Hyundai Sonata 2006-2007

pat

I assumed he meant manual.

targettuning

see post #6508

senior

Hyundai parts departments are now stocking touch up :pens:for chips.Instead of a brush which put paint on a chip,the new gadget just works like a pen or pencil to touch up chips.Should work better than a brush which was hard to work with.

miamixt

Not only does the "New" Hyundai Pen not match most custom colors, the pen has a very thick tip on it. And if that wasn't bad enough the other side of the Pen has clear coat, which spurts out of the pen like the paint side, and can mess up your Car. The Pen is terrible :mad:

oinktrnt

What I have is a 2006 GL with the 5-speed. It has more power than the auto at lower speed, but is just barely adequate for getting onto the freeway. I have tried revving the engine up to almost 6k but it bogs down when the trans is put in the next higher gear. City mileage is 17, but this is in San Francisco. Highway is much better @ 35-36 mpg. The car is far from fully broken in and these figures may increase some. Trans is easy to shift, but it may make too many clunking noises for some. It seems to me that this has decreased the more I have driven the car.

bhmr59

I hope you have well over 1200 miles on your car if you are revving it to almost 6K.

How can you lose so much power when up-shifting from one gear to the next? If you were skipping a gear or two I could understand a big drop in RPM's, but shifting from one gear to the next shouldn't make a big difference.

backy

I really can't comprehend needing to rev the I4 Sonata to 6000 rpm under ANY circumstances related to everyday driving. The power-to-weight of the I4 Sonata is roughly the same as on the stick Elantra I owned until recently, and I got plenty of acceleration around 4000 rpm. And I very rarely revved it that high. I've never even had my automatic Elantra over 5000 rpm.

snakeweasel

I can usually keep up with normally accelerating traffic in my automatic Elantra and barely break 3000 rpm. FWIW I can usually drive pretty well in normal day to day traffic and stay under 3000 rpm.

gogophers1

Good luck with finding one of these. I am waiting for a call back from a dealer in the Minneapolis area on the same model - a 5spd with the premo-sport pkg. Each time I speak with sales manager, it's the same thing: no manuals in the 5 state area AT ALL. Apparently, they can submit a "preference" for a specific model, but it's not the same as ordering it. Then, if the factory happens to build the car you want, it can send that car out to the dealer that's submitted the preference.

For whatever reason, the import manufacturers always work this way and it drives me berserk. It's a very turn of the century (20th not 21st) way of doing business: the co. decides what to build and then it works on pushing that inventory.

I've been on the edge here between a couple of models for some time - the Fusion and the Sonata. I have the luxury of waiting, but eventually I WILL be buying and I may go with the Fusion simply because my local Ford dealer has no problem ordering a car with the exact options and color of my choosing.

Note to Hyundai: build some 5spds already! At least give me a choice. One thing is certain in this industry - if you don't build it, they won't come.

live4tech

For the owners of the LX or Limited model:

How well does the AQS system work? I heard it is supposed to sniff out hydrocarbons (i.e. exhaust pollution) and immediately close off outside air by putting the climate control into recirculation mode. Does it work exactly as well as promised?

When driving other cars, I try to hit the recirc button as soon as I see a polluting vehicle ahead, but often I am too late and the car gets filled with the unhealthy stench. And many gross polluters on the roadway are belching invisible clouds of noxious hydrocarbons. In those instances, there is never the opportunity to manually activate recirc mode before it is too late.

How well does the Hyundai AQS System defend against instances like these? Thanks in advance for your replies.

engineer941

I believe the sensor for the AQS system is a CO detector. Carbon monoxide is a colorless odorless gas present in all exhaust. With the AQS on, my recirc kicks in whenever I get in heavy traffic on the highway whether I see exhaust or not.

lemonade2

For me the auto sensor is a little slow to activate.

Usually I get a sample of the "unhealthy stench" just before the auto sensor kicks in.

lxcan

After 9 months, 2 oil changes and almost 18,000 kms, I pleased to report that those of you considering a 2006/2007 Sonata will be making an excellent decision. This car continues to be quiet and squeak free. None of the car's components are showing signs of premature wear or malfunction. And on a recent trip I averaged 750-800km per tank. Not bad for cruising 120-130km/h. Basically, this car represents an amazing value in a segment teeming with choices.

