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I found the engine could use a little more lowend torque. The styling is hard to get use to. The cloth interior was respectable. The seats were adequate. The sterio was poor.
I wasn't sorry to dump the car off. It was interesting to see where Hyundai is at these days.
I would encourage potential buyers to be sure an drive the Toyota Camry several times before you make the plunge. The Camry even with a 4 cylinder engine is still the class of the field. You might get more creature features with a Sonata for the same price but you still have to drive the car every day. The new Accord is also a better choice if you value the feel of driving a well balanced car over riding in a car like the Sonata that protests everytime you go around a corner.
I also test drove sonata and the quality is not up to par with camary or accord but they definately drives better than any domestic mid size vehicle. Sonata definately belongs in the mid size category. I think if Hyundai keeps improving the quality and pays attention to details, in not too distant future it can compete with camary and accord.
Also, I'm not sure what stereo you had, but the one in my Sonata is very good. Not as good as the one in my Buick Rendezvous ... but the Sonata also didn't cost $30,000+.
We compared Accord, Camry, 626 and L-Series to the Sonata -- and we bought the Sonata -- for thousands less, mind you! It's definitely a competitor. Sounds like you got a dud rental.
If all you care about is getting between point A and B with little driver involvement or connection with the car, then the Sonata would work. The seat comfort and noise levels, in a straight line, were reasonable. You can read the newspaper, talk on your cell phone, and/or put on makeup as well in this car as you can any other :-)
Sorry jmess, but your comment about a Sonata handling like "your father's oldsmobile" is waaaay off base. If I were you, I would report your experience to your rental car company ... sounds like you got a dud Sonata.
The CR had a "Recommended" label next to Sonata. As usual, they had best buy next to accord and camary.
I think this just goes to show hyundai is finally getting some recognition for improving quality and better and bigger things to come.
sidenote:
Can cr discount the increases of warranties by most (if not all) car manufactures, wasn't the cause of Hyundai? (or at least the notion of a car can be built for less money with more features with a clause that says if it breaks we will fix it?)
I would think that it is in thier best interest give Hyundai a nod of achievement. IMO I do feel that Hyundai has made great strides in quality and consumer satisfaction, and that the change of the cr rating is well warranted.
As for your other comments, giving Hyundai a "nod" makes no difference to CR, as they do not have any reason to recommend or not recommend a vehicle.
What is puzzling to me is, how did CR figure out in the months since their April Auto Issue that the Sonata's predicted reliability (also the Santa Fe's) has improved so much? They haven't done a reader survey since the April issue came out. Isn't that how they gather the statistics to determine predicted reliabilities?
Even the Elantra and the Accent went up a notch. The only thing I can think of was maybe CR is including IIHS and other crash/insurance data in thier models. May be the data has changed? (a hanging chad, OOPS!)
Jimbeaumi, this is the first time I heard that CR spreads their annual surveys out over the year. I always thought they sent them all out at one time, because I always get mine the same time each year. Maybe they do it by last name or something.
As for the Elantra, I am also disappointed that it doesn't get the "check" mark, due to the crash figure. You know what? I would still buy the car regardless. Luck or skill, my cars remain mostly untouched -- and you recall that the passenger "cage" maintained its shape well on the Elantra (I'll award my own points for that -- hee hee).
I also noticed two other things: the XG350's reliability is also reported as "average" (but they have yet to road test it), so that could be another recommended model. And the Kia Optima doesn't have the same recommendation that Sonata has, even though they are essentially the same. Odd, considering GM, Ford, Chrysler twins typically are included.
I don't recall the cut-off date for the surveys, but I thought I always got mine before the April issue. Oh well, in a few months we can verify that, when the surveys come out again.
Backy, the survey may come soon before or soon after the April issue but definitely not in time for the data to be included (I think you've also come to this conclusion). I usually get any mags the first week of the previous month (April in March), and most magazines are about six weeks lead time, so April issue is started about mid-January, maybe end of January.
