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Sedans Hyundai Sonata 2009-2010 Hyundai Sonata
1003 messages, Last post on Nov 07, 2009 at 4:23 PM
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I just traded in a 2007 Santa Fe SE. The Santa Fe was an incredibly good vehicle and felt a lot more expensive than it was. It still amazed me everyday how quiet the vehicle was and how well it handled. I loved how expensive the interior looked and how great the vehicle looked on the outside. However, the gas mileage left much to be desired, and I was never happy with the fact that I did not purchase a Limited. I was considering adding leather myself and already added a DVD player (which was replaced by a second DVD player and it had stopped working). I also had to add an aftermarket MP3 jack that I added via a hardwired FM modulator. I realized that it was better to buy a vehicle from the dealer with all the features you wanted rather than to try to piecemeal it yourself and deal with all the hassles that came with someone adding something to your car. Everytime someone added something to my car they wound up breaking a screw cover, cap or something that had to be replaced at the dealer When I originally purchased my Santa Fe I was considering a 2007 Sonata Limited. However after I saw the interior of the Santa Fe and drove it I was sold on the Santa Fe. The interior on the Santa Fe was so much more luxurious and it had a firmer more European ride. The V6 also "jerked" a little when stepping on the gas from a complete stop...something my wife did not like. However, when the 2009 Sonata's came out I immediately noticed how they had fixed the issues I had with the Sonata's interior and it now looked like they had transferred the interior from the Veracruz into a sedan. I found myself looking at 2009 Sonata's whenever I saw one in the parking lot and peering into them to check out the interior. When I saw that you could also get a 4 cylinder Limited now I realized that with all the rebates, Hyundai Loyalty, and the gas savings from the 4 cylinder it was now practical for me to purchase a 4 cylinder Sonata Limited and get all the features I wanted...including NAV. So now I am a proud owner of a Silver Hyundai Sonata Limited 4 Cylinder with Navigation. I cannot believe how luxurious this car looks on the inside and well it compares to to not only the more expensive Camry and Accord but also the much more expensive Acura TL, Lexus ES, and others. For the first time in years I test drove the competition. I didn't even bother with the Camry or the Accord because they weren't going to offer enough to make trading in my Santa Fe reasonable. But I did test drive the 2009 Chevy Malibu and the 2010 Ford Fusion. The Malibu's interior did not look as good as it did in pictures and upon closer inspection flaws were evident. The cover to the center console looked like it was tacked on, and I was able to lift up the "cover" on the automatic transmission on the V6 LTZ I test drove. The car also drove a little heavy although the V6 with the paddle shifters was fun to drive. The 4 cylinder was so underpowered that I cut the test drive short. The 2010 Fusion had a much better interior than the Malibu. Although it wasn't as daring everything was better put together and it had a more Germanic appearance to it. I test drove the 4 cylinder and the 6 cylinder and I liked the 4 cylinder more. Although it wasn't as powerful it was noticeably lighter and handled better than the 6. I also loved the sync and I think it is better than anything else out there. I wanted the Navigation with sync. I really had my mind set on getting the Fusion...except they weren't offering incentives on the 2010 and I would have had to get a 2009. The dealer did not have a 2009 for me to test drive either. However....I was going to let the dealer bring one in for me to test drive...however I told my wife I wanted to test drive the Hyundai Sonata before I committed to the Fusion. I went to the local Hyundai dealer (Alexandria Hyundai), and my wife and I both test drove the 4 cylinder Sonata Limited. After driving the 4 cylinder I did not even bother to test drive the 6 cylinder. The only problem was the dealer did not have any 4 cylinder Sonata Limited's with NAV and a dark interior. I have two little kids and a dark interior was a must. The Santa Fe had light grey...and that is a recipe for trouble. I actually had to have the carpet replace after red punch got spilled in it. They had to drive in a car from another of their dealers. It was a cocoa metallic with cocoa interior. I really wanted a silver, but the cocoa metallic looked pretty good so I went with it. Well...on the day I was going to pick up the car the salesman called and told their had been a small accident while the car was being delivered and some small scratches about 2 inches square had been inflicted on the rear left portion of the bumper. However they still wanted me to come and get the car since it was only some minor scratches. Well, when I got their the minor scratches were actually gouges in the actual bumper. It was pretty small, and in an unobtrusive spot, but