2006 Hyundai Sonata GLS V6 Long-Term Test Update No. 6

2006 Hyundai Sonata GLS V6 Long-Term Test Update No. 6 November 18, 2005 by West Coast Office / American Auto Press Winning Accolades and Awards During the previous two-week period with our long-term Sonata GLS V6 tester it was the most popular car in the garage, racking up an unprecedented (for any long-term car) 641 miles. This last two-week period sets another record, but in contrast due to its lack of use. Actually, were quite stunned that weve only managed to add 142 miles to the odometer in this time period, but a combination of short trips off to local eateries and days spent at the airport parking lot, plus a variety of really interesting cars (one of which was a certain Hyundai Azera) that needed more of my attention, meant that we were only able to reach a total of 3,151 miles. Our staff was digging around the internet this week looking for some fodder for various reviews, and noticed that a magazine we do some work with has given our trusty Sonata top marks, naming it "Best 2005 Award Winner" in the sedan category, which puts it ahead of all rival 2005 models such as Toyotas Camry, Hondas Accord, Chevys Impala and Malibu, Mitsubishis Galant, Fords Five Hundred and Mercury Montego, plus Chryslers 300, etc. This should come as wonderful news to Hyundai, because the magazine, Sobre Ruedas, reaches more Spanish language readers than any other dedicated automotive publication - publishing 650,000 issues per month. That readership, by the way, out-strips the majority of dedicated car magazines numbers, giving this rather new publication some serious weight in the industry. Why did it win? According to a press release, "The all-new Sonata was designed with safety as a priority, with class-leading standard safety content including, six airbags (front, seat-mounted side-impact and side curtain), active front headrests, ABS with Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD), Traction Control System (TCS), and for the first time in the mid-size sedan segment, standard Electronic Stability Control (ESC). The 2006 Hyundai Sonata features a refined, sophisticated exterior styling with a spacious, comfortable cabin with increased legroom, headroom, and shoulder room that classifies it in the governments EPA as a large car. In addition to all that value, the all-new Sonata is protected by the Hyundai Advantage, Americas Best Warranty. According to Mr. Jaime Florez, Sobre Ruedas Magazine publisher, all these factors contributed to Sonatas win as Best Sedan 2005." No wonder we like this car so much. Previous to the Sobre Ruedas award, another popular magazine voted in favor of the Sonata for safetys sake. Popular Mechanics magazine gave the new Sonata its Automotive Excellence Award for safety, citing its many standard safety features previously only available at no extra charge on premium vehicles. "The Sonata truly merits the Popular Mechanics Automotive Excellence Award for safety because it offers a full complement of both active and passive safety features as standard equipment in every model," said Don Chaikin, automotive editor, Popular Mechanics. "By expanding the universe of automotive safety from the luxury end of the market to the very affordable, every-man end, the Sonata has broken new ground and crushed what amounted to very real market barriers." While not awards, accolades are also worth noting, and most major magazines and web portals are hot on Hyundais new midsize sedan. So, it seems like were not alone in thinking that the Sonata is a good bet, and with that well leave you with our somewhat abbreviated log notes: Odometer: 3,022 miles Trevor: Its Saturday and Ive actually absconded for the afternoon, off to my favorite electronics store to see whats new and possibly buy that 5-, 6- or even 8-color photo printer that Ive been wanting for so long. It seems that printers are kind of like car transmissions, the more colors (or gears) the more revered. And like a true enthusiast, a 5-color printer would never do. I dont need a fancy view screen, pretty useless anyway, but I want the best print quality possible. I suppose, like automatic transmissions especially, the more forward gears offered, the smoother the shift process and greater optimization of available power; shorter intervals between gears allowing an engine to maintain its "sweet spot", or more technically, the rev range where the engine is producing maximum output. This performance enhancer also improves fuel economy, because sixth gear is a tall overdrive, allowing for really low revs during highway cruising. So where does the Sonata fit into the transmission ranking system? It occupies middle ground, better than most and not quite as sophisticated as some. For instance, most of the cars its up against from General Motors, such as the Chevy Malibu and Impala, Buick Allure, and Pontiac G6, only offer four-speed automatic gearboxes, and then most dont feature manual mode shift capability. Most of the Japanese offer five-speed units, including Toyotas Camry, Hondas Accord and Nissans Altima, while Mitsubishis Galant still makes due with a manual-mode four-speed and Mazdas 6, on the other hand, offers a sophisticated Aisin six-speed automatic. The other six-speed automatics available in the entry-level midsize segment come from Volkswagen and its new Jetta and Passat sedans, plus Ford, with its larger than midsize Five Hundred and sleek looking new Fusion. As for the color printer, I went home not being able to find what I wanted at the electronics store after an annoying salesman tried to tell me I needed all the useless electronic gizmos that pushed the price of a six-color printer over $150, compared to the same printer without the extra features for $80 - he didnt have that one, you see. Sounds like I was talking to a pushy