Hyundai Sonata 2006-2007

silverfox1

I also have some issues with the rear suspension noise when going over sharp bumps. Smooth roads offers Lexus quite ride but rough roads do offer more than acceptable suspension noise. I added some carpet pad between the trunk floor and rug with some improvement. Not the solution but will help some. The audio people use a aluminum back rubber material that is attached to the floor pan. May be a better solution.

seniorjose

The Hyundai V6 has been advertised for the last few months as having a special factory rebate cost of $1,500 less than an identical I4...check your local Sunday newspaper! Just what is wrong with the V6 outside of its thirstiness for gasoline? ...if it quacks like a wounded duck, looks like a wounded duck and flys like a wounded duck, then DUCK ... the deal!

backy

First, the rebate difference between the Sonata I4 and V6 is $1000, not $1500.

Second, the idea that Hyundai offers a bigger rebate on the V6 Sonata because it is defective is, to put it mildly, utterly preposterous. Unless you have some proof for trash talk like that, how about keeping it to yourself so we can discuss the 2006+ Sonata here rather than your unsubstantiated attacks on it.

As for thirstiness... do you think maybe Honda should increase its incentives on the V6 Accord, since the V6 AT is even more "thirsty" than the Sonata V6 AT? :P

m1miata

Never heard of any major problem so far on any of the Hyundai engines. Sounds like something made up to me. As for gas mileage, people seem to be reporting lower than the government figures. This is something, to GMs credit, I found a plus with their V6, I always got at or up to 10% above the stickered MPG.

It is possible that the V6 mileage reading are being taken too soon and after a little break in time, the mileage goes up. Anyone out there done several readings on gas mileage. As for engine choices, Honda has an excellent reputation in the engine building field. I have no idea how good or bad the Hyundai engines will be, as they are totally new.
-Loren

bhmr59

Pehaps you meant to say that the rebate was $1500 greater on the V6 than on the I4 (it's now a $1,000 difference as Backy noted). The GLS V6 lists at $1500 more than the GLS I4. So, last month, the MSRP minus rebate would have been the same. This month the V6 would cost $500 more than the I4 at MSRP minus rebate.

I haven't seen any ads saying the 6 was $1500 less than the I4. Can you point me (and others) to the ads you are referencing?

joedirt

It typically occurs in the morning or very late at night, when the temperature here dips into the 50s, and I drive the car of rough pavement.

It sounds like there's something literally smacking the underside of the car - not like normal shock absorber compression.

I am taking it to the dealer this week to see if they can advise on any fix.

bobad

It is possible that the V6 mileage reading are being taken too soon and after a little break in time, the mileage goes up. Anyone out there done several readings on gas mileage. As for engine choices, Honda has an excellent reputation in the engine building field. I have no idea how good or bad the Hyundai engines will be, as they are totally new

My mileage went up just under 2mpg from brand new to 4K miles. Right now it's getting 27mpg on a 20 mile, 70% highway commute. I got 29.7 on a recent trip of 80% highway 20% town driving. All figures are with the A/C running. I expect it to settle down to 30mpg on trips, but have no idea about pure city driving, since I live in a rural area. I'm betting it's not too impressive, probably ~20-21mpg.

This engine is not real new any more. It's been around for over a year. The outlook seems to be very good, as I have not heard of a single problem with it so far.

targettuning

The differences in rebate dollars between the 4 cylinder and the six can be attributed to high fuel costs. A six will almost always use more fuel than a standard 4 cylinder so Hyundai noting the trend for consumers buying an increased number of 4's probably have a somewhat larger number of V-6's on the lots sooooo to move the V-6's more rebate Duh!!! I myself, planning to buy a 2007 Sonata, find myself going back and forth...depending on the current fuel costs....between the 4 and V-6 but probably will go with the six. As far as fuel economy goes, driven reasonably it is no worse than any other 240 hp six. Any car that can go from 0-60 in 6.5 seconds and top out at 140 mph and still get high 20's highway is OK with me. Do you think you can get 35 MPG out of an engine this powerful? I get about that with our 2006 140HP Honda Civic. Quack indeed!!!

feizhigao

SeniorJose,
I think you are right- Hyundai expected to sell more V6 than 4 cylinder, but now the situation has changed. Let's hope these rumors about the engine are just imagination. We should know within 2-3 years when the maintenance data come out.

