car didn't know that".

bobad

Congratulations Joe. I think your package is the best bang for the buck, and the best package to keep for 100 years. All the tech on the LX version is pretty fragile, and is asking for trouble after 5-6 years.

About re-sale: I see you have bought in to the "Internet Expert" view of resale value for the 06 Sonata. Well, I have great news for you. Take good care of that GLS, and sell it privately and you can get top dollar for it in 3, 5, or 10 years.

Enjoy your great ride!

mamamia2

"I bought a new 2006 Hyundai GLS V6 with an MSRP of $22,391 for....
....drumroll please....
...$15,248 plus TTL."

--- How does a (brand new, I must guess) car with an MSRP of $22,391 been sold for $15,248 (before taxes, I must guess) -- IS BEYOND ME.....

feizhigao

The MPGs are based on trip computer. When I first got the vehicle, I tested the trip computer vs. gas/miles and they were almost identical. Since I drive a variety of terrain, it would be hard to estimate hwy/city based on overall mileage. A most annoying feature is that the vehicle seems to lose a lot of gas from starting and warming up the engine. It is worse in the winter, even though I live in SoCal.

It is a good car, but you have to be willing to pay the price for gas. I would recommend it for an area with mostly highway, not a lot of traffic, and low gas prices. In those types of places, it would be a great car. But in crowded SoCal with $3.35/gallon petrol, this is not the car you want to be in if you are going for the value proposition that Hyundai presumes to be selling. It would be fine if they gave a reasonable trade-in so that I could get an elantra or something... but my dealer tried to do the bait and switch by giving me a falsely high resale value to get me to drive out there. I wrote Hyundai and they said they don't care, it's the dealer's fault and they don't have control over their dealers. Great cars, but if that is how they handle problems, I don't want to have to deal with Hyundai for a large purchase again.

njerald

It would be fine if they gave a reasonable trade-in so that I could get an elantra or something... but my dealer tried to do the bait and switch by giving me a falsely high resale value to get me to drive out there. I wrote Hyundai and they said they don't care, it's the dealer's fault and they don't have control over their dealers. Great cars, but if that is how they handle problems, I don't want to have to deal with Hyundai for a large purchase again.

Your dealer and Hyundai just don't understand you.

mamamia2

Few notes, feizhigao:

A. The TripTech is nice, and USUALLY quite reliable, but you can't take it as a "scientific" tool... It's good for an AVERAGE reading which becomes more accurate over 100-200 miles. I once drove for 3 miles, at a steady 45 mph while resetting the TripTech -- and got 48 mpg on the screen...

B. ANY car will waste gas when starting and warming up. ANY car will get lower gas mileage in cold weather. ANY car would get MUCH worse gas mileage in city driving.

C. ANY V6 car would waste MUCH more gas in city driving, compared to an I4 car. That's why the V6 (of ANY model) would make more sense for buyers who mostly commute on highways. Those who live and work in the city would make better sense of buying a 4 cyl. car.

D. What you portray here about your dealer is typical to MANY -- if not ANY -- car dealer in the country. They all (ok, most) do those "little tricks", no matter if they sell Fords, Hondas, Dodge or Toyotas. So making it into a "Hyundai" issue, is neither realistic, nor fair. Also, dealers TRY to play games, but they don't FORCE you to join them in their games.

E. Resale value of the Sonata is still debatable. The car is way too NEW to establish a firm number. So far the Sonata got rave reviews, and no major reliability issues. The expectation is for it to retain a good resale value, just as the previous generation Sonata has proven to have. And, btw, you check ANY car and compare its trade-in value between KBB and CarMax, and you'll be AMAZED at the difference... Just last August I was checking about our '96 Volvo 850... CarMax offered me $2,500, while KBB was about $6,500... I sold it to a private party for $6,500....

