2006 Hyundai Sonata Review

Specifications

More Awards and Continued Bulletproof Reliability

How does the Sonata do it? Once again, Hyundais new 2006 variant has walked away with a major award. It important to note that rival midsize sedans win awards, such as the new Volkswagen Passat which took the 2006 “Gelber Engel” (”Yellow Angel”) “Best Family Car Trophy”, a victory that is possibly somewhat biased by its all-German ADAC automobile club membership, although the all-American online firm Autobytel.com gave it a 2006 Editors Choice Award. Still, no midsize model comes close to winning over as many major global awards as the new Sonata.

If youre interested in making a count of your own, make sure and check out some of the previous long-term updates. Not all updates feature a new award, but a number of them announce more than one. The Sonatas latest win came from the popular U.S. TV show MotorWeek, in which it named Hyundais new superstar Best Family Sedan in its 2006 “Drivers Choice Awards”, announced during a press conference at the Chicago International Auto Show.

A total of fifteen judges, made up of the writers, producers and crew of the weekly TV show, evaluated more than 150 cars, trucks and SUVs to arrive at their 12 winners, one for each vehicle segment. The vehicles were judged on performance, technology, practicality and dollar value, after subjecting them to road and track tests plus thorough competitive comparisons, as stated in a press release. According to that release, the Sonata came out on top by outperforming its main rivals, offering more safety features, greater comfort, more attractive styling and, last but hardly least, affordability.

“Hyundai is honored to take home this award from MotorWeek recognizing Sonata as the Best Family Sedan,” said John Krafcik, vice president of strategic planning and product development, Hyundai Motor America. “The Sonatas blend of advanced safety features, ergonomic interior design and impressive performance truly offer something that everyone in the family can appreciate.”

The automaker will also receive an original artist-commissioned trophy designed by Dennis Simon, known internationally for his automotive illustrations, but undoubtedly the award, not to mention the following quote by MotorWeeks host John Davis, would have been enough for Hyundai.

“The North American-made Hyundai Sonata is the first Korean-brand car to ever win our Best Family Sedan award, and did so with a tremendous value combination of roomy comfort, quality assembly and most of all safety,” said Davis. “Standard ABS, skid control and curtain airbags, simply outclassed the mighty Camry and Accord.”

MotorWeek will feature its Drivers Choice Award segment on a special episode to air on PBS beginning February 10 and on the SPEED Channel beginning February 13.

While it could hardly be considered a normal two week stint in the Sonatas lifespan if it hadnt won an award, we failed to mention one that it claimed way back in November. The New England Motor Press Association previously named the Sonata “Family Vehicle of the Year” at the New England International Auto Show in Boston, once again ahead of rivals such as Fords Fusion and Chevys new Impala. The Globe cited the Sonatas “excellent value, good fuel economy and segment-leading standard safety features, such as Electronic Stability Control (ESC), six airbags, and anti-whiplash head restraints” as key qualifiers cinching the decision.

And youd think that with such a great car on our hands it would get more attention, but alas, this last two weeks it has been largely ignored due to a variety of reasons. Firstly, it was only at the office for five days (of which there was a new fully-loaded Range Rover also parked in the driveway… guess which one got the nod more often than not). The remaining nine days the Sonata was in Alexandras capable hands, and from what I understand shes been putting in a lot more time working than driving - poor girl. And speaking of poor girl, Jennifer has spent the better part of the last week getting over surgery, so even if it was at the Hofmann home she certainly wouldnt have been driving it. Hence, we embarrassingly have to report the lowest recorded odometer increment in the six or so months weve had our long-term Sonata, a mere 104 miles, from 4,396 to 4,507 miles. I think a road trip is in order, if just to shake out the cobwebs.

Actually, the Sonata looks as good as it did when we first took delivery, and will (touch wood) be just as nice when we finally give the keys back. And now, for the abbreviated logs:

Odometer: 4,401 miles

Jennifer: How come life feels like one endless loop starting at the kids school, then back home for food, off to the recreation center for one of the kids programs, then to church for a young womens activity, oh yes, and finally off to the store to pick up something that I forgot to get for the evenings dinner, etc, etc, etc… before collapsing on the couch at home after the little souls drop off to sleep… does it ever end? And more often than not Im behind the steering wheel of a car. And when you think about that, something youre probably doing right now, as Im sure my existence isnt much different that the lives of many other moms (and dads for that matter), it might as well be a car worthy of spending your life in, right? After about six months in the Sonata, a car that I admittedly wasnt too excited about when Trevor first brought it home, Id have to say its one of those rare vehicles that make you feel spoiled, despite its low price.

