Hyundai 2006 Sonata: Moving Upscale

Cheeky is the best way to describe the pricing of the newly designed Hyundai Sonata, as its business model appears to be one that involves slowly maneuvering from the compact sedan class into the large car race by advocating content, warranty, room, safety equipment, and anonymity to gain a foothold. This having been accomplished to some extent, the Korean company has raised the pricing bar in hopes of becoming more than a low cost leader in light of the anticipated invasion of the Chinese manufactured cars. It just might work based on what we found, but Hyundai must first do something about its leisurely handling if it is going to appeal to those who want less roll when they’re rocking.

Call it a Lexification move, the Sonata has little road feel, is fairly quiet, offers good acceleration- far above what is advertised, and has taken styling clues from everyone, including Honda’s droopy drawer rear look. It is definitely going to appeal to those who seeking the middle of the road and that is a good thing because the way this Sonata handles that just might be the best place to drive it.

The steering is over boosted, the shock return rates are leisurely, and the brakes work fine at first, but in emergency situations are just adequate. None of these should dissuade a buyer who takes a ten minute test drive on smooth roads and is more interested in the bottom line than the apex of a curve.

Priced between $18,000 and $22,000 (US), the Sonata is priced within ten percent of the major competitors even though it offers more features as standard. Even the two engines selections are remarkable similar to the competition with the Sonata offering a four cylinder that produces 162 horsepower versus 160 for the Accord and Camry, and a V6 with 235 horsepower, which is 25 more than the Toyota and 5 less than the Accord. The engines are quite peppy and unless you crave attention from the police, the four cylinder is quite sufficient for most driving. You get a five speed automatic with the V6 and it is fairly good, only showing a little reluctance on hills and demanding situations when it hesitates a bit too long. Fortunately, the powerful engines quickly make up for this hick-up with their acceleration. In fact, believe it or not, when you demand attention from the V6 you can actually feel a tad of torque steer from the Sonata. We would strongly suggest that you drive a Sonata with both engines before making up your mind.

For 2006 the Sonata is longer and roomier with more leg space, cargo capacity and height than the previous model. It is interesting to note that the new Santa Fe SUV is going to be based on this Sonata chassis as it moves upstream to get away from its terrific brother, the Tucson. Yes, Hyundai has two of the better SUVs you can own for normal driving, but as with the Sonata, watch price creep, as this is no longer the price leader it once was.

Safetywise the Sonata is loaded. You get standard traction and stability control, antilock 4-wheel disc brakes, front side airbags, and head-protecting curtain side airbags on every model which is about as good as it now gets in this price range. For a few dollars more you can get the loaded LX and acquire 17-inch alloy rims, leather, power everything, and all models come with a 5-year/60,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty and a 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty. Despite all these standard features, Hyundai is not really prepared to be a leader in the technology field as they still do not have many of the options the other makes offer in the price range such as satellite radio, a sophisticated driver’s information center, GPS, or even a hybrid.

Mom’s view: A totally Stepford vehicle. It blends in nicely, never raises a hand to its occupants, and is content with its lot in life. Outside of its peppy engine, figure on getting to 62 mph in under eight seconds on unleaded fuel and still getting about 23 mpg in mixed driving, this car has just one major irritant. The tires. They slap the pavement, create undue road noise, and squeal to passersby when you decide to exercise the engine’s capabilities. I would upgrade these tires and settle in to owning a car that is the best Hyundai sedan to date. The tires hold well in cornering, though, but the suspension does not match up well to their grip and you feel the Sonata quickly start to lean. The razor sharp steering inputs at speed mean that corrections must be made carefully. I wasn’t happy with the Sonata’s emergency maneuvering ability. Add to that is the way Hyundai has made the accelerator pedal quite sensitive to input and you have a car that is ready to romp in an instant, but can easily be thrown off stride but a heavy footed driver when cornering. This is not a problem is normal driving, but you might want to test drive it yourself over some sharp turns to get the feel of it. Personally, for the same money, I would go with the front wheel drive Tucson or for less money and room, the Elantra GT.

The Sonata has a nicer interior than the Honda Accord and its gauges are easily readable in all lighting situations. The seats aren’t bad, and there is enough storage room to make you happy even if you have active children and a purse. The glove box is more than adequate and the Sonata has a small center armrest console with two compartments.

I found the seating position above average as it gives you an excellent view of the road and the tilt and telescoping steering wheel made it easy for a shorter driver to get comfortable. Visibility to all sides is fine, but the rear deck is a tad high so judging your distance when backing up is an acquired ability since this is a longer vehicle than the previous model Sonata.

Another factor that made it pleasurable to drive was the wide door opening so that you didn’t catch your high heels. You could also reach most of the controls without having to stretch too far. Unfortunately, the large trunk does not have a large trunk opening. Which is too bad because Hyundai has even gone to the trouble of engineering the hinges so they don’t hit your luggage.

