CD Article: 2006 Hyundai Sonata GL 4-cylinder

[CD_Editor]

You may discuss our cover story of the day in this thread....
Test Drive:

While the new V6-powered 2006 Hyundai Sonata is getting much of the media's attention, the base 4-cylinder Sonata is worth a look, says Editor Greg Wilson. Its standard 2.4 litre 4-cylinder engine "is responsive, smooth, and quiet" and its fuel consumption "is slightly better than Camry, Accord, Altima, and Mazda6," he reports. "Perhaps its strongest feature is its price," he says.  The 2006 Sonata GL starts at $21,900.
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[Shnak]

10.1s for the 0 to 100kph seems to be pretty quick considering the Quebec show RPM tested it, also 4-cyl automatic and the best they got was 11.7s or something like that...

And the Sonata 4-cylinder achieving better fuel economy than the Accord or Camry? I'll believe it when I see real world numbers, not some PR crap that Hyundai shoves out and car "critics" gobble up like they're facts. Oh, and the guy on the RPM show did a direct comparison between the Sonata and Accord, both with 4 cylinders, and he said that the Honda engine is a lot smoother and quieter than the Hyundai engine... it was easy to hear the engine noise difference under full throttle...

Engines are still not a strong point of Hyundai... and the whole dash is way too bland and full of cheap plastics. I honestly don't see why most people acclaim Hyundai for the interior of the new Sonata... I think it's terrible! I could live with it, sure... it does nothing wrong per say... but it's just so damn bland and it looks and feels cheap! Its interior is about the quality of what you'd expect on an econobox. And the way they priced the Sonata, I guess they consider it an econobox... so poor interior quality is about what you'd expect I guess...

Like most Hyundais, the Sonata remains good value, but price it like its competitors and it doesn't seem like that good of value anymore...

I like its exterior styling though... I think it looks classy, balanced, nice profile from the side, a little bland, but it's one of the best looking bigger sedans out there IMO. They copied just about everything from the Honda Accord in terms of engine specs, brakes, suspension, etc., but they should have also copied the Honda Accord's interior and bring it into the Sonata.

[wing]

Cheery this morning shnak?

I don't think anyone praises the Sonata's interior they praise it's size it is spacious, I agree it is completely bland though.

[Shnak]

Cheery this morning shnak?

I don't think anyone praises the Sonata's interior they praise it's size it is spacious, I agree it is completely bland though.

Hey I don't like reading reviews when it's obvious the reviewer was bought by the car makers... I don't remember the last CD review were the reviewer told it like it really was... problems or weak points are always sugar coated, or not said at all... CD reviews are mostly advertising brochures... you won't find new insights on vehicles in those reviews... just some generic yada yada yada that you could swear was written by a PR guy from the car maker.

[johngenx]

The Subie dealer is joined with a Hyundai dealer, so I wnet and had a gander at the new Sonata.  Amazing!

As to the interior, this car costs thousands, not hundreds, less than an Accord.  It would have to show somwhere.

[wing]

Cheery this morning shnak?

I don't think anyone praises the Sonata's interior they praise it's size it is spacious, I agree it is completely bland though.

Hey I don't like reading reviews when it's obvious the reviewer was bought by the car makers... I don't remember the last CD review were the reviewer told it like it really was... problems or weak points are always sugar coated, or not said at all... CD reviews are mostly advertising brochures... you won't find new insights on vehicles in those reviews... just some generic yada yada yada that you could swear was written by a PR guy from the car maker.

Actually CD reviews aren't paid by the advertisers.

[AVToller]

Actually CD reviews aren't paid by the advertisers.

I don't think anyone said they were. The suggestion seemed more like if the reviews are too negative (honest) the relevant company may reduce or eliminate their advertizing in CD. BTW, I too find CD reviews to be all but useless as they seem to follows my mother's dictum "If you can't say something nice, make something up." 

[Shnak]

Cheery this morning shnak?

I don't think anyone praises the Sonata's interior they praise it's size it is spacious, I agree it is completely bland though.

Hey I don't like reading reviews when it's obvious the reviewer was bought by the car makers... I don't remember the last CD review were the reviewer told it like it really was... problems or weak points are always sugar coated, or not said at all... CD reviews are mostly advertising brochures... you won't find new insights on vehicles in those reviews... just some generic yada yada yada that you could swear was written by a PR guy from the car maker.

Actually CD reviews aren't paid by the advertisers.

Well they SHOULD pay you... CD is missing out on some major money and they wouldn't have to change a thing on their current style of writing reviews! 

OK ok I'm going too far... CD isn't THAT bad... but it really would be nice to know exactly what the reviewers think instead of just keeping their comments generic and without too much details. Maybe there should be a Likes/Dislikes section at the bottom so that at least, we know what the reviewer liked or disliked about the car.

[a4_tom]

I am surprise he didn't mentioned about the velour seats that feel so damn 70s, as in both Sonata and Tucson, in the review.

