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I am in Houston. Here are 5 dealers. But it seems that the dealer are not very eager to sell the 2011 sonata. Sigh.....
Actually,,,, none at the moment.
I have few questions and may be some of you can help me.
a) How rough SE is in terms of passengers experiencing every bump in the cabin. Keep in mind I have an infant, so would it be uncomfortable/unsafe for the baby?
2) Based on what you guys have written about GLS, I am being inclined towards SE or Limited. In case of SE I may buy while for Limited I may lease. What are the monthly lease payments for people who have recently leased
I've seen some too-good-to-be-true numbers listed on a local dealer's website..pretty much 3500 to 4K below MSRP. Will check them out after I hear from you. Thanks!!
I had a good experience with Steve Choi of Fairfax Hyundai.
I don't recall the difference in the older version of the Sonata being much between the GLS and the LTD. Maybe quieter due to some extra sound deadening int LTD but that's about it.
a) The SE would be a little less soft of ride but is certainly not a rough ride. Kids ride in pickups without a problem so safety is just not an issue unless you have one really fragile kid.
2?? really don't understand why about 2k would make the difference between buying and leasing but there is a "prices paid and buying experience thread here on Edmunds you could check. There may be some more info there.
The local dealer may be advertising 2010 Sonata's, not 2011s. I've not heard of anybody in the country advertising 2011s at anything close to that 3-4k under MSRP for 2011s. I think you're mistaken on that one.
Woohoo!
The commercial was very well done. Makes me want to go out and buy another one!
Any more SE owners here?
In re to your comment re me being mistaken on the prices: Fairfax Hyundai has 2011 Sonata's advertised on their site 3500-4K below MSRP. Yes 2011. However, as I had said they are too good to be true. They have mixed reviews so it is hard to tell until I request a quote.
You're right about Fairfax, just checked their site. Wow. That amazes me. People on here have been pretty elated to get 2k off. They have a Limited on their site that is over $4100 off MSRP. Does anybody know if they are on the up and up? OR do they charge like $900 dealer fee and are those price all inclusive, ie no add-on for "destination charge" or do they include rebates that most people don't qualify for. If they are on the level like Fitzmall....those are great prices for this new of vehicle.
I don't think the website prices include any options. Also you have to add tax and freight.
In in fact they are selling at these prices with destination included and no outlandish dealer fees, they are very, very good prices.
For awhile last year Fitzmall was selling Jetta TDIs for outlandishly low prices for about two months and then they raised their prices more in line with other discounters. Those people that bought during that time span got some really good deals. This may be a similar case. The dealer may be just trying to really blow them out.
Like the popular equipment package (power seat, etc). Also paint protection and any other extra the dealer can convince you to buy.
Welcome to 2010, where that problem is very common in all cars. It's a price you pay for a sexy roof line and high tail lights. You'll get used to it, but I agree it's a problem.
Seriously, it's no worse than other cars on the road, for me. For me is the key. The Sonata has a lot more head room than most cars. So, for me, I usually have to scrunch down to see out the side windows on any car I have. It's no worse in the Sonata.
But when you talk about the blind spot, you're typically talking about the area around the C pillar. It's not that bad. Again, no worse than almost any other car out there in it's class. I felt it was much worse in the Fusion I test drove.
You have the dark exterior and the dark dashboard and side panels and then the camel cloth starts. It looks incongruous and out of place.
If you decide to get a GLS, pay the $900 and get aftermarket leather from the dealer.
http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/reviews/healey/2010-03-11-test-drive-review-- hyundai-sonata_N.htm
So were other key elements:
•Steering was firm, quite so in the SE, and kept the car pointed straight until the driver commanded otherwise. So simple; so rare among cars.
If you like over-boosted power steering, the front-wheels-on-ice steering feel, Sonata's not your car.
•Suspension also was generally firm, again very much so in the SE, and cornering response was commensurately satisfying. No sweat handling tight, twisting freeway off-ramps approached at high speed.
•Brakes were delightful. Push 'em a little, slow a lot. Nothing spongy, vague or tentative. Very nice.
Classy interior and smooth-operating, firm-feeling controls were more like you'd expect in a near-luxury car. Even just operating the turn signal stalk or pulling the shift lever into gear could generate a tiny shiver of delight.
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The 2011 Sonata accomplishes a mighty pair of feats.
It gives buyers a huge amount of refinement, driving enjoyment, comfort and style for not a lot of money.
And it forces other automakers to confront, and match or trump, Sonata's package of attributes, which may be the new benchmark for midsize (roughly) family sedans: four-cylinder engine with direct injection and at least 200 hp, 35 mpg or more rating on the highway, six-speed automatic (instead of the five-speeds most still use) and a $20,000 starting price.
2011 Hyundai Sonata Limited: First 72 Hours Review
Another possible problem with camel cloth is it will show dirt (but not lint) more than black or grey. So I wouldn't have camel if I had small kids etc. I don't have that problem anymore.
I actually prefer cloth over leather. It's more grippy and feels warmer in the winter (bun warmers help of course) and cooler in the summer (and the Sonata doesn't have seat coolers). Plus I really don't need/want all the bells and whistles (and extra cost) of the Limited; the GLS is plenty of car for me. With aftermarket leather, I'd worry they'd mess up the OCS and side airbag system. Also I don't think $900 aftermarket leather would include bun warmers, would it? That is a necessity for cold climates as in MN.
The camel interior, the wine interior, cloth seats and the red/silver blue pearl exteriors aren't for me, but I'm glad they have something for every aesthetic sensibility.
I totally agree that it would be nice(and logical) if the more expensive Ltd had better ride/handling. I'm just wondering if anyone can actually notice it.
