You are here: Forums Sedans Hyundai Sonata Hyundai Sonata 2005 and earlier

Hyundai Sonata 2005 and earlier

2947 messages,  Last post on Aug 13, 2008 at 7:07 AM

You are in the Hyundai Sonata Forum. Your Hosts are pat & karens

What is this discussion about? Hyundai Sonata, Fuel Efficiency (MPG), Sedan

Messages Page 5 of 295 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 ... 295 Prev Next Last

Go To Msg # Search This Discussion

#41 of 2947 Firstnewcar7-V6 by jrfluke Sep 07, 2000 (6:04 pm)
I also read Edmunds review on the V6. I can tell you, now that I own a '00 GLS V6, that the rating in edmunds review should be taken lightly. I replaced a '88 Acura Legend V6 and The Sonata may not be in the same league(it was 5 spd-V6), but I can tell you from experience that my gls with auto can handle the hills and has plenty of power. It will cruise at 80 effortlessly. So far I've gotten 19 to 23mpg city and 29.29 highway with the a/c on and at 65mph or better. If you get a stck V6 you'll have a nice machine. I had to get the auto so the wife can drive it. Whatever you get good luck.
#42 of 2947 Firstnewcar7 by astrol Sep 07, 2000 (6:11 pm)
Hello,     My wifes' choice of a new car---a GLS V-6 with auto---runs like a champ. There are no performance issues, no hard shifting. If you are going for a 5-speed you need not worry about performance with either engine. If you are considering auto only then I strongly suggest the V-6.    There are many reviews on the GLS out there. Some of them make complaints about things that no one else does. One even called the 2.5L 'breathless'. LOL. I have read many, especially from Canadian sites, where the performance of the V-6/auto combination was NEVER questioned. Bear in mind that many reviews are written by people who prefer 5-speeds. It is easy to tell which you are reading by the descriptions used(gear hunting on steep inclines, confusion over situational gear selection, 0-60 performance, etc.    Here is but one example of the automatically challenged: You are driving in rolling hills or even low mountains. You begin an ascent. You are presently doing 60mph. As the climb continues you notice a falling off of speed and revs. Now---STOP THIS PICTURE---if you are driving a manual tranny, what do you do? DUH! Why, you downshift! But what happens with the automatically challenged? They do one of two things ONLY. They either continue with no adjustment in throttle attitude (which leads to the famous hunt and peck situation) or they continue to press into the throttle all the while slowly losing speed and revs so that when the tranny downshifts it does so in a harsh, sometimes two-gear dropdown. DUH! The tranny reacts to throttle pressure! Who'd a thunk? Now here's the clincher---WHAT SIMPLE TECHNIQUE AVOIDS ANY OF THIS MESS? I'd love to get some responses.    Go and drive the versions you are interested in yourself. Then you will know what to do.
#43 of 2947 V-6 Power (to firstnewcar7) by giowa Sep 07, 2000 (6:46 pm)
Concur with most of Astrol and jrfluke. I've got a 5-speed with my GLS V-6. More than enough power, as long as I'm in the right gear. I don't expect to pass quickly if I keep in 5th or go quickly if I start from stop in 3rd. However, I have driven the automatic GLS V-6 and was sadly disappointed in the performance. Most 0-60 mph tests of auto V-6 Sonatas have time around 10 secs. That's poor for a 170 hp V-6. Since manual tranny time drops almost 2 secs, it is indicative of the tranny sapping too much power. And many reviewers have commented poorly on the automatic finding and keeping right gear at right time. Only problem I have, which I've seen a couple reviewers comment on, is that cruise control won't hold speeds well. I'm talking about small inclines. I live in Iowa and the interstates I drive on are darn near flat. Even then and even if in 4th or 5th (both are overdrives), she'll routinely fluctuate up to 10 mph going up and down a very small incline. None of my other manual or automatic cars has suffered same problem on the exact same roads at the exact same speeds.
#44 of 2947 Giowa by astrol Sep 07, 2000 (7:50 pm)
Hello,    Good to have you back. I promise this will not be another flame war.    I understand your situation with stick shifts and recommend them myself where warranted. You are in a small minority of buyers looking about for larger support and community. I wish you luck. So you will know, I just threw a grenade into the mess over at T-H-C on your favorite thread. See what you think.    As to the cruise control, I believe many of these varying complaints have more to do with production run, as with most cars. I have experienced excellent performance in and around mountainous country in Western Maryland. My build date is 3/21/00. It would be interesting to see those with different Cruise control or any other issues post their build dates so we could get a better handle on these things. I believe this may well extend into the dreaded 'automatic transmission performance' issue as well. Many of the reviews of the Sonata were written in '99. There may well have been changes made to the computer programming and control chips which may account for this disparity in individual experience. Many of the reviews of the Sonata were written in '99, some even late '98.    Just a thought.
#45 of 2947 Misc (to astrol) by giowa Sep 07, 2000 (10:08 pm)