...Enjoy the car... Hope this all helps...

alamocity

Market drives the price, dealership in Irving Tx was selling the GLS for $15,888.00 and $15,388.00 with the loyalty rebate. In my market the Sonata goes for a price similar to the Accord and Camry.

averigejoe

Wow!
Congrats, Joe, on your bargain price!
You may have the record for a GLS V6 with a $22,391 MSRP.
Nice going. Enjoy!

m1miata

GM advertising seems to help Hyundai, IF people elect to also add the Sonata. If a person does the HEAD2HEAD, I see all the usual cars come up, with the exception of the Sonata, when the Impala is the car to compare to. I added the base V6 Sonata in and it kicked butt on the Impala. Just no comparison with or without warranty considerations. Hyundai should thank Edmund's and GM for promoting this HEAD2HEAD idea. GM needs to add content and warranty, if they want to win the HEAD2HEAD game. Some cars come closer than others. If you consider resale value, and comparison test doesn't, they lose nearly all comparo's. That said, GM is a fair used car buy. Hyundai has come a long way. It is a value leader and the cars rate as safer or safer than the best. Compare the Sonata and the Volvo S40 data at the crashtest.com site.
-Loren

feizhigao

The Hyundai got good results, but there is one concern- the IIHS (which insurance companies trust) does not give it excellent for the side crash test. The structure safety cage and pelvis are not considered excellent, and pelvis is rated poor. In fact, it says that a fractured pelvis is likely in a side impact. This is a very serious injury. Here is the description from a medical web site:

"Overall mortality rates for patients with pelvic fractures can be as high as 55%, depending upon the severity of the fracture and the other injuries. Hemorrhage is a frequent complication, and mortality rates from pelvic fracture with hemorrhage can be as high as 40%. Associated injuries and multiple organ failure related to sepsis account for most non-hemorrhagic deaths."

Doesn't sound like something I'd like to do in my Sonata! So the perception of safety has some weak spots. If you look at the new Honda Civic, a much smaller car, it gets better IIHS safety ratings for side impact. As I mentioned in an earlier letter, I believe that Toyota and Honda use superior materials and metallurgy. That's why I pay $15 more per month for insurance on my Hyundai vs. a Civic- because my insurer has records showing that these cars are less safe overall, despite government ratings.

snakeweasel

One thing to consider about your claim of 55% mortality rate for pelvis fractures is that most pelvic fractures are suffered by the elderly who would be more prone to high mortality rates from any injury. A young or middle age person would not suffer anywhere near as high of a fatality rate for such an injury.

desertguy

You are correct about fractured pelvis in the elderly. It isn't the fracture that kills them. What happens is that they become bedridden from the fracture. Then fluid builds in their lungs and eventually pneumonia kills them. Happened to my grandmother, my uncle, and my Dad. After the hip fracture, all died within 2 months from pneumonia.

averigejoe

Warning: Do not compare crash ratings of vehicles in one size class/type to one in another category.
In a real-world accident, a highly rated small car may be less safe than a lower rated large car. Don't be mislead or fooled into a false sense of security in a small car which has a high rating. Likewise, don't necessarily feel unsafe in a large car just because its rating is not as high as some small car's rating.

backy

Side and rear crash tests can be compared regardless of the weight of the car, because the car's weight doesn't affect the crash as does a frontal impact.

For example, in a side impact test the same sled hits the car whether it's a Fit or an Escalade. So for an impact by a vehicle of the size/weight simulated by the sled (a mid-sized car for the NHTSA, a small pickup or SUV for the IIHS tests), 5 stars or a "Good" for a small car is just as good as the same rating for a large vehicle. Certainly, if a large vehicle hit a small car in the side, e.g. a Hummer hit a Fit, it might not hold up as well as if a Hummer hit another Hummer. But size isn't everything in crash tests. Intelligent safety cage design and judicious use of high-strength steel is a factor also. That's how a small car like the Civic can outperform many larger cars such as the Sonata on the IIHS side impact tests.

averigejoe

Wrong.
Sorry Backy, take it up with IIHS since that is what my post was about.
"...don't compare ratings across vehicle size groups because size and weight influence occupant protection in serious crashes. Larger, heavier vehicles generally afford more protection than smaller, lighter ones..."
http://www.iihs.org/ratings/default.aspx