I guess it can be different for different people. When I test drove the GLS and Ltd back in 2007, I didn't notice a major difference in the handling between the two. The SE was noticeably different and rightfully so. But that was on a couple of test drives and a salesperson gabbing so loud pointing out interior features it was hard to concentrate on the drive.
As for cloth v. leather, normally I would agree with you that cloth grips better, but having sat in a Limited at the Chicago Auto Show I was very surprised at how grippy the leather was. Maybe that'll wear down and get smoother over time, but I definitely did not feel like I could just slide across the seat (like, for example, in my dad's 2004 A6). I look forward to taking a test drive to see how it holds one's body in place in turns, but I would guess the answer is "quite well."
Having also sat in an SE with gray interior and a GLS with the camel cloth interior, I definitely agree with others who have said the camel cloth feels much more upscale than the gray cross-woven cloth. It's firmer, smoother and doesn't feel like it'll lose its elasticity over time. Even though I'm set on the Limited (seat warmers are a very high priority for me as well, not to mention the better audio system), I agree that the GLS feels like a LOT of car for the money even in its most basic trim! :-D
Now I just have to wait for my '96 Bonneville with 146k miles to need a major repair.........
As for a definitive answer, that will depend on YOUR preferences. And the only way to tell for sure is to drive the cars, when you're ready.
We decided we liked the features on the limited enough to pay a little more than we originally wanted, plus I was able to get them down to $24k. I found another dealer in PA with a price of 23.3, but our dealer is in town and offers free oil changes and tire rotations for life.
We test drove the GLS. It's got a nice ride, but I don't like the vague input / feedback from the steering in the GLS. 99% of all people would never notice it, but as I've owned and built a lot of good handling cars over the years, I did. We also drove the limited. the only difference in ride quality / handling in the Limited vs the GLS that I noticed was the Limited had a bit harsher ride than the GLS..due to the wheel size difference I'm sure.
The SE, which we waited on to come in?
GREAT feedback and handling. Much tighter feedback and response and doesn't totally sacrifice ride quality. Great car. Hyundai got this one right.
Build quality, looks, power, economy and most important to us...interior and trunk room.
Can't beat it with a stick considering we paid a tick under $22K for a SE with floor mats, wheel locks and Ipod cable.
The above was copied from Hyundaiblog.com and is the first time I've seen a fairly reliable source state that the HP rating on the 2.0 Turbo to be in the Sonata is going to be around 235-240. Most estimates I've seen have been between 250-260. Even Hyundai execs in their press release video said something like 250+. Don't know what to make of it. I'ts possible they may be tuning this engine to return the hp of the previous V6 matched with a little less body weight to come up with even better MPG ratings than the DI I4. This would have the plus of having a lot more hp, much more torque and even higher MPG ratings! With a combination like that I don't imagine it would be hard to get people to pay a lot more for it. Just a thought.
I just came from a vehicle with grey cloth, and it looks ok. However, the black accents of the 2011 just look better with the black leather IMHO.
As for your choices, more power to you. I know I would find myself personally shocked if I ever saw a candy apple red vehicle with anything other than a female driving it.
I've heard that Sonata's power steering boost is adjustable with the right scan tool.
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"Shocked", eh? my first thought was "what kind of life does this person lead?" when they are so easily shocked.
I am about to buy a red 2011 Sonata; at first I had other color choice but after traveling around town to the 4 dealerships so I could test and SEE all the colors/models, I changed my order to a red one. Based on the other available color choices, mostly. despite the nice new design, all the other colors still made it look like "an old man's car". But when i saw the red one, it changed my whole impression of the car. That color combined with the new styling took it right out of the "geezer" category for me. Maybe that's why the ads & commercials that emphasize the radical, sporty & youthful nature of the Sonata many times use the red colored model.
I haven't bought a new, red car for many years but after many dark-colored luxury cars and numerous light-colored mini-vans & family sedans, the mischievous, risk-taking side of me is back, I guess.
(or as shabadoo25 might opine) my feminine side is showing through.
...
Thank goodness we all have different tastes, or else we'd all be waiting in line for that black-on-black or grey-on-silver color combo, eh? I could never live with black leather interiors, first because they seem conservative and in the summer, hot. Also because I'd always feel like I'm a chauffeur on my way to the airport to pick up a client. Or, if it also had black exterior, I'd feel like I'm part of a funeral procession. Other color combinations, especially with cloth seats, I feel like I'm driving a company car. But red ..... nothing about it says conservative, company-car, chauffeur or funeral. It just says "fun" to me, whether a woman or a man is driving it.
Now, as for any man that would buy the Silver Pearl (baby blue), that's a whole 'nother story! :P
I'll have to tell my dad who was wounded in the south pacific during WWII that he is a girly man for having a red car.
Heck, I don't even understand why they make this car in baby blue outside of North Carolina, but I'm sure they'll sell plenty of them.
(OK, I didn't do that... just told him I would.)
When I first saw pictures of the 2011 Sonata online I thought the indigo blue and red looked fabulous, especially the blue. But the closer I got to making the purchase the more I wondered whether the blue was "too much" since I'm going to be 60 in a few months.
The next time I was at the dealer, the salesman asked me if I was sure I wanted the indigo blue. I then realized that I wanted something a little less flashy, and indicated that Harbor Gray was my number one preference, with black and Pacific Blue if gray wasn't available. Two days later he told me he had a black with the options I wanted. I could have waited for the Harbor Gray but decided that black was pretty cool and went with it.
I have no regrets - I love the black color. I feel like I'm driving a Mercedes Benz.
Not sure what color has to do with it. I would think style would have more influence on whether or not a car qualifies as a geezer car.
Everyone has their own tastes in car color but unless it's pink or purple, I wouldn't call any color girlie. On the flip side, most colors (other than two tone brown) aren't geezer colors IMO