By accessing this website, you acknowledge that Edmunds and its third party business partners may use cookies, pixels, and similar technologies to collect information about you and your interactions with the website as described in our
Privacy Statement, and you agree that your use of the website is subject to our
Visitor Agreement.
Comments
Of course it is disappointing that Hyundai just missed a perfect score. It is equally disappointing that Honda also just missed by not adding ESC. I guess we'll just have to remain disappointed for a while or spend more money.
Meanwhile, I hope Hyundai is thinking about adding ABS, and maybe even ESC, as standard equipment to the '07 Accent sedan. That would trump even the Civic, which offers standard ABS but not ESC.
I'm certain, in the very near future, Honda will equip all their vehicle with ESC standard, (one step ahead) as they did with the curtain air bags.
Use your logic before you post your message in here.
I think everything that could be said about the Sonata vs. Civic vs. Accent vs. Yugo (they did mention that somewhere, right?) has been said. Please stop beating this dead horse.
It has been said that (loosely paraphrasing), if given enough time, a group of monkeys banging on keyboards could randomly reproduce the entire works of Shakespeare. I don't think I've seen any Shakespeare yet, but I've seen WAY too much of this petty back-and-forth.
Wherefore art thou, Pat? Please stop this insanity!
2006 Sonata,great safe car,glad we bought it and don't care what others think it should have had or what it might have in the future.It is just fine the way it is.I will worry about the future ones in the future.If we waited for the 100% perfect car we wouldn't be driving right now.
P.S. The MSRP of a '06 Accent equipped with side bags, ABS, and power windows is $14,495. The MSRP of a '06 Civic DX with the same equipment is $15,110. Figure close to $16k with A/C. There is only a $1000 rebate on the Accent now. The selling prices of the two are nowhere near $5,000-8,000 apart as you stated. As for the Elantra, it is a six-year-old design that did horribly on IIHS side and rear crash tests and is not competitive with the latest compacts like the Civic. (I should know, I own two of them.) It should sell for $11k.
P.P.S. I am not sure why you are quoting prices on Sonata GLs when you yourself would not want to own one.
http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/06_10/b3974077.htm
I don;t think those Rebates will last for ever!
I apologize for my part in the "petty" back and forth and will , without so much as firing a final salvo, drop the subject.
Just because Hyundai's costs are rising, and the currency is being adjusted upward against the U.S. dollar, it does not necessarily follow that Hyundai will, or even can, raise prices.
Faced with a similar dilemna about a decade ago, the Japanese massively cut their costs by pressuring suppliers to bring costs down.
Hyundai does not have the pricing power to be able to raise MSRP or actual selling price.
In fact, in the super competetive American market, they may even have to offer steeper discounts in the coming months.
The car market is crowded, pent up consumer demand is for the most part satisfied, and inventory levels are building for most auto makers.
They would be able to raise their prices a bit. As long as they keep it below the competition they should be ok.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
I happen to agree with your opinion. When I woke up Monday morning and saw the IHS results posted, I said exactly the same thing. And I think Hyundai is kicking themselves and already planning upgrades.
That said, I don't think a slight downgrade does a lot to sway the opinion of the average buyer. Sad, but I think true.
I think the safety rating is viewed as a wild card. People look at all aspects of the cars they are considering. If brand A, B, and C are a draw in quality, features, and price, the safety ratings could come into play and be a deciding factor.
I think a very low safety rating would be considered much more strongly. Nobody wants to be stigmatized with driving a "rolling coffin". For example, I believe the '06 Sonata's gaudy 1st year sales figures would be very poor if the safety ratings were mediocre to poor.
Bob A.
The whole feeling I was attempting to convey, was that once you've stated your opinion once (or twice), it becomes overkill to keep going back and forth with it, again and again, when neither you nor your antagonist are likely to change your opinion.
That was all I was trying to say, while employing a bit of humor.
(Can't we all just get along?)
Those of you who think that some sub-topic or another is "overkill" or whatever just need to skip the posts that you don't want to read. It's not hard to do, really! You just quit reading the one which does not interest you and look at the next one. If you want to read that one, you read it, and if you don't, you just keep moving forward. :P
We need to knock off the personal comments. Anyone who has comments about discussion management should email me, anyone who has comments about other posters should not post them; other posters are not the subject here.
