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Nissan Altima vs Hyundai Sonata
starryknight
Member Posts: 31
I've been trying to decide on an 07 I4 Altima or an 07 or 08 Sonata V6 and it's been much harder than I thought. I test drove both vehicles. I didn't want the 4 cyl Sonata because I didn't feel it had quite enough power. The I4 Altima seems to be just enough hp and torque to satisfy my needs. The V6 Sonata definately had enough hp and torque. There are pros and cons to each car. Comparably equipped, I can get them both for about the same price. The Sonata has a longer warranty, more standard safety equipment and a little more power but also has lower mpg and higher depreciation. There are other comparision that I have found that make one better then the other that I won't elaborate on now. I am sort of leaning towards the Altima but I am still not convinced it is actually the better car. If anyone else has had the same problem deciding but did end up buying the Altima or Sonata, please explain what was the deciding factor(s).
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1) Style. Subjective, to be sure, but a clear advantage in my my view to the Altima. The Hyundai is a handsome (if derivative) design, but ultimately very safe and conservative. The Altima's lines are among the most attractive and distinctive in this class.
2) Transmission. The V6 motor struck me as not quite as strong as its numbers suggested, while the Altima's 4 cyl. impressed as having a bit more grunt than in should. I put it down to the Altima's CVT extracting the most out its 4 cyl. mill, while the slushbox in the Hyundai felt very slushy indeed - muting the otherwise strong performance of the motor. Also, (though I strongly favor manual transmissions in any case) I was very impressed by the manual mode offered by the Alti CVT. Responses to tip-tronic "shifts" through the 6 "gears" were quick and decisive.
3) Convenience. Having lived with the smartkey and push button start for several months I simply can't believe the extra degree of convenience over the traditional key-fob / crank starter. You literally never need to touch or handle the key in order to unlock doors / trunk, and a mere touch of a starter button fires the motor and you're on your way. True, the smartkey has been a little bit dumb when it cvomes to getting along with certain cell phones, but the fix is in for that. I'd no more go back to the days of fishing a key fob out of my pocket and pressing it's tiny buttons than I would to winding up manual windows.
4) Resale. The Hyundai makes a more compelling case the longer you keep it, and you ned to keep it a loooooooong time or you will get HAMMERED on resale value.
5) Driving dynamics. I found the Hyundai very soft. Too soft by a good measure for my tastes (yours may differ). It wasn't as bad as an LE Camry but couldn't lay a finger on even a base Altima in the handling department.
Having reflected upon it while writing and remembering how favorably impressed I was with the 4 cyl. Altima, there I'll retract the "prabably" qualifier and say I'd definitely still go Altima.
Hope that helps.
Jaeger
Huge disadvantage is on its maintenance. Fristly, my Altima had serious rough idle. Most of mechanics couldn't find the reason. I think its computer scan code was P0407 - 4th cylinder misfire. The problem was on intake manifold gasket torn down due to its design issue(it is too close to 4th cylinder). It cost me $650. This is well-known problem. I could find 7 more people who complained on the forum.
Secondly, the air conditioner malfunction. There is no problem with condenser and compressor. Cold air used to come out but suddenly it only worded intermittently. Then, only hot air. It's killing me in Florida. Many other Nissan owners said it was temperature control amplifier. I replaced it but still it did not work. I had been to dealership and they said that ECM computer had to be replaced($1100) but I installed the used one($300) and it does not work. I still could not repair the air though I had been to 4 other service shops. The problem will be likely electrical one. Nissan is famous for its complex electricity system - hard to repair when problem occurs.
There were also several other problems. CV joint was broken. Power steering oil leaked.
There are many others who had bad experience with Nissan cars. One of my friend who bought a Sonata recently said his Nissan SUV(forgot the name) had so many problems and he was tired of repairing it. Electrical problem is famous. Four other people whom I know that owns Nissan cars experienced electrical problems.
Having gone through these problems, I decided to buy a new Hyundai Sonata 2007 GLS 2.4. The price is much cheaper than Altima. Sonata had shown very good review about its safety features and review score is pretty high. Its brand name is going up, so resale value after 5-10 years may be improved. Considering money to the value, Sonata has the best deal among mid-size cars.
Overall, my bad experience with Nissan may not be so relevant to your decision since Nissan has changed Altima quite a lot since 2003. If you like the power engine and acceleration, then go with Altima, every one that I know loved that. But check your friends about repair cost before making a decision.