1. Why throw grenade instead of dousing discussion with gasoline (take your pick in octane)? 2. Yes, I often find myself in a minority when it comes to performance. I desire and demand the most from anything I buy and won't buy anything but the maximum of any specific car I buy. Even if it's for wife. Just means I get auto for her and manual for me. That's why GLS 5-speed and Pkg 13 is all I'd consider in Sonata. 3. Think your thoughts about build date and possible modifications are probably right on. Given the hits Hyundai has taken over auto tranny performance, they should be addressing. Same would hold true for any cruise control issues. 4. Will be interesting to see if anyone will test or review a '01 Sonata. Guessing not, unless as part of a multi-car comparison test. But given that Sonata came in last place when C&D did a big comparison test late last year, doubt anyone has much desire to include an unchange Sonata. Too bad they don't test GLS V-6 w/5-speed & Pkg 13!!!
#46 of 2947 To Giowa by astrol Sep 08, 2000 (6:36 am)
Not only do they (meaning every reviewer I've read) not test the 5-speed in this car, they also refuse to get the car with ABS.    What is it with these jokers? If Toyota comes out with a V-6 Camry with a manual tranny (which they did) then every rag out there has at least a two page spread on it. I've rarely seen an article on the Maxima that wasn't of the '5-speed SE' variant. Same with the Altima, etc.    I ask how meaningful is it to put a vehicle in a multi-car round-up and not have it equipped with ABS like all but one of its' competition? Even with ABS it still would have been less expensive than half of the competition, most of which were under-equipped relative to the Sonata.    It is these obvious disparities in treatment which lead me to usually disregard these people. All they want to do is go 'vrooom, vrooom'. There's nothing wrong with a performance orientation but it is silly to apply it to family sedans with relatively generic engineering. And then, adding insult to injury, they use different standards of performance for different cars.    Oh well. Maybe someone will test a manual GLS with the 2.7L whenever it arrives. It seems Hyundai is standing pat for now. I guess they figure it is silly to argue with success.
#47 of 2947 Bias (to astrol) by giowa Sep 08, 2000 (12:03 pm)
Think you're dead right; however, I would make two adjustments. First, I think it has been Hyundai's fault that they haven't supplied auto mags with 5-speed w/ABS to test. Hyundai just doesn't build many and when they introduced the then new '99 Sonata, they gave the auto press the automatic. Hyundai needs to do more to promote the great value of a Pkg 13 Sonata GLS manual. Compare it in price to similarly equipped 626, Camry (though don't think you can get leather in V-6 manual Camry), or Maxima. Second, auto press would love to test the top end of most manufacturers. They can't test what isn't provided them. Also, for the C&D comparison test, adding Pkg 13 to the automatic GLS would've pushed the price close to $21,000 (MSRP). They were shooting for under $20,000. It isn't their fault that Hyundai won't make ABS standard or allow it to be a reasonably priced stand-alone option. They usually want to test cars with ABS.
#48 of 2947 2001 Sonata by oznubira Sep 09, 2000 (4:27 am)
I've just seen photos of the mid-life facelift of the the Sonata undergoing testing in Death Valley. It looks as though it will be getting a more prominent grille like that of the Santa Fe and headlights not unlike an E-class Benz. The rear is too well disguised to see.
#49 of 2947 2001 Product Literature by lanman2 Sep 09, 2000 (7:26 pm)
I was at the local Hyundai dealer earlier this week. They had a beautiful, black, Santa Fe on display. One of their mechanics gave me a personal tour of the vehicle. Before this, any pictures I had seen had ugly body colors and made me think the Santa Fe would be very "boxy" and small. Seeing it in person completely changed my opinion! It is a very handsome SUV! The Sonata's motor is listed as standard, and the 2.7 liter was optional. There's plenty of room inside, lots of features, AND it doesn't have Firestone tires! :o) I was invited to read their only copy of 2001 Product Literature for Elantra, Sonata, and Santa Fe. After just 2 years, the Elantra has been completely redesigned for 2001! It now has a waterfall grill, and 4 headlights. It seemed to me that a couple of the lights are projector lights. It is very aerodynamic, and I thought it looked more sophisticated than before. I didn't see any appreciable changes for the 2001 Sonata. It will have the waterfall grill, too. I didn't notice any additional options being offered, i.e. heated seats or fog lights. Appearantly the XG300, Sonata, Elantra, & Santa Fe will all have a similar look to their front ends, as all were shown with waterfall grills and all had aerodynamic headlights. That will give better brand recognition to all of them. There were many features and specs, but my brain got full before I could absorb them all! :o) I think people will be pleased.
#50 of 2947 Santa Fe by rich310 Sep 10, 2000 (2:11 am)
There was an auto show at Freehold Raceway Mall in NJ today. I got to sit in both the Santa Fe and the new mazda SUV. Both appeared to be about the same size and were comparable in interior comfort. But the Santa Fe's interior felt kind of cheap--like molded plastic, other than that it was nice. It had the auto stick shift. The salesman was not enthusiastic about that and made some negative remark. It was very attractive in its silver color. The car was not for sale and the window sticker showed $99,999 so it attracted a lot of attention. The MSRP of the Mazda was about $22,000 (6 cyl, 4 wheel drive, cd, abs, power w/l). It appeared to be nicely equipped and i think the Mazda guy said it was a middle level trim. The Hyundai guy expected teh prices to begin at $18,000 for 4 cyl and front wheel drive to about $25,000 for top of the line.

Messages Page 5 of 295 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 ... 295 Prev Next Last

Go To Msg # Search This Discussion

You are here: Forums Sedans Hyundai Sonata Hyundai Sonata 2005 and earlier