Comments about the Sonata and any sub-topic that relates to the Sonata are more than welcome.
Thanks!
It doesn't take a rocket scientist or a Honda safety engineer to know that getting "goods" across the board is better than not. One last time, my one and only objection was to a statement that somehow Honda and VW care more about safety than Hyundai. I simply did not think that was a fair assumption to make.
Though Hyundai didn't hit a home run on this one,going from strike outs(Excel) to triples(Sonata) in a relatively short time is still quite an accomplishment and, I believe, shows Hyundai is getting serious about safety.
If the Sonata won 'Car of the Year' in every nation, attained perfect crash test ratings and was driven by Jesus Christ upon His return to earth, there would be those who would say 'Yeah, but Hyundai built the Excel' or some other justification not to accept it as a viable competitor. Don't waste your breath on the facts!
ROTFLCDF! (Rolling On The Floor Laughing Collecting Dog Fur)
That is the single-funniest post I have read on Edmunds in a long, long time. It also sums up this goofy feeling some of us get when we want others to like our selection in automobiles. Or at least we want them to hear our praise or reasons for liking a particular vehicle. It's true, you can holler and hoot all you want that you have found the Eureka of rigs(am I talking about myself here, too?)and some dork will just look you straight in the eye and say "you shoulda bought a Toyota." Doesn't matter if your Kia can fart radioactive waste at intruders from a gun out back, your stock stereo can blast the rock at an unheard of volume, your motor purrs like a kitten after 110,000 miles, your tires last 102,000 miles and still have tread on them at replacement time (true story, that one!), your 2001 Kia Sportage 4x4 has never blown out a single lightbulb anywhere on the SUV, on and on we can go ad naseum. There will still be Frank and Joe and John who have a RAV4 with chariot wheels and a CRV with the Shroud of Turin ingrained on it's driver's side door(so it must be from up above). You got it bud, you might as well talk to a brick wall when it comes to talking to others about how nice your automobile is. Serious business...big money is laid out...no one wants to look like an idiot.
You are all making very smart decisions buying your new world order Hyundai Sonata's. Oh, I forgot. I'm talking to others about automobiles!
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
What is the marginal difference between "good" and "acceptable" under the established, (not real world) controlled "accident" conditions?
---> A pair of headlights is seen in the distance; Pure white but not HID (PIAAs)
---> The list of awards won to date would scroll up the screen. next...
---> A3 D image of the engine, tranny and driveshaft appear behind the headlights
specs on the engine and transmission given at the same time
---> Front, side and curtain airbags come into focus and the frame (structure) develops
---> Next the wheels appear and reference is made to ABS, EBD, ESC, Traction Control
---> Interior would then materialize, featuring leather seats with active front headrests
---> Climate control, air ducts, Shiftronic etc. etc.
---> And finally the shell, with it's georgeous lines and dual chrome tipped exhausts
The caption could then read, "All this can be had at a competitive price. Drive your way" or whatever. I don't think that Hyundai expects to be selling Sonatas at Camcords prices tomorrow, but I do believe that if they can show the masses that the 2006 is very well designed and excellently engineered (winning awards), offers an astounding array of safety and convenience features, and will stand up to the competition, they (Hyundai) will be in a better position to demand higher prices. This is not going to happen overnight (and therein lies the rub), but they've got to draw attention to those awards and away from peoples' memories of a distant (embarassing) past.
I don't know if raising revenues is even in their near term plans. Looks to me like they are concentrating on building their reputation for quality and gaining market share on their competitors. That's exactly the way Microsoft Office whacked the competition. They virtually gave the product away for a few years, levereged a huge market share, and became the "standard". They could then name their price... and people gladly paid it. Well, it's not a perfect analogy, but you know what I mean.
This is not about other posters, it is about the car. If you don't want to read what someone else has to say, you really don't have to read it. If you feel like someone is posting out of line, just email the host (me).
Members being able to agree to disagree is one of the main principles of a cohesive online community. And our community is certainly one of the most cohesive on the web.
If you want to talk about the Sonata, you're in the right place. Let's stop the bickering and get back to it, okay?
I fully agree... No real life accident can be fully/exactly duplicated, and therefore all crash tests are flawed to some extent.
