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Honda Civic vs. Hyundai Sonata
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Comments
Some nice features, but too cramped for us, especially me at 6'1" and 285 lbs. The positioning of the handbrake cut into the side of my leg at the knee. When I got into the back seat, I actually started to hyperventalate because of my claustaphobia. No joke.
I'm not trying to be nasty in my attitude here. Just giving my personal experience & critique. I guess if I was smaller, it would be a different story.
For my situation... Because of the interior space issues that I have with the Civic, given a choice between a Civic vs the Sonata (for the same money), I'd personally go with the Sonata.
That said...if you compare a civic to the elantra, its true Hyundai counterpart, you would find the civic on top with regards to interior space. I sat in an elantra GT and didn't even want to test drive it. I'm 6'1" as well.
Further, if you do compare it to the Elantra you will find the Elantra also has more standard features and I believe a larger interior. Yes the specs. directly from each manufacturer are as follows:
2006 Civic EX sedan:
headroom F/R = 39.4 inches/ 37.4 inches
legroom F/R = 42.2/34.6 inches
shoulder F/R = 53.7/52.4 inches
hip F/R =51.9/51
cargo= 12 cu. ft.
total passenger volume =90.9 cu ft.
2006 Hyundai Elantra Limited sedan:
headroom F/R = 39.6/38
leg F/R = 43.2/35
hip F/R =53/55.6
shoulder F/R =54.7/53.5
cargo = 13 cu.ft.
total passenger volume = 95.4 cu ft.
So, based on the manufacturers own specs. the Elantra is larger in all dimensions including cargo. If you intend to make flat comments such as this "if you compare a civic to its true Hyundai counterpart you would find the civic on top with regards to interior space" you should do some research first. If you had you would have found what you said is simply not true...oh, did I mention the Elantra is thousands of $$$ less too.
So far, I'm very pleased with the decision, and absolutely no teething or delivery problems with the Elantra.
PROBLEMS.SINCE KIA IS PART OF HYUNDAI AND THEY DON'T HAVE SKILLED ELECTRICAL TECHNICIANS I WAS AFRAID TO TRUST ELANTRA. ALSO THE DEPRECIATION OF HYUNDAI IS VERY BAD.
LIKE 20% VALUE AFTER 5 YEARS VS %50 FOR HONDA.TEST DRIVING THE ELANTRA DID NOT WOW ME LIKE THE HONDA PROBABLY BECAUSE OF THE QUIETNESS AND SMOOTHNESS OF THE HONDA ENGINE.THE CIVIC NEEDS MORE ZIP AND STILL RETAIN IT'S GOOD MPG.EVERY
2.5 LITER I CONSIDERED WAS RATED MID TWENTIES FOR MPG.THE VW RABBIT IS GREAT TO DRIVE BUT CONSUMERS REPORT GIVES IT
BAD MARKS FOR RELIABILITY.THE SCION Tc WAS MY OTHER CHOICE,
MAYBE SHOULD HAVE WENT THERE,BUT STYLEWISE I THOUGHT IT WAS BLAND.THE BIGGEST SURPRISE IS AFTER BUYING MY CIVIC I SEE IT IS MADE IN CANADA AND ONLY HAS 15% JAPANESE PARTS.IF
CAR MAKERS CAN BE INTERNATIONAL WHY CAN'T GOVERNMENTS?WITH
ALL THE WAR GOING ON I MAY NOT LIVE TO PAY OFF MY CAR.
PEACE BRO!
Whether a Civic is worth it depends on how much value you give to fuel economy.
The Civic gets 30 city 40 highway.
I don't think there is another automatic vehicle other than a much more expensive hybrid that is at least as comfortable as a Civic that gets better fuel economy for less money.
The Corolla is the only car with close gas mileage, but it's a much older design that's noisy and less comfortable.
If you want a car as comfortable or more comfortable than a Civic sedan with better fuel economy, you have to look at a Prius or Camry hybrid.
Even most/all subcompacts with automatic transmission get lower fuel economy than a Civic and don't even offer cruise control.
"I heard of some problems with the Honda Civic, so I think I'll go buy a first year Versa (which I assume will have less problems)!"
What?!!
The Renault/Nissan new car is likely to have more, not less problems. At the least, you should wait for a year to see what owners report for problems.
It is also kind of ugly too.
we are taking it to the service because we have a strange noise when we reverse, more than usual vibration, and very weak AC. we get about 22-24/32-35 which is better than sonata, but not as good as it is advertised.
i can't help to think that this is just another a 15k car with very good looks and very very good looking interior. except she bought it for 19k.
we really really miss sonata's accelaration, comfort, size, warranty, and etc. and i have to say sonata has a better build quality even though civic has a better material.
