2006 Hyundai Sonata Review

Specifications

Yet More Awards for Our Long-Term Sonata

Ever
heard of the Kiplinger Awards? Its offered by a prestigious New York
personal finance magazine that goes by the same name, and due to the
publications focus on optimizing value winning one is a major coup for Hyundai.
The
new Sonata that we revere on a bi-weekly basis earned “Best in Class”
and “Best New Car” categories from Kiplingers, now published in the
December 2005 issue. The magazines senior editor Mark K. Solheim was
extremely positive in his remarks.

“It has classy good looks
and is surprisingly refined. It also has the most standard safety
features in its category,” said Solheim.

And in case you were
wondering, Kiplingers test didnt just pick through a smaller group of
all-new models, but rather focused on all vehicles in the midsize
category, including Toyotas Camry, Hondas recently updated Accord,
Nissans Altima, and the all-new Ford Fusion. Altogether, 45 new models
went up for the awards.

“Walking off with both trophies,
pitted against some tough new competition in the mid-size car segment,
says we hit a home run and touched all the bases, including safety,
performance, value and fuel efficiency,” commented a spokesperson from Hyundai.  “This recognition from
Kiplingers will help consumers make the right midsize car choice.”

Continuing on the trophy front, and this time north of the border, the Sonata also managed to
garner this years Natural Resources Canada EnerGuide Award for large
cars. As the name implies, this honor goes to the Sonata due to its
fuel-efficiency among full-size cars, thanks to a base four-cylinder
engine. No other large car offers a four-cylinder engine in base trim -
the Camry and Accord are considered midsize cars - so the award, given
to the Sonata GL four-cylinder, is a natural fit.

“We are
delighted to be receiving Natural Resources Canadas 2006 EnerGuide
Award for fuel-efficiency ,” said Steve Kelleher, Hyundai Auto Canadas
President and C.E.O.  “Thanks to advanced Hyundai engineering and
technology, obtaining optimum fuel efficiency doesnt mean sacrificing
interior spaciousness or power by purchasing a smaller vehicle. While
being extremely fuel-efficient, the 2006 Sonata GL also develops 162
horsepower and offers the most spacious interior in its class.”

Kelleher
has a point, in that the fuel efficient four-cylinder Sonata is still
enjoyable to drive while delivering a fuel consumption rating of
25 mpg in the city and 37 mpg on the highway.

“Although
we have made fuel-efficiency a priority, the 2006 Hyundai Sonata
over-delivers by combining unsurpassed fuel consumption with
top-of-the-line performance, comfort, reliability, quality and safety,”
added Hyundai Auto Canadas Director of Marketing, Peter Renz.

How
do those marketing guys always manage to summarize a cars key selling
points in one simple sentence? Just the same, weve experienced decent
fuel economy from the V6 as well, and theres no way wed be willing to
sacrifice all that forward thrust to save a few pennies at the pump
(irate environmentalists please write to
editor@supporttexaseconomy.com).

OK, were just having a little fun. Hybrids are welcome in these pages too, as regular readers are no doubt aware.

And before the hole gets any deeper, here are the latest test logs:

Odometer: 3,162 miles

Trevor:
Phoned Hyundai and the Sonata isnt due for its first checkup for a few more miles are passed. Stay tuned for some words on our dealer experience. Jennifer, do you
want to take it in?

Odometer: 3,163miles

Jennifer: Not likely.

Odometer: 3,195 miles

Trevor:
Why wont something break on this car so that I have something
interesting to write about? Im sure thats not a common wish among
Sonata owners, but they might as well settle into a rather uneventful
ownership experience, at least as far as problems. I had a Lexus
recently, and the seatbelt got jammed. The first time I was able to
fiddle with it and something dislodged, making it operable again. The
last time there was no way it was coming undone, so it remained parked
and the Sonata got all of our seat time. Is this why the Hyundai
finally beat out Lexus for Consumer Reports most reliable pick with
last years Sonata? Dont get me wrong. Ive never had a problem with a
Lexus before, and doubt I will for sometime in the distant future.

Odometer: 3,239 miles

Trevor:
I had a Mercedes C280 this week, and despite its fancy seven-speed
automatic transmission the Sonata kills it in acceleration tests. I
wont go so far to say by how much, as it would be the last Mercedes
Id get in a long time, but suffice to say that the Sonatas throttle
response is what makes the initial difference. My guess is that Hyundai
is being very conservative in the engines 235-horsepower rating. It
feels a lot faster than the numbers suggest.

