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Sedans Hyundai Sonata Hyundai Sonata Test Drive Experiences
29 messages, Last post on Jul 02, 2008 at 3:23 PM
You are in the Hyundai Sonata Forum. Your Hosts are pat & karens
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Replying to: pat (Jul 20, 2006 10:15 am)
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I bought my 2006 GLS in June of last year, it now has a little over 4200 miles on it. Much of my driving in the last few weeks has been highway, Louisiana highways which arguably are some of the worst in the nation. The car is very quiet in my view. I hear almost no wind noise at 70 mph. I have the 16" wheels and only on certain road surfaces can you hear anything from the tires. Not objectionable in my experience. I love the simplicity of the AC/Heater controls which require a minimum of time to adjust and you can see your settings at a glance. The trunk capacity is tremendous and I think that one reason is the fact that they put the rear speakers in the doors. For years I have had cars with rear deck speakers, easily exposed to heat and sun and in the way when packing a trunk and I think the door mounts are the best idea. Of course I seldom listen to music, either on the radio or CD but the speakers work fine for talk radio and I have had no complaints when music was played from the back seat passengers who seemed to prefer the speakers were not right at their ears. There have been many comments about the location of the radio but since the steering wheel has no channel changer having the radio at near eye level to me is safer and more convienent when I have to change channels or mess with the equalizer controls; less time taking your eyes off the road. Conversations are easy in this car, it is extremely quiet at highway speeds. I love the power of the V6 engine and I don't think I would ever go back to a 4 cylinder car after this one. Gas mileage is pretty good. I drove to New Orleans 2 wks ago a 220 mile trip and got a consistant 28 mpg. Around town I average between 22 and 25. The car shifts most of the time without even hearing or feeling the shift points. Also note that this is the first automatic I have owned since my 1975 Firebird. Every other one was a standard. Never want a standard again either, no joy in clutching here. I only wish the car had been offered in a darker interior. Mine is the gray and it does show dirt easily. If Hyundai could do anything to improve this car it would be to make the tilt telescopic steering wheel available on all trim levels, make the forward sliding right armrest standard and make the radio integrate with your cell phone and be bluetooth. All in all a great car for me. I recommend the Sonata to anyone wanting a very nice car at an incredible price. 
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Replying to: miamixt (Aug 28, 2006 7:45 am) |
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Replying to: mwrmwr (Sep 29, 2006 8:13 am) |
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I recently rented a 2007 Sonata SE, since I have been considering the purchase of a used 2006 or 2007 Sonata LX, Limited, or SE model. For those of you who haven't researched this car, the LX was the top-of-the-line model for 2006. The LX model name was changed to "Limited" for 2007, although the '06 LX and '07 Limited are identical cars (give or take a couple minor options/features). The 2007 SE model is basically a Limited with cloth interior and an average stereo. The SE is mechanically identical to the Limited; both models have the 3.3L V6 and 5-speed shiftronic automatic transmission. The SE and Limited models also share the same 17-inch alloy wheels and low-profile tires. During the time I had the car, I recorded everything I observed. The car I rented had about 23,800 miles on the odometer when I picked it up. After going through a full tank of gas (17.7 gallons), I had driven a total of 375.2 miles. This equates to 21.2 MPG average fuel economy. My driving was a mix of about 75% Highway and 25% City. I mapped out all my routes to determine what my driving mix had been. On the Highway, I averaged between 75 to 80 MPH. On average, I passed a vehicle on the freeway every 5 to 10 miles. About half of my passing manuevers were full-throttle, and the other half were moderate while staying in 5th gear during some. While I was driving in the city, the majority of my acceleration from stoplights/stopsigns was done at 3/4 to full-throttle, up to 40 or 50 MPH each time. I'd say that my driving style could be described as fairly agressive. I am a safe and considerate driver though - yes, I'm patting myself on the back becuase it seems I have to deal with the opposite every day here in Orange County, CA. I noticed the ride was a little rough over bumps, dips, and road imperfections. It wasn't to the point of being uncomfortable, though. This is a natural tradeoff for better handling, and the car handled GREAT. Most of the vehicles I've owned lately have been smaller cars, weighing between 2,500 to 3,000 pounds. My research shows the Sonata V6 models as weighing about 3,450 pounds, which makes it a pretty hefty car. I was worried the Sonata might not handle well, from experiences I had with larger cars in the past, but this was not the case with my rental Sonata SE. The steering feeling was perfect, with good road feedback and was not over-assisted like a lot of cars. When I took twisting rollercoaster type ramps and junctions, the car felt like it was glued to the road and had very little body roll. If I hadn't known any better, someone could've told me I was driving a compact car and I wouldn't have questioned it for a second. The car also had very strong acceleration, both off the line and passing. The quickest car I had driven was a 1996 Ford Thunderbird, which had a 4.6L SOHC V8. I had read reviews that my Thunderbird did 0 to 60 MPH in 7.5 to 7.7 seconds, which was pretty quick. The Sonata felt substantially faster than my old T-Bird, which leads me to believe the road tests claiming 0-60 in 6.6 to 6.8 seconds are accurate. After renting the Sonata SE, I love the car just as much as I suspected I would. I currently have a 2001 Accent with over 150,000 miles, and it is still running strong. As much of an unrefined and buzzy econobox as my Accent is, I will really miss my car because it has never let me down, even after all the countless times I've hit the rev-limiter on that little 4 cylinder engine. For anyone who doubts Hyundai vehicles, I highly recommend you test drive or rent one. |
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Replying to: autokritiker (Aug 11, 2007 11:53 pm)
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Replying to: autokritiker (Aug 11, 2007 11:53 pm) |
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Replying to: rhduke00 (Aug 12, 2007 3:41 am) What is the average fuel economy you are seeing with your car? I accelerated with the throttle wide open quite a bit, and I'm assuming the car will achieve much better fuel economy with more conservative driving. Although, I was pretty impressed to get 21+ MPG while driving so aggressively. I forgot to mention how great the transmission was on my rental car. It shifted very smoothly, and was very intelligent in the way it clutched and held gears during acceleration on level and uphill grades. There was a slight hesitation with some full-throttle downshifts, which was so minor that it wasn't an issue for me, and the transmission never felt like it was confused. Another thing I forgot to mention was the brakes. Very good stopping power, no noises or vibration during braking, and the pedal had a solid and confident feel.
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Replying to: autokritiker (Aug 12, 2007 10:52 pm) I average 23 MPG with a mixture of 70% interstate and 30% in town. When I'm on the interstate and in the right lane I try and maintain a steady speed of 70 MPH. However, when I'm passing and it's clear ahead, I accelerate to 80 or 85 so as to spend minimum time in the passing lane. I also don't mess around when the light is green nor do I coast to red lights or stop signs. Four months ago, when I drove 800 miles (95% interstate) to Virginia I averaged 28 MPG. |
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Replying to: autokritiker (Aug 11, 2007 11:53 pm) I have downsized from a 1995 Continental with the 4.6L DOHC 260hp V8. The Conti was pretty quick for a heavy 4000lb car and had measured 0 - 60 times in the low 7 seconds. My 2 month old 2007 Sonata Limited feels much faster and handles very well. Also fun to drive around curves. Uses regular gas vs premium in the Conti. I have surprised many folks at stop lights. Car & Driver measured time of about 6.6 secs for 0 - 60 is quite accurate. |
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