car salesman right? Its ironic how the lessons learned by car salespeople over the years, which have resulted in much more pleasant purchasing experiences, are lost on other industries that previously were less pushy. During my drive home I couldnt help but think about how much I like the new trend of multi-speed transmissions, and how this particular five-speed unit works so effortlessly, shifting so smoothly that its almost imperceptible unless on full throttle. Nice. Odometer: 3,052 miles Jennifer: Talk about a long entry... obviously Trevor was still hiding out in the car and not wanting to face the kids, or maybe me... hmmm... enough time for introspection later. Now Ive got to complain about this car not having automatic climate control. While the manual system works well, its a pain to modulate the fan speed, temperature and everything else, when Im used to just setting a temperature and having the system do the rest. Of course, not all automatic climate control systems work as well as they should, but for the most part they work better than me fussing about with a manual system. Can a person buy this car with auto climate control? Odometer: 3,077 miles Trevor: Yes, the car we have is appears fully loaded at first sight, being that leather covers the seats and trim, but theres a Premium package that can be had that features auto climate control, plus a garage door opener, an auto dimming rearview mirror, adjustable foot pedals, a stability control system, traction control, a compass and a trip computer. I tried these systems during the launch in San Francisco, and would personally buck up the extra $1,400 in a heartbeat in order to get the traction and stability control system alone, let alone the auto climate control and handy auto dimming rearview mirror. Im actually surprised Hyundais PR department put this car on the press fleet without it, but most likely they had a car given to them and it was either take it or leave it. I certainly would like to have the other options to talk about in the test logs, but such is not the case. So take my advice, if you have the extra change a month it will cost you, opt for the Premium package and enjoy the next three to four years even more. Youll probably end up getting most of the money back when you sell the car anyway, as fully loaded cars are worth more and sell faster than those with fewer features. Odometer: 3,109 miles Cool, my 12 year old daughter Julia and (almost) five year old son Kaden witnessed the odometer change from 4,999 km to 5,000 km... major odometer increments always big events in the Hofmann home. Just another Sunday, kids off to friends houses after church and Dad running around before dinner to pick them all up. Odometer: 3,128 miles Jennifer: I just want to say that I would choose to drive the Sonata, which I just took to a meeting across town, over the new Mercedes-Benz R-Class that Ive had all week. The Sonata is so easy to drive that I dont have to think about it. It just comes naturally. OK, there are a few things. Other than the radio controls, everything is where it should be. Ive already gone on at length about the inability to change radio stations on the steering wheel mounted controls, and I think that I also mentioned that its only a single-disc player when most cars in this class offer a six-disc unit, but it is also lacking a "mode" button on the steering wheel, so you cant change from AM/FM or over to a CD without taking your eyes off the road and onto the radio head unit that sits high on the centre stack. Thank goodness its up high where viewing it is easier, but Im still unsure why Hyundai put all this effort into audio buttons but only went halfway in doing so. OK, enough about that already. Odometer: 3,151 miles Trevor: Yeah, enough already about the steering wheel mounted audio controls. Obviously, not all such features are created equally, and I have admit that Im in agreement that they are not even close to the best Ive tried in this department. But the number of times this particular complaint has been raised speaks more about the fact that the Sonata is pretty well faultless in every other area. Sure, I had that problem with the power seat control, when the horizontal button fell off of its mount, but I pressed it back into position and it hasnt budged since. Ive complained a bit about the somewhat bland dash design, especially the center stack, but this is an issue about styling which is really a personal matter, isnt it? The fact is, Toyotas Camry doesnt exactly light up the senses with regards to interior design either, and no one seems to be complaining about that. Like the Toyota, this Sonata provides extremely good materials quality, excellent fit and finish and, so far, absolutely perfect reliability. While the odometer has only just broken 3,000 miles, thats a pretty good start. admit that Im in agreement that they are not even close to the best Ive tried in this department. But the number of times this particular complaint has been raised speaks more about the fact that the Sonata is pretty well faultless in every other area. Sure, I had that problem with the power seat control, when the horizontal button fell off of its mount, but I pressed it back into position and it hasnt budged since. Ive complained a bit about the somewhat bland dash design, especially the center stack, but this is an issue about styling which is really a personal matter, isnt it? The fact is, Toyotas Camry doesnt exactly light up the senses with regards to interior design either, and no one seems to be complaining about that. Like the Toyota, this Sonata provides extremely good materials quality, excellent fit and finish and, so far, absolutely perfect reliability. While the odometer has only just broken 3,000 miles, thats a pretty good start. Source: http://www.automobile.com/