Odometer: 3,269 miles

Alexandra:
Yeah, Trevor is right. This car hauls. I was driving the new H3 this
week and, well, the word week, spelt “weak” comes to mind. I didnt
test them side-by-side, but as cool as the Hummer looks its a
slow-poke in comparison to the Sonata. But the H3 has better heated
seats, which might be even more important to me. Actually, most cars
offer multi-level heated seats, when any are offered, making the
Sonatas one-way on-off seats a bit on the plebian side. Theyre also a
little slow to heat up, but in this regard theyre quicker than that
Lexus Trevor was talking about. These took forever to get warm.

Odometer: 3,293 miles

Trevor:
“The weather outside is frightful…” yes, that means snow, and lots of
it for this part of the world. That also means cold weather testing the
Sonata GLS V6, a model that I might remind you doesnt come with
traction or stability control! No worries, as long as youre light on
the throttle and keep sideward movement to a minimum - i.e. smooth-on,
smooth-off. The Sonata, with its stock all-season tires, grips the snow
without too much slip-sliding away (whats with the lame song
references anyway), and doesnt seem to get out of shape when pulling
away. The car reminds me of days gone by when electronic driver aids
were just figments in automotive engineers imaginations. I learned how
to drive my old V8-powered rear-wheel drive cars in the snow without
problem, so something as well-balanced as the Sonata is a breeze.
Still, traction control would have made it just that much easier, and
stability control would make it possible to drive without thinking, and
that is, after all, the objective, right? OK, silliness aside, those
not quite as comfortable negotiating the white stuff might want to buck
up for the more expensive but still reasonably priced Sonata GLS V6
with the Premium package. Standard braking is ABS-equipped, mind you,
making controlled stops in the snow reasonably safe. I say reasonably
because, even with a top-tier ABS system if theres no traction between
the tires and the road surface the car will not react to input in a
predictable manner.

Odometer: 3,333 miles

Jennifer:
Ive got no problem with the Sonata in the snow. Just put it in drive
and go. Like Trevor said, youve got to make a few adjustments to
compensate for lost grip, but as long as youre careful it moves along
without concern. And theres also the benefit of a smoother ride
(thanks to the soft snow) and reduced interior noise (less tire noise
and added roof insulation when a few inches of the white stuff is stuck
on-top).

Odometer: 3,341 miles

Trevor:
Had to get downtown to the bus station to pick up my daughter and chose
the Sonata over the Mercedes because it is so much quicker and easier
to drive fast. Whats wrong with this sentence? Well, its true. Got to
the station on time (which is a bit of a miracle unto itself) and was
able to drive home at a more leisurely pace.

Odometer: 3,365 miles

Trevor:
Thats horrible. Someone keyed the rear passenger-side door. Ive seen
worse scratches, but why deface a Hyundai Sonata? Does this car look
rich enough to tick off the have-nots? I guess so. I suppose Hyundai
should take this as a compliment. My guess is that a Rio or Spectra
wouldnt get the key treatment. Still, its ruined the beautiful blue
paint job, and now requires me to take it into the dealer to have the
scratch fixed. If the perp is out there reading this (which I highly
doubt because a person who is stupid enough to key a car most likely
cant read)… youre a jerk!

Odometer: 3,424 miles

Jennifer:
Was testing a car today that didnt have heated seats, and I dont care
what anyone else says about the deficiencies of the Sonatas bun
warmers, theyre better than having none at all.

Odometer: 3,456 miles

Trevor:
Ive spoken ad nauseam about the Sonatas quick off-the-line
acceleration, but thats not the cars most impressive power-related
attribute. I was passing a highway truck on a two-lane highway today
and its 50+ mph acceleration was absolutely shocking. Again, I dont
believe Hyundais horsepower specs are accurate, or maybe its
competitors are bending the rules a bit in their favor. This thing is
fast.

Odometer: 3,494 miles

Trevor:
Wow, weve been driving a lot more during this two-week period… oops,
two and half week period. All too often the Sonata has become our
default transportation because it fits in the two car seats with room
left over for our twelve-year old in the middle, its trunk is large
enough to hall the stroller, groceries and all the stuff we picked up
at the mall, its comfortable and still is pretty fun to drive.