I have heard that the Civic fuel numbers are overstated. Do you get 35 in the city, or hwy, or combined? Also, from what I have read, the 2006 Corolla actually does get the 40 MPG claimed on the highway and better than 30 in the city. You have a good point- if one wants a large, powerful car, they pay the price either in gas or in initial purchase price (i.e. hybrid accord). I would definitely drive both the 4 and the 6 extensively before choosing. And consider whether you have a lot of gear or guests in the car, because it can make a big difference. Also, driving in mountainous areas, the 6 should last longer. But if you live in California, with gas prices headed to 3.50 and up, consider carefully. I know that the resale on the 6 is horrible right now. It may not mean anything, but if you had to change cars for some unforseen reason, it could be a deal breaker.

I wish you the best!

luvmbooty

Went to Hybridcars.com under category "compacts and sedans", lists hybrids out now. Scroll to the bottom under "In the Works" lists the Sonata!

I hope the Sonata Hybrid can compete with the Camry Hybrid. Like the Accord Hybrid is a pure disappointment. Why did honda even bother? :lemon:

Anyone know if or when it will be out? :shades:

snakeweasel

I am not sure about when the Sonata will be out but I hope their expectation for the hybrid Accent is wrong. They have it as expected in 2009, it was supposed to be out for the 2007 MY last time I checked.

targettuning

I am the owner of the Civic and get about 26 in our smallish city with limited gridlock and few traffic signals. On the road we get about 35-37 at 70+mph. This depending on driving location since we sometimes drive the mountains of western Pa. If I really tried (I haven't concentrated on maximum economy driving yet) and drove 65 or less...and lived to tell about it... I MIGHT get 40mpg. So while 40 might be attainable 35+ is about as good as it gets and that ain't bad.

targettuning

I have not heard from ANY source any bad news or any problems with the 3.3 V-6 engine or any Hyundai engine for that matter. A previous poster concluded that since the rebates are larger on the V-6 there just HAS to be something wrong with them. This is not true and the 3.3 is, as far as I know, as reliable as any engine offered by the competition.

targettuning

A recent Consumer Reports article concluded that any overall savings by purchasing a hybrid would be a long time coming. Depending on initial purchase price some of the less expensive cars i.e. Civic and Prius could have a break even point within reason but the more expensive, and more for impressing your "green" boss vehicles i.e. Lexus SUV that break even point may never come, unless you plan on owning it for 30 years. The Honda seemed to have been marketed to improve performance while bowing to the "green" segment rather than greatly improving economy. If economy was the reason why didn't Honda devolop a 4 cylinder hybrid as Toyota did with the Camry? All in all I would rather see a clean turbo diesel Sonata.

bobad

All in all I would rather see a clean turbo diesel Sonata.

You probably know this, but Hyundai already has a diesel engine plant in production. I'm sure it wouldn't take much to build one that would sufficiently motivate the Sonata. I think diesel would be the perfect IC engine for hybrid cars. Since a Sonata-sized car can easily get 40mpg from a diesel, it should be able to get 50mpg in hybrid configuration. I wonder why any of the manufacturers don't offer a diesel hybrid? Maybe someone can enlighten me.

ej453

Anyone know why they say do not go over 55 MPH to help the car break in?
They also say to stay between 2000 rpm to 4000 rpm. At 65mph i am a little over 2100, 55mph would be below 2000 (i think... haven't actually been able to go this slow )

backy

RPMs are more important than speed, although it is important to vary your speed. Avoid the full-throttle starts and keep a light foot on the brakes.

carfax

I believe they will some day, but most cars with diesel motors cost more. So if you are paying an extra 2000 or so for the diesel motor and four or five thousand for being hybrid, then you would have to be putting a lot of miles on the vehicle to get your money back. The manufactures know that most people are not going to drive that far to get their money back out of the car before they want to buy a new one. Since the price of diesel isn't that much less then gas, the body will fall off the car before you break even.