Wonder if that is due to the fact that the Sonata is put together by robots....that don't have hangovers, bad days, etc. :confuse:
If it's true Toyota quality will get worse before it gets better. Hyundai and my favorite Kia are looking better all the time for a new car choice.
2021 Kia Soul LX 6-speed stick
anyway, brake is making noise. we are definitely taking it to the service.
Our Honda dealer didn't want to trade-in our 1996 Chrysler Sebring Convertible back in the late 90s (we were trading it on a Civic EX coupe, 1998). The sales manager told us, flat out, that the car was not something most perspective Honda customers were likely to want. It turns out that he was correct; the car sat on the used portion of the lot for over two months, before finally taking the car to auction..
Perhaps the Honda dealer felt like he couldn't sell the Hyundai on his lot and make a profit, while offering you a fair price? It's not totally out of the realm of possibility, given that Hyundai's still aren't on the good side of the resale wagon...yet. A Hyundai dealer is much more apt to sell a used, reasonably low-demand Hyundai.
While between jobs a few years ago, I worked as a salesman at a local domestic new car dealer, and we were instructed never to denegrate the competition, either dealerships or products. Any good salesperson knows it's not really ethical, or nice, to knock the competition. However, I see this happening often at Honda and Toyota dealerships, especially in relation to Hyundai. Perhaps Hyundai has finally gotten their attention??
I would never assume that any car salesman was ethical. :mad:
Maybe one or two are...but I would never assume it.
At least a salesman is not feeding from the public trough. :P
Just wanted to add my two cents about about warranties and Total Cost to Own (TCO) because several people on this thread have it wrong/incomplete or just have a different opinion from me. I have owned two Honda products and now own a Sonata so I don't think I'm being biased.
As to warranties, I really don't think that manufacturers offer a longer warranty if their products are inferior to others. A warranty is just one of the ways manufacturers use to entice buyers. It acts as both a feature and as an assurance. As any feature, it costs the manufacturer money, just like low interest financing, lots of standard features, free service... So the shorter it is, the less it costs the manufacturer. The longer it is, the less money the manufacturer has available to put into other features or to take as profit. As an assurance, the duration that a manufacturer offers is much more based on customer perceived quality than actual quality. JD Power, Consumer Reports and the like reflect quality scores closer to actual current quality. Customer perception may be based on actual and previous perceived quality from years ago, like with American cars and Hyundai vehicles. Both are much better than they used to be. It's kind of good for Hyundai owners that now actual quality is quite good while public perception may be lagging. So we get a longer warranty on a vehicle that's less likely to need warranty work. It's a nice safety net. My Hyundai hasn't needed any warranty work. Only one of my Hondas was purchased new and that didn't need any warranty work, either.
As to TCO, Edmunds gives it for 5 years of ownership. This time period probably indicates that Hondas cost less to own than comparable Hyundais and may be on par with Hyundais if we take into account the actual price we paid after negotiations and rebates, if any.
If we own our vehicle a long time then the depreciation factor may swing in Hyundai's favor. After 10 years the $22,000 Honda may be worth $2,500 and the $18,000 Hyundai may be worth $1000. Yes, the Honda is worth more than double. However, the Honda lost $19,500 of value while the Hyundai lost only $17,000. So if you want to look at cost of ownership, it's important to think about how long you plan to own your vehicle. I plan to own mine a long time. And my V6 cost me less than a comparable 4 cylinder Accord. Of course, gas for the V6 will cost more than for the 4. But I could have gotten a 4 cylinder Sonata if I wanted to make a fair comparison.
In the end, when discussing the merits and shortcomings of vehicles, there's no reason to bash one car maker when comparing to another. Each company makes vehicles that appeal to different people. And that's good. The more competition, the more choice for all of us and the lower prices for all of us no matter which car we choose!
Another classic oxymoron.
I have a friend that works for Hyundai and is in a great position to know of their quality.
And from what I've learned from him, a Hyundai Sonata is definitely on my short list now for a new car along with the Civic Sedan, Camry, and Rav4.
I also appreciate that Hyundai's feel bigger inside and always seem to have great leg room. And now they are including XM radio on most trims.
And the standard safety feature is a plus.
As far as arrogance at Honda dealers well that goes without saying. I think that out of the 10 dealerships that I have been to I think maybe only 1 has been all right. My next car I plan on cross shopping. I have been a Honda fan for a long time but the arrogance is really getting on my nerves.
Prices of Hyundais have come UP overall in the past couple of years. Who would have paid over $30k for a Hyundai 2-3 years ago? They do now (Azera, Veracruz). Good luck finding a fully loaded Elantra with leather, alloys, AT, moonroof, ABS etc. for $13k as I did a little over 3 years ago. Incentives have dropped on the Sonata also compared to last year.