Meanwhile it is a great opportunity for "early adopters." Example: GL automatics advertised for $13,699 in today's paper (for current Hyundai owners), with GLSes and LXs at "similar discounts."
What is interesting to me in all of this is that I have been one of the most vocal supporters of Hyundai on Town Hall for almost six years--long before some people here "woke up" to the fact that Hyundai is building some really good cars. I own two Hyundais, and have owned Hyundais since 2000. I really like the Sonata and am considering it for either my next car, or more likely for my wife's next car (I really don't need such a big car for my personal use). My pastor said something the other day that applies here I think. He said, "You love your children no matter what. But you want more for them."
The Sonata is a great car and it got very good scores for the crash test. It isn't at Volvo standards yet, but it doesn't cost as much either. European cars seem to be safer, but also cost more to buy and maintain. Therefore, I believe Sonata/Camry/Accord are better cars for the buck. From the three, however, Sonata still faired better than the other two in terms of crash score. Give the Sonata that. It also costs less than the latter two too. Finally imo, the Sonata is far better looking than the Camry or Accord(even with the butt-lift for 2006).
My 2-cents.
I don't mean to rehash this subject.
According to IIHS, the Accord and Camry faired better than the Sonata in terms of crash score. This was the opportunity Hyundai lost that Backy was stating. Many say Hyundai's main goal was to take down the Accord and Camry. Rating worse than the Accord and Camry doesn't really work to their advantage.
They put it in order from best to worst performing. link title
"Acceptable" means within the limits of the car's interior/exterior structure and meets the required guidelines for a safe car. Much, much, better than "marginal" or "poor". No doubt I include myself as one of those nitpicking critics who expect Hyundai to meet and beat their competitors in all areas. I have test driven both the Accord and Camry and I believe the new Sonata is an excellent quality car and a great value that compares very well with these competitors.
What Hyundai needs in order to grow their market space is to boost their available options for both the GLS and LX by offering more uplevel interior trims, upgraded sterero, Nav, additional audio Steering wheel Controls, embedded side mirror turn signals, rear LEDs (perhaps will be included in the upcoming Sonata SE model for '07), sport tuned suspension, possible AGCS (Active Geometry Control Suspension)and rear-park assist. Again possibly available in the upcoming 2007 SE.
Case in point, currently one of the the safest midsize sedans in the market is the Legacy. Its performence in the IIHS test this year (well, dec. 05) won it the gold award, beating most of the euro luxo sedans. But when it was tested last year, it only got "Marginal" in the side impact test.
I predict that Hyundai will improve the side impact safety within a couple years to get "good" rating. The whole company seems very much "in the zone" lately.
The Scion tC is a beautiful car IMO but has been plagued by all types of petty disorders(the moonroof shield breaking at freeway speeds, the hatchback area beset by all kinds of creaking and croaking issues, people disliking their radio cover, which I hear Scion addressed with the latest tC and fixed, I think by just doing away with the cover altogether, etc., etc.).
My question is this: from owners or just others knowledgeable about the 2006 Hyundai Sonata, what has been it's most prevalent disorder coming out of manufacturing? Is it the seats that you "fall off the front of?" Is it a creak coming from somewhere or something like that?
Let us all know by chiming in. I'll preface their responses by saying that Hyundai has broke through the barrier with this beautiful car. Also, those of us that like coupe's can still score a 2006 Hyundai Tiburon for a reasonable price as well. Hyundai has fixed the issues on the Tibby and anybody still liking them can avail themselves of a handsome little race tour car for around $20,000. That would be for the loaded GT V6 model. A 4-cylinder can be had for around $16,000-$17,000, depending on your dealer's stock right now.
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
-dan
Another analogy on a different topic. When a team loses the Super Bowl its fans are disappointed at the missed opportunity. They usually don't respond by saying their team must not have wanted to win as much as their opponent but recognize the great effort and hope for better results in the future. I think that in this case we should do likewise with Hyundai.
IIHS must put more emphasize to side impact crashes in their ratings?
That's a good question to ask them.
averigejoe: I'd rather ride in the back seat :P
The Sonata scored all "good" in the back seat.
It had a "poor" and "acceptable" in the front seat.
Not to be too picky, but there is quite a difference between poor and good, as anyone would say.
link title
I agree.
That just turned me off from ever purchasing another Hyundai........Should have stayed with Toyota.