I live near the Smryna, TN plant where I have relatives and friends that work there. In a company poll of why employees were not driving Nissans, the employees commented on the quality and price.
I am planning to go back to the Camry. Have you check out the new design?
Won't be surprised if it is due to their ownership/influence by Renault - which tried to unsuccessfully to sell their cars in USA at least twice before.
Sonata is recommended by CR. And Hyundai was rated 3rd behind Porsche, Lexus, and ahead of Toyota by JD Powers in their IQS. It took Toyota 50+ years and Hyundai 25 yrs to get to their level of similar high quality of today. That's impressive!
p.s. on june 30th I purchased a new 2007 Elantra....so NO..im not anti hyundai.... i just hope it never breaks so i dont have to deal with the dealers......and hear its o.k., because it falls within hyundais tollerences....i.e. having a speedometer off by almost 5 MPH at 60....thats not acceptable....but 4.9 is to hyundai?????/
My wife's 2004 Honda Ody became 3 yrs recently and it never had to go back to the dealer for any repairs of any kind. I have been doing my own PM (engine/tranny oil, brakes, etc) as well as unscheduled repairs on all my cars for the past 35 yrs as a matter of personal interest and aptitude. We have 5 cars in the family today.
With that kind of reliability in the Honda, I would want the same for my replacement cars. So with my 13 yr old Continental due for replacement, I researched many cars including the Sonata in detail. Its good reliability record in the past 5 years plus the approvals/blessings from CR and JDP impressed me. What impressed me most was its price -a fully loaded new 2007 Sonata Limited at under $20K, which is at least $8K cheaper than a comparably equipped Accord, Camry, Maxima, etc. These are reliable cars too, but an extra $8K cannot be justified.
When I took delivery of the 2007 Sonata, I told the dealer GM that its quality benchmark was my Honda Ody with no reliability problems. He was up to the challenge and referenced the same JDP quality ratings (I knew already) of Porsche, Lexus, Hyundai and Toyota, Honda in that order.
As many car magazines and other authorities would attest to, the good ole fashioned keys are still the best.
One is much more likely to be stranded by a deprogrammed key fob for many reasons you stated than a malfunctioning ole fashioned steel/aluminum key. And what for? - to be/appear fashionable? Another French (parent Renault)connection? How silly!
Another likely French connection with Nissan was the placement of the instrument guages in the center of the dashboard of the large minivan Quest. It was a distraction and unsafe for driving. Well after 3 yrs, they finally got it and moved it back where it normally should be - directly infront of the driver!! Probably too late now for damage control in turning off earlier potential customers.
The BMW I-drive is another nuisance that some may copy. The I-drive is very complicated and require a PhD to understand it. Whatever happened to the KISS principle?
Renault has nothing to do with how nissan builds, designs, or sells its cars. renault doesn't own nissan. The just purchased a large stake in the company, and as a result, recieve a very fat check every quater........like every other shareholder. they build their own vehicles in separate factories and compete against each other in most countries, the US being the one of the few that they don't.
as someone else said, every manufacture has its lemons, and an online message board is hardly an indicator of vehicle reliability. the best indication of the quality of any car is in its resale value. Car "A" will not resell for more than car "B" for no reason. cars that are built better and last longer resell for more $$.
It would be rather naive to think that the two organizations would not work to consolidate ideas, cultures, resources, supply chain in the spirit of cost reduction. Corporations are forced to operate that way.
The best measurement of car quality is in the number of defects per vehicle(such as warranty repairs) over a period of time. Resale is what is perceived/acceped as its market value by the buying public at the time. When gas was cheap, big SUVs had high resale value; today they are a dime a dozen.
It wasn't a huge amount of money, at least in the automotive world. and they did exert influence in that they fired all the top management. that was nissan's problem. good company, quality product, but horrendously managed. renault bought into them as an investment, and and, anytime you buy into a troubled company finacial danger is quite possible. but they never have, and don't now, tell nissan how to build their cars. they simply bought in, brought in a new ceo and management team, then sat back and collected their share of the profits.
we could argue resale all day. but the bottom line is, if nissan vehicles were such (french inspired) pieces of crap, they wouldn't hold their value as well as they do. 7 people on a message board who had problems doesn't realy mean much. I've owned three nissan vehicles, and between the 3, over 375k miles and 17 years, I might have spent 2k in repair bills. but that too, doesn't really mean much. how a car holds up is determined by a lot of things. how well its maintained, and how its driven can make even the most reliable car look like junk.