Warranty, if you want a REAL warranty, get HONDA CARE (LOOK IT UP). It is VERY inexpensive, covers the WHOLE VEHICLE, is transferable (UNLIKE the Hyundai warranty) AND if you do NOT use it, get a refund !!!!!! HONDA, not Hyundai has the BEST warranty. And, lets not forget - the company with the real BEST warranty is the one where you NEVER have to use it. (Check consumer reports reliability ratings, HONDA is #1, NOT Hyundai).
BUY AMERICAN, take a look at where your CAR is built. CIVICS are built in the US, by US workers making them a more US car than MANY "domestics".
While the Hyundai is guaranteed to get you where you are going. The HONDA does it so much better.
It helps to stick to facts though. For example:
* Some people buy the most car they can with their budget. That pits the Sonata against the Civic, whether you like it or not. Size-wise, the Civic does compete more with Elantra, but the Elantra enjoys a big advantage in real-world price and interior room (mid-sized). The Accent actually has more interior room than the Civic. Also, CR named the Elantra SE their Top Pick in the Under $20k sedan class, over the Civic. Check CR if you don't believe me.
* As for reliability, the Sonata is one of the most reliable sedans according to CR. Civic is reliable also. A wash.
* More safety? Civic has an advantage in the IIHS side crash test (Good vs. Acceptable), but Sonata has standard ESC on all trims. I'd say that's no worse than a wash for the Sonata.
* More economy? Sure. You get higher fuel economy on a compact car with a 1.8L 140 hp engine than on a full-sized car with a 2.4L, 175 hp engine. That is the tradeoff in driving a much larger, smoother, quieter, more comfortable car. The Civic gets better FE than the Accord too--so what? (And the Sonata gets better FE than the Accord.)
* Feels better? Again you are trading off crisper handling (on a much smaller car) for considerably better ride smoothness. Yes, I've driven both. Have you?
* Looks better? That is totally subjective. I think both cars look good outside, but I much prefer the looks of the interior of the Sonata.
* There is no used market for Hyundais? That is a laughable statement.
* Warranty? Honda Care costs extra, correct? Hyundai also offers an extra-cost extended warranty that is fully transferrable and provides 100k miles of bumper-to-bumper protection.
* Buy American? Did you know the Sonata is made in America, by American workers?.
The day when someone makes a car that is better than Honda has already arrived. Examples: CR's Top Pick in the economy sedan class is the Elantra, not the Civic. CR's Top Pick in the mid-sized SUV class is the Santa Fe, not the CR-V or Pilot.
I recommend you take a close look at what you are competing with. You might be surprised.
And before anyone says otherwise, there are 3 Hondas in my driveway, zero Hyundais. Yet...
I find it funny that you're comparing the Elantra AND the Sonata to the Civic, whenever it suits your purpose. I also find it funny that when it comes to the engine size difference, you whitewash the argument by bringing the Accord into the mix.
Stop comparing one mid-sized vs full-sized on full-size standards. The reason Civic owners own a Civic over the competition can't be based on full size standards (e.g. larger engine, more seating room, etc.).
Compare the Civic to the Elantra, Corolla, and the Sentra. Not to the competitor's full sized sedans.
And no, there is no market for Hyundais that are used or out of warranty except for teenager's first cheap cars. I almost thought about buying a Hyundai until I saw that the True Cost To Own over 5 years is thousands higher on the Hyundai thanks to its amazingly high depreciation rate.
Also I'd like to mention my 2003 elantra had the BEST tco ever. I paid 12.2k OTD and was cashed out after a totalled accident for $8200 for 5 years - deductible. That's a freaking $4000 depreciation for 5 years. NO civic or corolla could ever beat that. Hell no car I know of in the entire world could beat that! I know my new sonata unfortunately won't, but I'll enjoy it nonetheless. So saying that hyundai cars have no resale value is [non-permissible content removed]. Their depreciation is higher, but not THAT much higher.
Also I'll note my car's reliability was top notch. The only issue I ever had was a minor door seal wind noise problem. Once that was fixed, no problems in 5 years...besides my own accidents I hope for the same reliability in my new vehicle.
Honda's are nice, Hyundais are just as nice. Don't spew millions of tons of propoganda here. This is not a mormon or scientology board
This was on my list of cars to consider when I was shopping for the car I got a couple weeks ago:
Honda Fit
Honda Civic
Mazda3
Mitsu Lancer
Hyundai Sonata
Hyundai Elantra
Suby Impreza
There is on obvious thing in this...and that is the PRICE. I compare based on price and the Sonata is the same or less than a civic. As you'll note I had a definite interest in some of the Hondas, but the number of features and interior didn't compare to purchasing a Sonata. Why would we compare purely based on size? By that standard, you're saying a tiny Porsche shouldn't be compared against a large bmw 7 series if you were shopping in that market? I say bs on that