[smainville]

HF, and Las is all over me like a dirty shirt because I said that I preferred the looks of the previous one, and we don't see them on the road.  I have to agree with the cheap plastics shnak, what's with those door handles? eeesh! I have to agree with the way these columns are written, I took a peek at the 02 Altima review which did not have a great interior and yet there was no mention.
http://www.canadiandriver.com/testdrives/02altima.htm

[wing]

You gotta read between the lines

[AVToller]

You gotta read between the lines

My eyes aren't good enough any more to read print THAT small!!! 

[random006]

It's obvious that this review has touched a nerve amongst some regulars here.  Here's a suggestion:  perhaps if people took a look at how other reviews are being done by independents then maybe some of the better ideas can be copied.

Here is a link to a digital camera review site I used before buying my camera.  It was one of several that I used but it seemed the most balanced and comprehensible of the lot.  And yes, it has a "likes and dislikes" section at the bottom where the reviewer sums up all those pesky details:

---->  http://www.dcresource.com/

[Giant Dwarf]

Well, my parents have had their '06 Sonata 4cyl. GL (with 'Convenience pkg' I believe) for about 6 months now.  It has been flawless for them so far. 

This past weekend, I had an opportunity to take it for about a 40 minute drive down a two-lane highway -- not the most comprehensive of test drive scenarios, but it certainly helped point out the Sonata's shining stars.

First of all, this car is quiet!  Really quiet!  At highway speeds it's so smooth, solid and serene it really reinforces the question of why someone would pay thousands of dollars more for a current generation Accord 4cyl. 

The seats are reasonably comfortable; the stereo worked well enough (love the standard MP3 player in it) and all the controls felt solid and worked as they should.  The car even got up and scooted along quickly enough to safely pass slower traffic on the two-lane road (even with the 'lowly' though very efficient 4-banger).

The back seat and trunk are both really spacious and while nobody will mistaken the handling of the Sonata for a 3-series BMW or even a Mazda6, it carries itself well enough along the curves to hang with Accords and Camry's I'd wager -- and those two should be considered the Sonata's most direct competitors. 

I even like the styling.  It's clean and understated and while it certainly borrowed from the Accord's design, it seems to have been done right where the Accord (previously) went wrong (like the droopy-drawers rear end). 

Really, if someone is looking for a solid, comfortable and practical mid-size sedan, I can't imagine why they wouldn't consider a new Sonata.  To me, it seems every bit as good as a new Accord, but for thousands less.

[jww]

 

I am with the Dwarf on this one. Our 06 GLS Premium is miles better than our 02 Altima ever was. It's get plenty of get-up-and-go, plenty of room, plenty of features. And yes, I even like the styling - understated, imo. I rather like the interior myself. At first the two tone dash and panels seemed odd to me, but that was only during the first test drive. After another run, I was quite comfortable with it.

One thing that is excellent is the lack of glare on the windscreen from the dash. Our Altima was the worst at this - yes, even worse than any mini-van we drove.

[Snowman]

My Boss, who drives a Honda Civic, always rents a Sonata when he goes to Toronto for meetings. He says it will be his next car.

[Giant Dwarf]

My Boss, who drives a Honda Civic, always rents a Sonata when he goes to Toronto for meetings. He says it will be his next car.

And for the same price as a slightly tarted up Civic to boot!

[stodge]

I drove both the V6 and I4 Sonatas this year. I still don't understand why they used a 4 speed auto in the I4 but I digress.

The V6 had the manual seat, and it was very uncomfortable. I couldn't get it at the right settings. The I4 has poke but I managed to confuse the transmission on a couple of occasions under hard acceleration.

I don't like the tinny sounding doors when you close them - I don't know why, and perhaps I'm being unfair.

I'm no longer keen on the dash - I find it too inconsistent and too busy. I guess it's all functional but I'm fussy about design. I was disappointed that the Sonata's arm rest is too short - this seems a common thing in their cars. It may not bother other people but my wife and I both like to use the arm rest.

I quite like the styling - it's conservative but clean and tasteful. I liked the room inside and the trunk space. But at the time I didn't want a 4 speed and I couldn't afford the V6.

[jww]

Well - for the first time in my life I have really appreciated all the safety kit in my Sonata. We have the GLS premium with all the kit, including ESC. Coming home from the office, the roads were a bit greasy from some ever-so light rain. I was cruising just over 50 km/hr down the main road to the turn off to our street, when all of a sudden, a lady in a Windstar stares at me and drives right into the middle of the intersection through a red light. I the swerved while hitting horn, brakes, then gas, and not only was able to avoid getting hit, but did it with very little fuss. The car simply did everything for me. I was mightily impressed. It made it worth spending the paultry $1400 on the premium trim to get the ESC after this experience.

ESC may be a disliked feature by many, but I am telling you I was sure glad I had it today. Our next car has gotta have it as well.

[Rupert]

It couldn't have been that serious a situation if you had time to even think about hitting the horn.