it was still gouge in a new car. I was willing to still take the car if they took some more money off of it (I was willing to take as little as 500.00 off. But they would not budge. I even looked at a Silver Limited with Dark Grey interior (no NAV) that they had on the lot but I realized that I really wanted the NAV. My wife was willing to take the damaged Limited with NAV, but unwilling to take a Limited without NAV. She said I should get the car with all the features I wanted so I would not regret it later like I had with the Santa Fe.I was unwilling to take the Cocoa Metallic Limited with NAV if they did not take more off the price. So...I left the dealer without the Cocoa Metallic Limited with the Cocoa interior. However...my wife and I decided we wanted to go to Fairfax Hyundai and see what they had in stock. It turned out they had a Silver Sonata With Cocoa interior on the lot. I arrived an hour before closing on Memorial Day and left with the exact vehicle I wanted with all the features I wanted. I also eventually wound up saving almost 15 dollars a monthly payment for the same exact term! Am I glad I listened to my wife and did not buy the Silver without NAV! I would have wound up with the same monthly payment driving a car that did not have every feature I wanted! I love the Navigation and it is just as good and as easy to use as the Garmin Nuvi I used in my Santa Fe. The Infinity Sound system is AWESOME, and has just enough bass and plenty of highs. The bass in my Santa FE SE was tolerable but it lacked high notes.....it also plays DVDs (although it only plays when the car is in park). Also, the 4 cylinder does not jerk like the 6 cylinder and takes off from a stop more smoothly...even when you step on it. Now...the bad...I have not noticed the suspension issues, but the 4 cylinder Sonata is not as quiet as my V6 Santa Fe. The V6 Santa Fe was the quietest vehicle I had e
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Replying to: sduff68 (Jun 06, 2009 6:57 pm)
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Replying to: backy (Jun 07, 2009 7:23 am) |
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i have a leased 06 sonata GL which i would like to turn in a month before lease end. at the same time, i would like to buy a new 09 sonata. should the dealer subtract the residual value of my leased vehicle from the price of the new vehicle? can i still qualify for the $3000 cash back incentive hyundai is offering? can i take advantage of the loyalty incentive even if i have only leased my 07 sonata? thanks so much!
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Replying to: jimmyc3 (Jun 11, 2009 8:53 am) You can get any rebates available to the general public on the new car. You should check with the dealer (finance person there) re the loyalty rebate question; it's very possible that if you are still leasing the car when you buy the new one, that will count for the loyalty rebate. So, do you have two Sonatas--a 2006 and a 2007?
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Replying to: backy (Jun 11, 2009 11:17 am) |
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I got to take a long (about 200 miles) drive in a nearly new (800 miles) 2009 Limited I4 with nav the other day, through the Texas Hill Country. I was a front seat passenger on the outbound leg and driver going home. It was a very pleasant drive. The A/C coped well with the 100 degree heat, the XM radio and audio system (tuned to my FIL's favorite station) sounded good, the transmission shifted smoothly going up and down the hills, and the car was very quiet except for a little occasional wind noise (it was a windy day) and tire thump over big tar strips. I noticed no suspension noise, although some of the roads we drove on were not in the best shape. We didn't use the nav as we knew the route. I got 32.5 mpg on the 100-mile return leg, measured by the computer. My FIL said the best he or his wife had gotten on the car was 28 mpg, also measured by the computer. I drove with a light foot and stayed pretty close to the speed limits, which were 55-70 most of the time except when going through towns.
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I am looking at the gls, must have dark interior. about the option, I think it's called accessory package 1, with the power seats and woograin interior. Any thoughts if it's worth it? Also, I think I read somewhere that the woodgrain only comes if you get the camel interior, not the dark. Is that true? Third, does the sonata have daytime running lights? Thanks very much for your help!
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Replying to: hum3 (Jun 25, 2009 1:16 pm) The Sonata sold in the USA does not have DRLs. You can simulate them by turning on the headlights and leaving them on. They go off automatically when you remove the key. Personally I think the silvery trim on the base GLS looks fine with the grey interior, but the woodgrain looks better with the camel interior (which you don't want anyway). The package also has a trip computer, which I find useful but not essential. |
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