In the USA and Canada there are very few people buying cars with diesel motors and until they start, then don't count on the manufactures spending millions of dollars to build it. This is how i see it anyhow and i have been wrong before.

bhmr59

In CT, diesel fuel costs 15 to 20 cents more per gallon than 87 octane gas. And when 10% ethanol came here a few years ago, it immediately bumped the price per gallon by about 5 cents. It also gave us the "added benefit" of lower MPG.

carfax

What i was saying is that at those prices, you would have to drive 70 to 100 thousand more miles with that vehicle to make up the difference in the price of the car and the fuel. I don't believe there would be enough people in America willing to do that, to make it profitable for the manufactures to build the diesel hybrid. There is about 50 percent that lease vehicles today for three to four years and then get a new one,so they would never benefit from the price difference. We are not even buying gas hybrids at a rate to make it profitable for them. I hope they come up with some idea to get better mileage and still have some performance for every day driving, because i am tired of paying 4.50 a gallon in Canada to get back and forth to work. I have to work just to put gas in my car and truck just like everyone else. Sure wish they built one that runs on water, because i live near a very big lake and would never run out.

jaxs1

Doesn't make sense to get an aftermarket receiver when factory installed XM is only matter of weeks away. Better off waiting.
If you don't want XM and wouldn't use it anyway, it doesn't matter, but you will regret being impatient if XM is a feature you want.

ray_h1

I'm not in any position to know, but your remarks make more sense than the hysterical assumption that rebates are evidence of a design or reliability flaw in the new Lambda "V" engines. My two cents are that Hyundai overproduced V6 engines expecting speed-crazed Americans to flock to the more powerful engine. World oil pricing affected demand. (the benefit of 20/20 hindsight - my crystal ball's no more acute than Hyundai's...) With Iran and the U.S. playing "I-double-dog-dare-ya'-to-knock-this-chip-off-my shoulder!", I doubt crude oil pricing relief is more than an imaginary blip on the radar. Where Hyundai planning erred was in not incuding production capability for the new I4 in the States, too. Having to ship engines from Asia has to be a costly alternative. I'm also not sure the highly automated machining and assembly lines for the Lambda V6 can be adapted to I4 production. If not, Hyundai would have to build a seperate production facility or add on to the existing facility - a time and capital intensive proposition, regardless. I imagine Hyundai's decision makers are sweating bullets over their dilemma. (But, that's what they get payed the big won for, eh? )

ray_h1

"...I think diesel would be the perfect IC engine for hybrid cars..."

Small Diesel engine design has changed considerably since I owned a string of Diesel engined cars in the mid-seventies through the early eighties. One significant change is the increase in compression ratios from the mid-upper-teens in indirect injection designs to the low twenties in direct injection current production. While more efficient, the higher compression ratios also dictate much more powerful starting motors and batteries. Higher compression ratios also dictate more robust reciprocating components and much more highly refined and higher quality motor oil. (an energy intensive process in its own right... ka-ching) Hybrids, so far as the ones I've investigated are concerned, cut their gasoline engines when stopped and restart as needed as their drivers press the accelerator pedal to get underway again. In a diesel iteration, that's additional wear and tear on already highly stressed electrical accessories. I'm not saying these challenges are insurmountable, but engineering a Diesel hybrid will definitely result in a heavier and costlier vehicle than current gasoline hybrid designs. This country no longer needs a good, 25 cent cigar, but rather a good, 25 dollar, 1-megawatt, 20 lb. fusion reactor that'll cleanly "burn" raw sewage...

bjw1

i have not personally heard of anything either, they are just giving more rebate to the v6 due to high gas prices and lack of sale of v6 sonata, thats all theres to it, every manufacturer is doing that gm and ford with gas cards, just to push the sale of a particular vehicle.

bobad

a diesel iteration, that's additional wear and tear on already highly stressed electrical accessories. I'm not saying these challenges are insurmountable, but

Never thought of that. You're right! It would be brutal on the starter, and possibly even the engine.

bobad

Anyone know why they say do not go over 55 MPH to help the car break in?

I think it's a fudge factor. It's probably because they don't want you to go 100mph while breaking in.

ray_h1

"I think it's a fudge factor. It's probably because they don't want you to go 100mph while breaking in."

No question but that there's automaker fudge factor involved. However, many owners of new cars don't understand that more than the engine is running-in. Automatic and manual transaxles' gears are establishing their working mesh pattern and friction surfaces are seating against their driven plates, too. Ditto brake pads against their rotor. When I bought my '73 Ford and later cars up through my '96 Accord, the general rule of thumb for the run-in period was around 500-600 miles. My '03 Sonata specified a 1,200 mile run-in period, keeping the vehicle speed within 55 mph. I figured, "Leave it to the Koreans to buck current established practices!", but I followed my owner's manual instructions. (and, yes, 55 mph was agonizing!) Now, I notice on the Camry discussions that Toyota recommends a 1,000 mile run-in period (not sure what the speed restriction is). File under, "the-more-things-change-the-more-they-stay-the-same". If owners disregard the automaker's run-in suggestions, will dire things happen? Dunno, but if I'm gonna err, I'd rather err on the side of caution - me and my 2003 Sonata'll be joined at the hip for quite some time to come.

