2006 Hyundai Sonata Review

Specifications

Midsize Car of the Year!

A great deal has happened in the life of Hyundais Sonata within the last two weeks. First, the Sonatas GLS V6 was chosen above every all-new competitive four-door for the winner of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canadas (AJAC) “Family Sedan Under $35K” (CAD which is about $30K USD) category, which means that it was up against the new Chevrolet Impala, Ford Fusion, VW Jetta and VW Passat - incredibly stiff competition. The Toyota Camry and Honda Accord, among others, were not entered because they either were not new enough for 2006 (this years Accord only features a mild facelift and a much needed rear-end redesign) or Honda didnt have a car ready in time for the November event.

While this is a Canadian COTY (Car of the Year) award, it is still relevant being that the cars tested are more or less the same as those available in the U.S. - except for trim level details. The AJAC COTY is also especially thorough in its testing process, involving side-by-side street and track testing and individual and group ratings, unlike the majority of U.S. COTYs.

The Sonata bested all four newcomers when it came to exterior styling, interior styling, quality (which seems like a pretty ambiguous category - perceived quality; expected reliability, what do they mean?), driver position and ergonomics, passenger comfort and access, noise vibration and harshness (HVH) levels, engine smoothness and refinement, transmission/drivetrain, ride comfort, fuel economy (where it is tied with the Fusion at a combined rating of 25 mpg for last place - go figure), and safety features.

It tied the Impala in first place for interior volume, although it offers slightly more, tied the Passat for visibility, tied the same 280-horsepower Passat 3.6 V6 for acceleration (told you it was fast - and the Sonata passed the 60 mph mark in only 7.7 seconds compared to the Passats 8.1 but lost out from 50 mph to 70 where the Passat posted a 6.0 second time and the Sonata took 6.4 seconds), plus tied once again for first place with the Passat for overall handling.

Where did it lose out? It failed to carry more cargo in its trunk than the Impala, but only marginally, and the Passat and Fusion beat it in throttle response, but the difference was hair-like thin. The same German car also took the steering category, but once again the Sonata came in second (and remember that the two cars tied for first when it came to overall handling), while the Sonata came in third overall for braking feel and effectiveness, and again, other than the Impala, the differences between the top four cars was minor.

Being that the braking category is so critical, stopping distances were also measured (which I would have though would be classified under braking effectiveness), showing the Sonata tied for second place with the Fusion, although there was a tie for first between the two VWs. To be specific, as this is such an important segment, the Sonata actually came in at a close third, with the Jetta managing to haul itself down to standstill from 100 km/h (62 mph) in only 123.06 feet, the Passat in 123.79 feet, the Sonata in 126.34 feet, the Fusion in 128.67 feet and the Impala in a ruddy awful 156.10 feet - fleet managers who want to hang onto their employees take note. The Sonata also lost out in cargo convenience, with only the Jetta faring worse (see log notes for this one).

All cars tied for environmental responsibility, which could mean that fuel economy was not taken into consideration (as once again the Sonata was picked highest while faring worst alongside the Fusion), that emissions ended up being exactly the same for all vehicles in the test, or possibly that the Sonata is more recyclable than its peers - they didnt say.

Its worth your while to go check out the information first hand at www.ajac.ca, because theres a great deal more to read and many more categories listed. Speaking on the latter, Hyundai took home top honors for the “Family Car Above $35K CAD” category with its new Azera, an even more impressive feat considering the seven competitive models it was up against. It would have had no problem beating the compact Audi A3 in passenger volume, but the rest of the competitors posed a more equal fight (by the way, the manufacturers choose which categories to enter their cars into). Other than the A3, the Azera was up against the Audi A4 Avant, BMW 3 Series Touring, Buick Lucerne (one of three direct competitors to the Azera), Dodge Charger RT (the second of three), Saab 9-3 SportCombi and Toyota Avalon (the third of three). To beat the Buick at its own game (see Trevor Hofmanns Azera Road Test in the new vehicle review archives under Hyundai, where he stated, “The Azera would be the best Buick ever made… upping the handling equation and smoothing out even more dips and bumps;” is one thing, but to top the Toyota is a feat Hyundai should be truly proud of. Again, check out the AJAC web site to get more detailed info.

So, other than the above-mentioned awards, we took the Sonata in for its 4,000 mile service this week (a bit early at 3,565 miles), plus to remove the scratch caused by the twit with a key - mentioned a couple of weeks ago. That means we didnt put a heck of a lot of miles on it, having left off at 3,494 miles at the end of the last submission. Weve taken a fully-loaded replacement for the few days our long-term car is in the body shop, in order to test out some of the features that fill in the blank buttons on our dash, etc. Well cover this info in the next update, so for now read the logs to get a full account of the last two weeks with our Sonata GLS V6:

Odometer: 3,524 miles

Trevor: The AJAC results have confirmed my Sonata GLS V6 judgments, and like those who tested and scored the car so highly, I was also impressed with the Fusion and Passat, and somewhat under-whelmed with the Impala. I would have given the Fusion and Passat higher marks for interior design, however, but as far as fit and finish the two rivals arent any better than the Sonata. From a standpoint of where the Korean car didnt manage to squeak into first place, such as trunk volume, throttle response, steering (were they talking about feel, response, or both?), braking feel and effectiveness, stopping distances, in most cases I find it better than the majority of competitors. As for cargo convenience, it must have scored lower than average in this category because the trunk doesnt automatically pop open when the remote is triggered (something that makes its remote only partly useful). Thats the only reason I can figure into the equation, unless interior cubbies and cupholders come into play, and I find the Sonata lacking little in this regard.

Odometer: 3,539 miles

Jennifer: The Sonata is a simple car. I like simple things. So ask me, why do I subject myself to the mind-numbing exercise of figuring out the company books every week? Somehow I got suckered into that one, only because if Trevor did it (or more accurately didnt do it) hed run us into bankruptcy. So, when I get behind the wheel of the Sonata, after testing everything from Audis, BMWs, Mercedes-Benzes, Porsches, and yes, even Volkswagens, the Sonatas straightforward controls and resulting ease of operation is a delight. Yes, a few more features would be appreciated, but Ive been over that before.

Odometer: 3,555 miles

Trevor: Its been snowy and icy lately, which has made me wish our long-term Sonata featured the upgrade to traction and stability control. I just booked one that has such features, as well as auto climate control, adjustable foot pedals, an automatic rearview mirror, and more, so Ill report on that next week. Ill be picking it up when I take our long-term Sonata in for its regularly scheduled maintenance in a couple of days.