Neways, I started to get this clattering noise when I turn on the fan. It's so annoying!!! I remember seeing an old post about a leaf getting into the duct but can't find it.
How do I access the fan to remove the leaf? Thx.
But, I hate the 15" wheels with the lousy 'wheelcovers' and want to put 16" Alloy wheels on it. This shouldn't pose a problem at all, should it? I mean, the other GLS and LX have them, so there is no reason I can't put them on, is there?
The only thing I thought is that since the higher models have 4 wheel disc brakes, maybe something about the back wheel means I can't put 16" rims on there?
Anyone have a good source online to find rims for their Sonata? I tried Tirerack.com, but it said they don't stock any wheels that would fit the Sonata.
Would love to get some nicer wheels on there.
Tim
I loved the Elantra, and if anyone in the Mpls area is looking for a 2002 Elantra GT, I know that White Bear Hyundai has two, and the one I returned to Metro Hyundai is in brilliant condition, heck I even went through checking all the fluid levels, torque settings for the lugnuts, air pressures, etc. It's Carbon Blue, with moonroof, mudguards and carpet, and I paid $13995. I've heard of people getting cheaper, don't know, but I know that was only a few buck above invoice before the rebate, and Metro Hyundai doesn't charge any ad fees at all, never even came up.
Jeremy Dominick is a great guy there, who I bought the car from, and I highly recommend him.
My new Sonata is great. I hate the wood trim, so I bought the base with the 2.7 liter, and eventually will put 16" or at least alloy rims, I hate the wheel covers.
Nice car, definitely an improvement over my 2000.
Tim
Check out these guys:
http://www.1stopcustomwheels.com
and if you find what you want, there should be a local tire shop that can get them for you to mount and balance some rubber.
The brakes will fit on the upsize. The only thing you need to find out is the rim offset, the distance from the back of the rim to the back of the hub. This will ensure that you don't rub on the sheetmetal or suspension.
Dear Hyundai Owner,
At Hyundai, we value you as a customer and appreciate your business. That's why we believe you deserve the truth from us.
It is for this reason that I'm writing to you. We made an error in the information published about the horsepower of the engine in your Sonata. The horsepower rating was published as 149, when it is actually 138.
I want you to know that this error does not impact the safety or reliability of your Sonata. Be assured that I have taken steps here at Hyundai to make sure that this does not happen again. For further details on this issue and the steps we’ve taken, please visit www.HyundaiStatus.com.
I hope you’ll accept my personal apology. I'm very proud of the cars we make. And, I'm equally proud of the people around the world who build, sell and service our cars. More importantly, I want you to be proud of the car you drive.
To back up my apology, I would like to offer you a choice of one of the following enhancements to your Hyundai vehicle.
· Extending your Roadside Assistance Benefit from 5 years/unlimited miles, to 10 years/unlimited miles.
· Extending your New Vehicle Limited Warranty from 5 years/60,000 miles, to 6 years/72,000 miles.
· Or, extending your Powertrain Limited Warranty from 10 years/100,000 miles, to 12 years/120,000 miles for original owners.
Please indicate your choice on the enclosed, postage-paid reply card.
If you have any questions or concerns, we would like to hear from you. www.HyundaiStatus.com.
Thank you for being a Hyundai owner.
Sincerely,
Finbarr J. O'Neill
President and CEO
suprise to find camary is slipping in quality
Unfortunatley it was raining and chilly most of the day so I could not use moon roof.
It's up to nearly 50% of their net profit for the same period.
No car maker in the world reserves that much.
Reservation of 5% of total sales volume for warranty alone?
Couldn't believe my eyes.
So relatively speaking the other car companies reserves are in ratio to the applicable warranty.
As far as I know, Hyundai's total U.S. sales are not up to half a million.
I am a shareholder of Hyundai Motor Company, so I'm restless because Hyundai might intentionally overestimate the amount of future expanses for warranty, to reduce dividend for each shares.
D**n it!