Another factor is the delivered price. Last year, I purchased a new 2006 Hyundai Sonata LX V6 (the predecessor trim to the current Limited) for a price of $17,600, plus tax, title, and license. When you pay considerably less than MSRP to begin with, increased depreciation is again somewhat nullified. It's only a matter of time until Hyundai's resale value improves, as they are building excellent products today.
My brother has a 2006 Elantra, and it's never been to the dealer for any warranty work whatsoever. So, the 10 year power train warranty, and 5 year bumper-to-bumper warranty, are just icing on the cake for him. Personally, I really like the looks of the new Altima, but would shy away from the first year of a new generation.
My Hyundai dealer treats me exceptionally well. It's the best experience I've ever had, both from a sales and routine service point of view. And, I've owned Honda, Toyota, Nissan, SAAB, and Volvo cars before with various extremes of dealer experiences.
One other thing - as to the length of warranty offered by a manufacturer. As one who has worked in management for an electronics manufacturer, I can state that the length of a warranty is not determined by how much warranty work is expected or projected over that time period, actually the opposite is true. A manufacturer that offers a long warranty feels that the product is built so well, that the warranty WILL NOT be needed. It's simply used as a marketing tool. If the converse was true, manufacturers who offer long-term warranties would suffer extraordinary expenses and costs which would ultimately bankrupt them.
Financially troubled organizations need to be led by influencial leaders for a successfull turnaround - these involve changes from the leading organization in all aspects of the business. Unless you have a blind organization leading another blind one, i.e. Sears and K-Mart. IHOP and Applebees are shaping up to be the same...
Like Colloquor, I keep my cars at least 10 years after which trade-in value is of insignificant concern. My latest trade-in was my 13 yr old Continental.
The best warranty is one that you never use. The legal liability of a longer warranty like Hyundai's 10 yr warranty is very expensive to the manufacturer - so it has to have high confidence that their product is so reliable that their repair costs over the 10 years is tolerable. Since I keep my cars 10+ yrs, I know that I am covered for the first 10 years.
nissan didn't need changes in all aspects of its business. just the management of it. thats why renault made that change. It's not really a matter of debate, you can look it up. the primary thing Ghosn did when he took over was to layoff, close plants, and fix the dealer network. they don't use the same factories, engineers, design teams, engines or other components. never have, and don't now. with the sole exception of one platform (gblobal B i think its called) that they designed together.
And I'm the same way also, don't trade in cars, unless they are at the end of their life, just to get whatever (usually $500 or less) money I can from the dealership.
But the point remains, if nissan vehicles were half the pile of junk you make them out to be, they wouldn't hold their value like they do, or continue to increase sales and market share like they do. They would be in the same boat that Ford, GM, and mitsu are in now.
I am not saying that all Nissan cars are bad. Our 2006 Maxima SL, one of 5 in the family, is holding up very well. Our 2004 Honda Ody just became 3 yrs old and is holding up better and it never needed any warranty service. Good feedback/indicators about vehicle quality and reliability can be had from many sources like CR,C & D, JDP, etc. The last JD Powers rating was Porsche, Lexus, Hyundai, Toyota, Honda in that order. Honda and Toyota have the highest resale value of Japanese cars for those so interested. It took the Japanese 50+ yrs to get to where their quality is today; the Koreans took 25 yrs for similar quality. Toyota and Honda stand on their own feet and are not influenced/rescued from extinction by a bigger/stronger body like Nissan was by Renault. Mazda is in a similar predicament with a Ford rescue - another blind leading the blind...Ford parts(engines) used in Mazda vehicles - USA companies are more aggressive in using common parts for cost containment.
thats the part you don't seem to get. renault doesn't run, influence, or controol nissan. they run thier own comapany, and its always been that way. that is one of the reasons the renault nissan partnership has been heralded as the best ever in the auto industry. two entirely different companies, two totaly different business cultures, that managed to sucsceed precisly because renault understood those differences and didn't get too involved. what nissan and renualt did is entirely like anything else that had been done before in the automotive business. Its nothing like the ford/mazda arrangement, nothing like the mercedes/chrysler deal, or any other.
engine with the Renault Megane(not sure of the
spelling on that one.)