What I can’t figure out is what to compare the Sonata with? It is classified by the EPA as a large vehicle such as the Chevrolet Impala and Ford 500 and it matches up with those two in power and room, but it just does not feel like them. For whatever reason, I can’t help but compare it to the Camry, Accord, and Altima. Regardless of my hidebound attitude, I doubt people are going to cross shop any of those models. I think that people are going to buy the Sonata because of its warranty and bottom line and the few extra cubic feet of room aren’t going to make any difference. They understand resale isn’t going to be up to the competitions, but they’re in it for the long haul. For resale check http://www.nada.com

Dad’s view: Strange brew, this Sonata with the V6. It has an interior that rivals its bigger brother the XG 350, a look that is best described as Hondaish, and a ride that show it is definitely related to its big brother. Complaint over smooth, roads, when imperfections mar its path it is best to turn up the stereo because the tire noise is uncomfortable. We had the optional
17-inch tires and so we recommend you try it with small tires just in case it becomes annoying, although you aren’t going to get the handing the larger units impart. It isn’t an agile vehicle, but compared to previous Sonatas and the XG 350 it is almost sporty. The steering is speed sensitive to a fault, and designed more for cruising than bruising, and the car is quite easy to park.

What Hyundai has done is become a safety leader as they provide every buyer with standard front side-impact and two-row side-curtain airbags, ABS, electronic stability control, traction control, and active headrests. If they can do that and make a profit why can’t the others?

Hyundai’s Sonata is friskier than the Camry and more has more usable room than the Accord. It can’t handle as well as the Honda, but it is just as fast if not faster. Figure getting to 62 mph in about eight seconds. The reason is the 3.3-liter aluminum alloy engine has dual overhead cams, 24 values with continuously variable timing that creates 237 horsepower at 6000 rpm for the front wheels and the 5-speed automatic with Shiftronic to distribute. With the 17.7-gallon tank you can figure getting close to 400 miles before considering refueling.

The weak spot is the chassis where the fully independent suspension, with double wishbones in front and a multilink rear setup, is too much of a compromise for an engine with such potential. The damping is satisfactory, but the rebound rate is very relaxed. This makes it a fine highway cruiser or when roads are rough, but when dealt a hand with a variety of surfaces and upkeep standards it wallows enough to remind you that Hyundai is going for the softer side of driving.

I want to make a strong case for the four-cylinder engine. The 2.4-liter is much stronger than the previous entry-level version and the 162 horsepower and 164 foot-pounds of torque are very spirited. You can get a five-speed manual and when you order this combination your fuel mileage is dramatically better than the six with 26 and 28 miles per gallon a regular occurrence. If you go with this combination, though, you are actually going to spend more for the Hyundai than the entry level Accord with the same transmission and equally adept engine. It is only when you get to the well loaded Sonatas that you get the larger price break.

Working woman’s view: J.D. Power has proclaimed the Hyundai Sonata as superior in initial quality and awarded it the "Most Appealing Midsize Car" two last two years. I doubt that this year is going to be any different. Outside of a glitch with a power window that could not be repeated, the car was solid, well outfitted, and looked quite rakish. If you would tell someone this was a Honda or Toyota or Nissan they wouldn’t know the difference. Sure, it does not ride with the authority of a Mazda or have the quiet nature of a Toyota or Honda’s refined engine, but it still is a worthy of consideration.
You immediately notice that there is plenty of room inside and that includes a 16.3 cu. ft. trunk, although it has a high liftover, and nice wide doors for easy entry. The turning radius is a tight small 35.8 ft. so you have all the ingredients here that should appeal to those who are not prejudice against a good deal. Sometimes, no matter how good the car, people just don’t like saying that they own one.

Unemployed working male’s view: I am selling electronics on Ebay, selling my rap CD, and trying to get back into school and so when the Hyundai showed up my question was why are we testing this? I mean we have a Mercedes waiting and the Lexus hybrid was great, but a Hyundai. Well, I was wrong. This is a sweet, not unattractive, companion that just might be worth a second date. There is plenty of room for whatnot and the rear seats fold down in a 60/40 split to lug larger loads. I sort of liked its looks, but too frilly on the road and lacks the distinguished looks that appeal to the unemployed. Check out my songs at http://www.simple-thoughts.net

Family conference: The Sonata is the best Hyundai sedan yet. We like the Tucson better and it is priced similarly, but the V6 engine is way too much fun to pass by. Our recommendation is to carefully assess your needs and objectively see if this mid-sized sedan has what you need. If price, warranty, safety features, and interior room are on the list the Sonata is a must drive. If you have a fear of being different or are stuck in a Japanese car rut, have fun but don’t challenge the dual exhaust Sonata to any straight-line displays. Curves are another matter.
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Written by the Car Family