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Comments
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Like Backy said, the reason why I am comparing it to the Civic is the price. The Honda Civic is comparable to the Sonata and Fusion in price. But, I am still not sure what type of vehicle I'd like. I could have a nice compact sedan, that offers great handling (Mazda 3 and even the Honda Civic)Or another family sedan like the Sonata.
I am currently really attracted to the Mazda3. I'd love to own a sporty compact sedan, that offers great handling. But the Sonata's V6, features, safety etc. are all appealing to.
I am qualified to say that you really can't compare
the Civic to a Sonata. Or an Accord. I got rid of the
Civic because it was just too small and rough riding
on long trips. If that is what you want, fine. It's
a great car to drive, around town. But I drove
cross country twice in my Accord, and I sure wouldn't
have wanted to do that in a Civic. The Sonata, however,
is very comparable to the Accord I had. More room, safer,
better ride, better performance by far than a Civic.
The only two pluses for the Civic that I would come up with are handling and fuel economy.
I was also considering getting the Mazda 3 (for my daughter, who just graduated from college)... I was on vacation in Europe last month, and drove the Mazda 3 for 2 weeks... Boy, the Civic is SO MUCH nicer, spacier, more modern, more fun to drive.... And the Civic's gas-milage is SO much better...
This is a Sonata board, so I won't go further... But if you think about a sporty, compact sedan, go for the Civic, not Mazda 3.
I bought my LX for under that range without sunroof and 6-cd changer. I know how you feel about looking for something sporty, I too looked at all those cars including the Suzuki, GT and etc. when I was getting rid of my Audi Cabriolet. After driving the Sonata LX, I found that I really like driving it. It does handle quit well on curvy roads and the smooth acceleration is very misleading (find yourself speeding a lot). I have a company car so my Sonata only sees good weather, but as soon as I see a clear day I jump in and go. For the money and the features you can't beat the Sonata LX, of course, if your heart is set on the racier feel of a lighter car at high revs, try a used Honda 2000 stick which will hit your price range as well (it performs best between 5000 and 9000 rpms and can send you spinning in second gear).
My point earlier was that some people, including me, compare all cars in a target price range that might meet their needs. It looks like from the last few posts, some people compare cars this way and some don't. Since I don't need tons of interior room, both the Civic and Sonata (and Accord) could meet my needs. But I see the Sonata as offering a better value based on my needs, and I'd take it over the Civic if the Sonata's crash test ratings are as good as the Civic's.
www.automobear.com/2006SonataHitsSomeUnexpectedNotes.html
This is why he offered you the "bribe" of a tank of gas to get you to work with him on the survey. Most folks, just like you, think the manufacturer wants an honest assessment. But it's not like that, he can earn only two grades - pass or fail.
Same thing applies if you get a survey after having the dealer service you car.
Here's an entire discussion talking about it: Dealer bribes and satisfaction surveys.
I am starting to compile a list of cars to replace my aging Subaru and came across the Sonata. The car certainly looks and sounds impressive and I have two questions about it. I live in New England and have come to trust my Subaru in bad weather. How does the Sonata with FWD and traction control work in the snow? I know you can't compare FWD to AWD but FWD with traction control seems like it would be efficient. Second, does the Sonata V6 require premium fuel?
Thanks
MJW
The Sonata uses regular unleaded (87 octane) and still manages to return pretty respectable mpg numbers. I've put over 15,000 miles on mine now and I'm getting about 25-26 mpg typically in 80% hwy/20% city driving, driving about 70 mph on the highway portions. I live in the frigid and snowy midwest, so it's already seen its share of weather, basically everything but warm as I got it in November.
I really studied alot of cars and came to the conclusion the Sonata was for me. I haven't regreted the decision. The Accord is a fine car but the extra 5K or so I saved allowed me to screen in my porch. Plus the Sonata had alot of things the Accord did not. I hvae also gotten several positive comments from people on my car's sharp looks.
One question, how deep is the snow in New England? Do you have icy roads?
In Canada, even a SUV with all the safety equipment imaginable, cannot have great grip. A front-drive economy sedan on four top-quality snow tires will go more places than the best 4WD vehicle on all-season tires.-Edmunds. It is a fact that the tires are the ones that do the job best. They bring you the grip.
Have I driven the Sonata in the winter? Yes actually, I know someone who lives in Toronto who owns a Sonata. When I drove it on snow and ice, the car just kept slipping. Every stop resulted in the ABS reacting. But with snow tires, the Sonata had great grip (I recommended it to my friend). It could climb hills with little wheel spin, but only with snow tires.
The huge problem that I see is when people buy a car based on supposed, "better snow grip." Traction control, ESC and ABS don't help. To be honest, they don't help out at all. With four seasons, your car literally has no grip in winter weather. Does AWD help? It offers good grip, but with all seasons, you can run into problems. The problems start occurring when you start to turn and brake. AWD can only help when you accelerate. To put it in simpler words. Don't depend on safety systems to save your life. I've been in a few accidents where the driver thought his or her SUV could brake on time! Their ignorance resulted in a dent on my car! This is why there are hundreds of accidents on a snowy day.
Just a few days ago, there was a snow storm. There was exit to a small road from the highway. When I approached the ramp, I saw a pile of SUV's, trucks and cars, all trying to get up. Guess who made it up? Me. It wasn't because of my car, but because I had snow tires.
The Sonata is a great car (I recommend it), but don't buy it based on the amount of grip in snow. The best way to deal with the snow issue is to buy snow tires.
The Sonata doesn't run on premium fuel, as the person above stated.
Note: Even with snow tires, don't depend on them to save your life. It also depends on the driver, and the amount of experience he/she has in winter weather.
I just wish it had a sunroof - my only regret.
My advive is to stay south of the Mason-Dixon line. North of it is cold, snowy and liberal and south of out it the people are the nicest in the world and the weather is warm!!
i guess you have never been to myrtle beach in the summer.
I'll take beautiful Myrtle Beach area, year round, any day.
6 pm New Year's eve we had about 1.5 inches of snow from 5 to 6 with ice/slush underneath. '05 Sonata with 6K on original tires couldn't make it up steep, curvey hill--about 300 ft rise in .3 mile. Even 4WD cars had a rough time.
I'd gladly trade MB HWY 17 summer time traffic than have to live with New England Winters. The traffic does go away.
Read my post above #3920, I have a suggestion there that
maywill help4 wheels, and if you don't mind, which brand did you
get? I haven't had a lot of trouble, but the few times
I did, it was because I couldn't get moving. Snow tires
definitely would have helped.
Why not test your theory, go buy a 3rd remote on eBay and ask your dealer to program it for you, and let us know how it goes?
Looked up your bio because I have seen your name a lot in the discussions about the Sonata. Noticed at this time on your bio that you do not own the Sonata at this time. If the bio is out of date, you can ignore my question. Is the Sonata going to be your choice to replace your bridge 626?
Check Consumer Report's annual book... European cars in general, even the hi-end, expensive ones, like Jaguar, BMW, Mercedes, VW and Audi -- have so many black marks, while Japanese cars in general (and the newer Koreans) have reds all over the charts.... (Unfortunately, American cars are usually in the BLACK area too...)
So many Europen car companies have failed and disappeared from the American market...