Folks, looks like this discussion has taken a detour. I would appreciate it if the discussions can relate to my above inquiry. What company bought into what company or how good or bad someone's dealer is (unless it's one in the seacoast NH or southern Maine area), is irrelavent for getting the answers I'm looking for. For those of you who gave your choices and why, thanks. It is useful information.
I did a quick check here on Edmunds, and damn I forgot the numbers, but the most basic Altima had an invoice in the high $17's, I think. The Altima has a $500 rebate according to Edmunds.
You should be able to buy an '07 Sonata below invoice and then deduct the $2K rebate. As you noted, the Sonata has a better warranty and more safety equipment. Those items are certainly worth something from a pricing point when comparing "comparably equipped" cars.
My 2 man business has an '05 & an '07 Sonata...both 6 cyl and both excellent cars.
Check your prices, there may be more of a difference than you think. Then decide, factoring in all the pro's & con's and price.
Comparably equipped Accords, Camrys, Maximas, or even Altima would be at least $8K more. Not justifiable to me. Since I keep my cars 10+ years, the Sonata's 10 yr warranty is another plus if I need it.
Sugar daddies (eg Renault) or Johns (eg JuiceMon) do not invest in companies (eg Nissan) or sweeties (eg Sweet Desire) without being concerned about ROI or having their wildest desires fulfilled. You can be assured that they are exerting influence over their subjects.
If they don't, then another sugar daddy or John would take over and get what he wants. These are two companies/ entities of different business cultures.
The Altima looks great, has "intelligent key", trip computer, telescoping wheel, 8 beverage holders (Sonata has 4), security system (engine immobilizer), big useable trunk, very roomy cabin, 2 inch longer wheelbase, bigger in the front seat in almost every dimension, audio jack for mp3, slightly better gas mileage.
The Sonata looks nice, has XM, stability control, traction control, security system (alarm), huge trunk, very roomy cabin, A/C in the back, lighted vanity mirror, clock (no clock in Altima), heated exterior mirror, bigger in the backseat in every dimension.
Because both are big enough in the front seat, I went with bigger backseat and trunk, and about $2000 less for Sonata. Yes, I'm having buyer's remorse a little because like I said I really wanted the Altima for looks and sportiness. But Hyundai just put together too good of a package.
I own a 2004 Elantra Hatch and I love this car! It's not the most beautiful/stylish or sporty car out there, but for the price and practicality purposes, it's the best car I've ever owned!
I do a lot of city driving which i hate and I've accumulated 65,000 miles on it already. However, I've never had it in for repairs and the dealer is so great to deal with.
I've owned Civics in the past, so I can tell you I'm not biased against Japanese cars. They are great for what they do. However, they've increased their prices way above what they should be.
The Altima looks pretty cutting edge(if you like Nissan's styling philosophy) but I think it looks too much like the Maxima and the other cars in their line up. Never really like the Maxima to begin with but applaud them for trying to be different. The Sonata on the other hand is derivitive, but in a good way. I like the overall purportion of the car and it looks very classy. Not as modern a look as the Nissan, but very nicely done in its own way. The interior is better on the Nissan but safety and cabin room is better on the Sonata.
In terms of reliability, most of my friends would not buy Hyundai because they think Japanese cars are more desireable and reliabe. But you wouldn't imagine how many times I took them to the shop with my Elantra. Whether it be accidents, or minor repairs(especially electrical on the Honda's) or major repairs (more so on the Nissan's). They buy Honda, Acura, and Nissan for the most part and I can tell you the Nissan cars are the ones who enter the shop more often than not.
Dating back 2 years ago, my friend's Sentra stopped working one morning so I tried to jumpstart it with my Elantra. Nothing happened so I had to drive him to the dealership.
Eventually he got it fixed, but it cost him a fortune as it wasn't covered under warranty! With Hyundai, as long as you're doing regular maintenance, you're covered for much longer than Nissan. In fact I'm still covered for another 35,000 miles. I know the best warranty is the one you don't need to use and I haven't needed to use it (thank God). However, just to know that you're covered is such a blessing as I don't think I can afford to pay for the repair bills my friends have accumulated over the years.