Odometer: 4,424 miles

Trevor: Cant say that Ive had time to drive the Sonata much lately, so handing the keys off to Alexandra who will make better use of it and, once again offer her unique perspective. Jennifer has her surgery coming up and Ill be homebound after that for the better part of a week, or two.

Odometer: 4,432 miles

Alexandra: I love having a long-term tester around because it feels like the family car - family car meaning the company car. I change over vehicles so frequently that its nice to know theres some automotive stability in my life! Plus, its nice to get up close and personal with a midsize sedan, not really the type of car someone of my age normally gets to drive regularly. Its also nice to have the Sonata around for backup. With my hectic work life I frequently dont have time to swap cars around, so its good to know I can take the Sonata for a week or so and not have to worry about running around town on my half-hour lunch break picking up and dropping off vehicles.

To avoid Monday lunch-hour madness, I picked up the Range Rover my editor was testing and took it home in exchange for the Sonata which was conveniently parked there for easy shuttling. While it was a little hard to part from the flashy silver SUV, I was quite relieved to get back into the Sonata. As much as I like the bling-bling of the Rover, it was more of a pain-pain to operate. For one, the CD player was inconveniently placed in the way-too-far-away glove box. Secondly, the touch screen system that operates the stereo took my eyes off the road for a little longer than I was comfortable with. Mind you, if I had a little more time in the Range Rover I would have become more familiar with it. Maybe next time Ill get crash courses in operating the system from the get go and curb my learning curve (maybe “crash course” isnt the best descriptive for something that takes your eyes off of the road… Ed.). But still, when I sit in a car, I want to be able to find my way around right away, something I appreciate about the Sonata, and most Hyundais for that matter.

Odometer: 4,447 miles

Alexandra: OK, Ill admit it. Im still thinking about the Range Rover (gosh, it was so pretty and so burly too, and yes, Im foaming at the mouth!) Stepping back into reality… things were a little crazy because of some ideas my roommate Corrina and I came up with. Since the night was relatively early at around 5pm, and Corrina had mentioned her sister would be fire dancing, yes fire dancing at an Olympics kick-off festival in a local ski resort a mere hour and a half drive away - my eyes lit up and immediately I thought “ROAD TRIP!” I also thought, hey, the Sonata is great on gas, its ultra-comfortable and has enough power to get us there in a flash, plus it has seat warmers for the cooler mountain climate. What more could we ask for? Well, we had little to no details on when and where Corrinas sister would be fire dancing, so the plan was soon scratched. Instead, weve gone shopping. What are a couple of girls to do?! Were in Chinatown picking up a few goodies, including my favorite desserts… egg tarts. Next were going home to veg out on the couch with our desserts and popcorn. Ah, the perfect night. The Sonata, with its comfortable seats and luxurious features, made it all the better.

Odometer: 4,460 miles

Alexandra: Monday… Im up early and ready to head off to work. Ive recently been temping at an office which, as a side note, just won the Award for the best Stevedore for Eukor worldwide. I bring this up because its this company that discharges all of Hyundais (and Kias for that matter) Korean-made vehicles, which, of course, travel over the Pacific from South Korea by ship. Its a small world isnt it? Now back to the car… its still great despite being not being made in Asia - its built here in the U.S. Time to give it back to my editor though, cest la vie. Its entry-level compact car time again.

Odometer: 4,507 miles

Trevor: Ive been office-bound for days, working too hard and needing a break. Its nice to get into a familiar car and go for a drive, but what I really want is to keep driving and not look back for a week or two, not merely hop over to the store to buy groceries. On that thought, I had a Mercedes-Benz wagon cum crossover recently that was so, well, how do I say it nicely… unattractive that it stayed in the garage most of the week (other than the mandatory testing period any car gets, of course, and its nice to drive something I can feel proud to be seen in. Thats one of the intangibles that the Sonata offers. It looks so much better than its rivals that I never feel like I need to make an excuse for it, just in case someone thinks that its my car and not something Im testing. I mean, walking from the parking lot to the grocery store the other day, away from the M-B R500, and I noticed a 50-something woman staring at it with her jaw dropped. I sheepishly said, “Ugly isnt it?” And she broke out laughing and nodded her head, at which point I let her know I was only testing it out. Ive never had to do that with the Sonata, but on the contrary, have answered many questions from interested parties, positively nodding their heads up and down while they told me how much they liked it. While its important for a car to perform well, deliver reliable service and accommodate all occupants in comfort, among other things, if its owner cant be proud to be seen in it then its chances of a repeat sale are slim to none. My guess is the new Sonata will find a lot of repeat buyers in three to four years time.