rlemo

The 2007 Sonata will not have xm. A mid year 2008 model may have that option. You should see 07's now in production showing up at your dealers very soon with no physical changes.

desertguy

"(and, yes, 55 mph was agonizing!)" I would say more dangerous on Los Angeles freeways when I was breaking in many a Toyota. The requirement for Toyota's since the '80s is 55 mph for 1000 miles. I think varying the speed is much more important. I used to shift from 5th to 4th or 4th to 3rd depending on the car. That way I could maintain the 55mph but was still varying the rpms.

lukat

that the '07 Sonatas would have XM starting around October. Seems like a lot of conflicting info on XM availability.

targettuning

Hyundai markets and sells various diesel powered cars and SUV's in Europe and mid-east. There is a diesel Santa Fe, Elantra, Tucson, plus several others we do not get in the U.S. I am advocating a strictly turbo diesel like the VW. Jetta...Golf...New Beetle...Passat. Even those get great mileage approaching a gas hybrid. So, diesel technology is already being advanced in Europe. Pretty much the EPA is at fault for us not having some of these nifty cars. Low sulfur diesel is in the immediate future and it may advance the cause. I guess I can understand manufacturers not wanting to take the chance with diesels here with fickle consumers who think the 70's GM junk diesel is all there is where in truth modern diesels are quicker and faster than the gas versions of some pretty quick cars...BMW and Mercedes and VW (the SUV has a v-10 diesel) and don't forget to factor in the vacillating of the EPA on diesel air quality standards.

snakeweasel

There is a diesel Santa Fe, Elantra, Tucson, plus several others we do not get in the U.S. I am advocating a strictly turbo diesel like the VW. Jetta...Golf...New Beetle...Passat. Even those get great mileage approaching a gas hybrid.

I think the Getz gets 55 MPG highway and over 40 city.

tylerwm94

Any word on if these have been upgraded for 07 to include preset switching?

mikeamei

Thanks. The windows are all the way up.

I took the car to the dealer last Saturday. They checked the windows and windshield wiper and said nothing was loose. They finally drew the conclusion that the windows noise is a typical sound, nothing needs to be worried. I was not satisfied with that conclusion and saying even my 93 corolla does not have that loud noise. They showed great cooperation to solve my problem. The manager came out and rode my car with me. After a 15 minutes driving on highway, they let me drive another LX V6 (with 4k miles on it, my car got 600 miles already)with the manager for comparison purpose. That LX does have similar windows noise, but it seems a little bit smaller than mine. The manager said he suspected the noise was from the mirror, he thought Sonata has a much larger mirror than corolla, so got bigger noise. He suggested me to keep drving my car and come back to dealer again whenever I find the noise is bigger. He even said he would like to make an appointment for me with a expert from the manufacture to see whether we overlooked somthing if I want.

I brought the car back from the dealer without any fix. The windows noise is still there as soon as the speed is over 70MPH. It is not loud, but is noticeable. Any GLS V6 owner here got the same windows noise? Any suggestion? Thanks.

wolverinejoe80

i've driven 4-5 rentals(gls v6) and all of them were very quiet. it isn't lexus quiet, but it was much better than my 03 accord.

maybe you have a sensitive ear? :confuse:

cumptrnrd

I got my first oil change at about 3500 cuz the dealer said to and because I hadn't read the manual yet, but after noticing the manual said I only had to change the oil every 7500, I didn't get the oil changed again until about 11k.

I'm a little over 16k now, and I originally wasn't planning on getting my oil changed until 18.5k, but when I was checking oil levels a couple days ago, I saw the oil was pretty dark... I know this is normal, but is 7500 between oil changes really okay? I've put in Mobil 1 starting from the first oil change because I thought 7500 was such a long interval... I noticed my sister's Santa Fe's manual also says 7500 between oil changes...

djdublm

The dealer told me under normal non mountainess driving where there is not allot of strain on the engine 7500 is recomended. However if your drive it hard or are in the mountains its recomended to be changed more often like at the 3-3500 mile mark.. i dont drive mine hard and dont live in the mountains im doing a happy medium and getting it done 5000, i havent had the first one yet.