As for gas mileage, the civic did have better mileage. However, I did drive the Civic in hwy driving for the most part. When I drive the Elantra for hwy, I get really good mileage too.
In the end, it's your choice Starryknight. But if you're a practical guy, you'll pick the Sonata. If you can afford to spend the money and you really like the Altima, go for it.
Don't worry about depreciation as the Sonata costs considerably less and although the percentage in which it depreciates may be higher, the overall amount won't be less than the Altima because the Nissan costs that much more to begin with.
So in essence if you judge reasonably, you can't go wrong with resale value in the Hyundai as well.
You would be getting a much better deal with the Sonata in my opinion.
I also test drove the Saturn Aura XR. That was a pretty decent car. I remember it being incredibly quiet on the freeway, with hardly any wind and road noise. I really liked that. Plus the V6 felt strong, although the paddle shifters were really gimmicky, and way too difficult to reach with the thumb to be of any real use. The car was pretty comfortable, and handled nicely. I did not like the turning radius, as I found out in the test drive when I needed to make a U-turn. I did some research after my test drive and found out it has a 40.4 foot turning radius, which explained why it was so difficult making that U-turn. Way too big for my liking. Plus there was no rear seat armrest/cup holders and there was no navigation system option. The Aura was nice, and the price was nice on it (I think it was $28,000 with a couple of options if I remember correctly) but I still knew I needed to keep looking.
Then I checked out the Altima. I asked the salesman to get me the most loaded model they had. I had been driving a Dodge Neon for 10 years and I was going to treat myself to a much deserved nice car with all the bells and whistles. They brought me out a V6 SE model with the technology package and the anti-skid control option which brought the sticker price to $33,000. Nice car! I was very impressed during the test drive, and I loved all of the techno gadgets. There was more wind/road noise than I would like on the freeway but otherwise I really enjoyed that car. One thing I did not like was having to use premium gas and the fact the gas mileage was just "okay." But otherwise it as a great car.
I came damn close to buying it, and if I hadn't test driven my 09 Hyundai Limited V6 with navigation the same day, I would have bought it. The Hyundai doesn't have as many techo gadgets as the Nissan, such as the HID lights, backup camera, or the really cool keyless entry/push starter button etc. But I thought the Hyundai was simply too good a value to pass up. The sticker on my car was $6,000 less than the Altima, and that doesn't factor in the enormous discount I got off the MSRP. The Nissan dealership was willing to make a deal on the Altima but it really wasn't so much as price since I could have easily afforded the Altima even at the sticker price. I just liked the Sonata more. It was more quiet on the freeway, got better gas mileage on regular unleaded, and was just as comfortable and spacious as the Altima. The sound system in the Sonata Limited is excellent, maybe not quite as good as the Bose in the Altima but good enough for me. The Hyundai really had everything I was looking for in a mid size sedan, and was a HUGE step up from the Neon I was driving the past 10 years.
The Altima is an excellent car however. The handling is great, probably better than the Sonata, the CVT transmission is flawless, it has a ton of luxury/techno features if you buy the technology package, and it's just really a nice car. I couldn't fault anyone for buying an Altima. It's much better than anything else out there in the mid-size sedan class. I'm sure some would say it's also better than the 09 Sonata, and I couldn't fault anyone for thinking that. It's a great car, and one I came very close to buying. I don't have buyers remorse, but I must admit to missing some of these cool features on the Altima, the best being the keyless door unlocking. Very cool to just walk up to your car and pull the door open. Oh well, maybe the Altima will be the next car I purchase.
I bought a new 2007 Sonata V6 Limited over a year ago for a great price of $19,500. It has been trouble free since then and a joy to drive. Comparably equipped Accord, Camry, Altima were at least $8K more.
At the same time, the new Malibu and '09 Sonata are setting the standard in this class for value. The Malibu is thousands under the Accord, and the Sonata is even less than the Malibu (I think). The only thing that I would be worried about in buying the Sonata would be resale value. To some people, it's a moot point if they like the car, but to me, it's an important factor as I will never be loaded with money. (I'm working on a Music Education degree, so in essence, I'm going to be a school teacher.) That was one of the only things that kept me from looking at the Sonata. I have no doubt in my mind that the Sonata is a great car, but I couldn't bring myself to get one after driving 3 other fantastic cars in this class that will hold their value far longer.
Thank you.