I'm sure that I have the same complaints as other people with the 2006 model....
1. Absence of a "Channel change/track seek" button on the streering wheel. I'm sure this has been discussed at length, but even the base model elantra has that feature;
2. The trunk does not actually "pop up" when the remote trunk button is pressed. Does this not defeat the purpose of having a keyless entry fob? Anyway, for the amount of time I spend putting things in my trunk and changing channels, I can live with those minor inconveniences.

Truth be told, for me this car is perfect. It delivers a smooth, comfortable and quiet ride, has more than enough power in every situation, and has all the styling cues I admire. And it does all this without making me broke every month.

cajuncycler

I agree with you on every aspect. The car amazes me more with every mile I put on it. The three seconds you have to hold the key fob button for the trunk took getting used to, my wife thought the first time she used it,it didn't work but nothing I haven't already gotten used to. Excellent value in a car.

backy

... but even the base model elantra has that feature

Actually it doesn't, not in the U.S. anyway, but it is at least available on the 2007 Elantra, and will be on the 2007 Sonata shortly.

bonrea

I just picked up a 2007 SE on Sept 30th. LOVE IT! It has plenty of power and is a true joy to drive. I passed a truck on a two lane and could not believe the response. Love the steering with the variable assist and the way it corners. Money well spent in my book.

One question: I have read that the “timing belt” needs to be changed at certain intervals on the Sonatas. However the new 3.3L “Lambda engine” with the “Maintenance-free steel timing chain” is confusing me. I can only assume that this means that the “Chain” doesn’t require changing. Yes I know it states Maintenance-free but give me your comments and knowledge on this new engine.

lawrence45

Have more than 6000 miles on my 2006 Sonata GLS I4. Have experienced no noises, sloshing, shimmying, etc. that others report. Mine was assembled in Korea- maybe that makes a difference. It does bother me that the mirrors don't fold in. By now I have gotten used to the short front seat. Only problem was that the gauge didn't go to full after refueling. It had a defective "sender" which was replaced. Major complaint has been gas mileage in city driving. It is so low I am embarrassed to mention it here- less than others who have complained have reported. Had two dealers check it out and both, of course, said everything was ok. One more question- the gray plastic on the doors has yellow stains on it, possible from a reaction with something that came in contact with it- sunscreen or something similar. What is a good product to use in this case?

cajuncycler

Though I have no knowledge of the timing chain on the Sonata in particular, timing chains usually have self adjusting tensioner on them on engines I am familiar with. Since the chain on an car engine is usually wide and uses several sprockets they tend to last much longer than belts. The only concern I would have is as the chain over time wears the sprockets the chain could jump timing and cause serious damage to the engine. This however occurs with high mileage and revving the engine excessively. I am sure a bon-afide mechanic could explain this better than I a humble shade tree mechanic can...

cajuncycler

I haven't had any stains on my interior yet but you might try a small area with some 409 or Fantastic on it and see if that works. I found on previous black interiors I had that using Amour-all on the plastic interior left a yellow residue on rags that I later used 409 to clean the plastic with. It should be safe. I have already used 409 on my dash and doors of my Sonata without any ill effects.

pekelopd

I got the same model with just over 2000 miles on it. I live in NYC and do a lot of stop N go city driving (85%). I'm getting between 15-17 mpg city. I'm sure your mileage can't be much worse, is it?? Hwy alone, I've gotten the stated 33 mpg.

bhmr59

15 to 17 in NYC sounds great with all that STOP and go you have to deal with, probably stopped for at least 33% of the time and then have to accelerate to whatever slow speed you can obtain before stopping again.