desertguy

The other part of the equation is the 6 month interval. I was out of state for 4 months and my car was parked and only had 1,500 miles on it but was 7 months from when I put it into service so I did what the manual says and had the oil changed. I don't want any warranty problems and as I understand it, the oil deteriorates with time whether it is driven or not.

azera25

AutoPacific awards Hyundai with most ideal design.

http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2006/06/14/011176.html

rgyip

My 2006 Sonata V6 LX now averages 25.6 MPG with now over 13k miles in the last 4 fill ups. Over the last 2 months, I have gotten consistently about 3 mpg better than I did for the first 10 months. The engine is probably pretty much broken in now. Auto climate on all the time (we had some hot days too where the A/C is on) and I do about 30/70 city/highway driving. I am much happier now with the MPG.

joe97

As of today, XM will be late availablity on the 07MY Sonata, similar to the 07MY Elantra.

sensation2004

Hello. I've seen many many diesel-powered Sonatas in Korea when I was there last winter. It is equipped with a 2.0 turbo diesel with either a 6 speed manual transmission or 4 speed auto. The engine produces 143ps @ 4,000 rpm and 32.0 kg.m @ 1,800 - 2,500 rpm of torque which is about 230 lb.ft. It gets about 17.1 km/liter combined with its sporty 6 speed and that is about 40 mpg here. It might be a better choice over Accord Hybrid for some people if it is on sale here of course.
Thanks

pekelopd

out of curiosity, what kind of mileage were you getting in the beginning? I have a '06 GLS I4 for 2months and I'm getting about 18 mpg, but considering, I only have 500 miles on the car. Nowhere near broken in. Mostly do city driving in NYC. Lots of stop and go, traffic lights, stop signs etc..

targettuning

It cannot be said too often that driving such as you do in NYC or any city where you are stopped much of the time produces fuel economy that is not only bad but is ZERO when stopped and idling. I think 18 mpg under these conditions is pretty good. I am still amazed that many people still wonder why they don't get better. This is pretty much the worst situation for getting decent fuel economy.

cumptrnrd

I drive every day, and I definitely don't live in mountainous areas or drive hard. I was looking into better oil filters for a little bit, but no one seems to make the new cartridge kind that the V6 uses. 7500 miles is such a long time...

bobad

If you look around, you can probably find the Pur-O-Lator filter. It's been out a short time, and all outlets may not have it yet. Pure is widely acknowledged to make quality filters.

targettuning

I had started my "driving life" (40+ years ago) changing the oil every 3K miles and did so for many years. Oil and cars got better so I decided maybe 3K was a bit early and I changed to 5K intervals about 6 years ago. Now I think 7.5K isn't too long and with many premium car companies (BMW etc) recommending 10K and more stating this is OK for those expensive engines maybe I will have to rethink the 7.5K. By the way none of my vehicles ever suffered an oil related failure no matter when I changed it and more than one went over 200,000 miles and two very nearly 300,000. All intervals subject to driving conditions..but most can safely change at 7.5 K and don't forget Hyundai itself suggests this.

targettuning

Some time ago on a Dodge Omni GLH/turbo owner site some person took it upon themself to purchase all known brands of oil filters that fit these cars..cut them open...unrolled the filter media to check for length, density, material used etc. Additionally he checked the construction of the canister, the by pass valve the gasket and came to the conclusion there was an enormous variation in quality. The mass marketed filters such as Fram were among the worst. This guy did have some engineering backround but these were not any kind of official conclusions just observing the obvious when you actually see what is in that metal can. He posted photos of all he cut apart so a side by side comparison could be made..it was interesting. I personally use the K&N brand.

desertguy

Yes, my Jaguar had the change interval at 10,000 miles per the factory manual. I do find it a little suspect though that when the mfgr is paying for service for the first 30,000 miles (as with the Jag) the change interval suddenly jumps to a longer period.

acurattle

Two seagulls, Gertrude and Heathcliff, are talking. Gertrude say, "Spotted any of the new Sonatas yet?". (Props to Red Skelton for that one). A blue '07 Limited is parked outside my place of employment as I write this. It has a small 'Limited' badge on the lower left of the back, below the trunk lid, and it has the chrome trim pieces in the center of the front grill. Beige leather interior, climate control, sun roof, audio controls on the wheel, and all else looks pretty much identical with current LX, AFAIK. The 17" wheels may be slightly different; I'm not that familiar with the '06 ones, so not sure on that.