If you have the tripometer, it would be interesting to see your average speed.

lawrence45

I did use Armor-All on the plastic as a protection. I have stains only in the area of the front passenger door- where I sit- so I thought it might be from sunscreen from my hands. I'll try 409 and see if it comes off. As for the mileage, we have been getting about 14-15 mpg in NYC stop and go driving. The last reading was about 13 mpg. I measure it the old-fashioned way, not with the car's computer. It is quite disappointing since my wife, the driver, has a very light foot. This is why I bought the 4-cylinder in the first place.

dadof6

We got our Sonata 1 week ago & I gotta say I'm impressed. We drive 900 miles a week,averaged 32.6 mpg so far. Hard to believe trip computer is accurate to .1mpg to the extent I have quit double checking it. I have been folowing Sonata posts for awhile & this helped with our decision to buy. The 4cyl has all the power you could want & the mpg is a nice bonus. I do believe the Sonata is one of the best kept car secrets on the planet. Only wrinkle so far is a drivers side rear window that works when it feels like it. We'll get a chance to see how our dealer service dept. is.
BTW I just retired after 20yrs of running a Toyota garage & was a Chrysler Master Tech for 10 yrs before that.

mamamia2

I have the same I-4 car, and also got some yellowing on the inside of the door where my arm would rest... Doesn't bother me much, but if you find a way to clean it, I'd be happy to use it myself.

As to gas mileage, it WILL improve in time. Let the engine break in, wait to reach 5-6-7,000 miles (some say 10,000 miles) for it to sattle.

But remember, this is a LARGE 4-cylinder (2.4 Litter) engine. And a large, comfortable car. You won't get over 20 mpg in pure city driving. This is not a Honda Civic, with its noisy, nervouse 1.8 L engine (I got my daughter that one, nice little, economical car, but FAR below the Sonata in it's handling and comfort)...

eagle2a

dadof6: I enjoyed your post very much. Particularly in light of all your automobile dealerships service experience. Once you have lived a good number of years, (as you and I have) this kind of experience speaks volumes. I am afraid, too many people today do not value experience enough and are much more influenced by what I call the “lippy quippy type,” which we see to much of, in many of these “professional” auto reviews.

I to have a 2006 Sonata GLS I4. My experience with it has been quite similar to yours.

I would suggest to Hyundai however that they redo the center armrest and offer the top of the line steering wheel extender feature (as well as the up and down adjustment they now have). They could also go ahead and give the bottom seat cushions another inch of depth. By tweaking they’re already excellent suspension to make it behaved just a little better on some less than perfectly flat roads, I believe they would have the best car on the market for the money. They are so close now that these small changes would make them unreachable by the current competition. At least that is my humble opinion.

pekelopd

I calculate the mileage the old fashion way too, just to see how accurate the computer is, which it is very fairly accurate usually within 0.5 mpg. I tell you, these NYC traffic lights, stop signs, etc... are just too much on the mpg factor.

dadof6

Having had Toyota tunnel vision for the last several years I can't help but compare to the Camry. The only thing I have found annoying so far is not being able to turn the radio on with the strg wheel controls. It's kinda neat to see how similar (good or bad) alot of the other mannerism between the Sonata/Camry are. Like tapping the accel/decel cruise switches to speedup/slow down slightly. Even the engines are very similar right down to the cartridge style oil filters on both v-6 engines. I'm a "motor head" at heart & could go on for days.
Now we'll have to see if the quality is in there..........

ray_h1

)) "Now we'll have to see if the quality is in there.......... " ((

Darned Hyundai pieces of poo-doo... I bought my Sonata V6 nearly four years ago. The dome light had an intermittant switch contact problem and was replaced under warranty. I haven't had any subsequent issues to take it back in for. (I'm not even sure if I remember how to get back to the dealership - terrible engineering on Hyundai's part since, with no further warranty claims, an owner might not be able to find his dealer to buy another one... )

cajuncycler

Some things are just TOO good eh?

dadof6

Sometimes I think the designers get carried away with the next "better mouse trap" only to leave the consumer holding the ball when it goes wrong. Talk about runflat tires or hybrids or CV transmissions or pwr windows or Nav systems or cabin air filters. How DID we get along without them for so long
Some things are just TOO good.
I'm looking forward to the endurance test on my Snota.

flc2006

I did my research i thought paying sticker was fair, Im a person that does not like gimmicks and paying invoice is not as sweet as some of you think i did researching for about a month i rather just pay the sticker i got what i wanted end of story.

joeg1

Has there been any word on a 2007 model year addition of an optional GPS system?

Thanks,
Joe

moodperson

I look at the 06 Sonata and the 07 Sonata, and honestly can't detect ANY differences. They both look identical.

However, something must have changed, because the 07 gets 34MPG, but the 06 gets 30MPG. So something has changed in the engine.

Actually, I wish I knew what it is, because I would like to put it on my 06 Sonata so I too could get better mileage.

Anyone know what has changed between the years?

guest

Nothing has changed. The mileage has remained the same. The I4 gets the 34 MPG. Its the V6 that gets 30. I'm getting 15 MPG, your mileage will vary...

dump_truck

basically the only changes are:

-badging

-extra chrome on the grill of the limited (possibly all trims?)

-Infinity used for premium sound

-new color options

moodperson

Really? OK. I see. I thought the 34MPG they were advertising was the V6.

When you say "badging" what do you mean?

dump_truck

meaning the LX is now the LIMITED, and the GLS is now the SE, and so on. I got a cute little badge that says 'Limited' on the rear of the vehicle. Woo hoo!

joe97

In addition to what the other poster said already, the package and options are different on the 07s - there are now more features/options on all trims, espeically on the base trim - more choices, essentially. There are a few other cosmetic changes, I don't have them with me at this minute but I pull them up tomorrow.

Generally second year cars are generally carried over, as with the case on this Hyundai Sonata.

As for the mileage figures, most owners are reporting at or better mileage than advertised. Of course, numbers will vary due to driving conditions/driving style. Most owners I've talked have not had much trouble acheiving advertised MPG under normal driving conditions.

miamixt

There might be a few new combinations, colors, & choices, but nothing in the 07 Model that my 06 LX doesn't have!. :shades:

paturzo

:confuse: how many miles do you do a week to have that kind of milage did you mean aug 2005

volvoocean

Sorry, I meant August 2005. The only thing replaced under warranty was the windshield washer fluid motor. They replaced it while changing the oil. I used Mobil 1 since the first oil change.

joe97

True...however, you do get the LIMITED badge

jobz

At high engine revs and speeds of over 75mph, my Sonata 3.3l v6 emits a burning odor inside the cabin (similar to automatic transmission fluid). I have checked the automatic transmission dipstick and it has a normal color and does not smell burned. When I resume driving at saner speeds(60 mph)there is no burning odor. There is no odor in the brakes or engine compartment.

My dealer suspects that the odor is coming from the heater unit in the A/C. I suspect an overheated catalytic converter.

I would appreciate your suggestions on tracing the source of the burning odor.

backy

Is your car brand new? If so, the smell could just be some sealant burning off the exhaust system. Sometimes sealant is mis-applied and gets on the exhaust system. At higher speeds, meaning higher exhaust system temps, that could cause more of the stuff to burn, making it more noticeable. You could have the dealer inspect the exhaust system or crawl under and eyeball it yourself.

krika

can somebody suggest me what cleaner to use to clean the dirt/oil staining on the rim behind the spokes of the wheels. i really like to keep my Sonata LX wheels shining and clean. thanks a lot.

donnieslagle

OK. I've searched the site and saw only a couple of posts regarding noise from the rear suspension. I have a noise like a "thump" that you hear from a bad strut coming from the rear of the car when I cross over a speed bump, pot hole or other fair sized bump in the road. I traded in a 2001 Maxima GXE and this is the most noticeable difference I've found. It drives me crazy and it seems that I'm always listening for it when driving. I've had the car to the local dealer but they say they can't re-create the sound. I told the service manager that on my next trip in I want to take him for a ride. I've even considered test-driving a new one to see if it sounds the same. When I first contacted the service manager on the phone, he mentioned something about a suspension bushing that was giving problems on the Elantra and he suspected it was the same thing....of course he couldn't find anything. I'm just wondering if anyone else is having the same issue.

jlindh

The "Problems and Solutions" forum would probably be the proper forum for the "thump" you're hearing. If you do a search on "thump" there, you'll get about 33 hits. It is a well known issue.

pat

You'll want to have a look at this discussion: Hyundai Sonata - Rear "thump".

duckhunter1

Anyone seen the new Black Leather interior yet???

guest

Reported in the Kansas City Star:

"Garmin Ltd. on Tuesday said Hyundai Motor America would offer its popular Nuvi 360 personal navigation systems through South Korean automaker's 725 North American dealers starting this month. Current Hyundai owners, as well as new Hyundai buyers, will have the option of adding a customized version of the award-winning Nuvi 360, made by Garmin International of Olathe, to their vehicles."

No mention of price??