Taking on the big dogs, and winning…in some respects, anyway
By Christian Wardlaw
|
April 20, 2006
Introduction
Twenty years ago, Hyundai was a punchline. The oxymoronic Excel, like so many European and Japanese pioneers before it, was the first Korean car to come to America, where it promptly began to rust, stall, and cause consternation in consumers who foolishly thought that they might be getting something for nothing. And like those European and Japanese pioneers before it, the Excel initially forced early adopters to swear off buying another Korean vehicle, sullied the Hyundai name to one of the largest potential customer bases in the world, and produced smirks, chuckles, and guffaws in Detroit’s boardrooms.Detroit isn’t laughing anymore. Neither is Japan – if it ever was. Because a scant two decades after trying – and failing – to make a dent in the U.S. market, Hyundai is now the fourth best-selling import brand in America. And when you test drive the redesigned 2006 Hyundai Sonata, it’s easy to see why. This car proves, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that Honda, Nissan, and Toyota aren’t the only car companies that can produce safe, durable, and appealing family sedans.
Four years of intensive consumer research went into this car to serve a target buyer that is younger than those of chief rivals, open-minded, smart with money, practical, hard-working, and loaded with common sense. In other words, Sonata buyers don’t care about the Hyundai brand’s lack of luster and know a good value when they see one. As do we. After a week behind the wheel of an example equipped with every option, though we found flaws with the 2006 Hyundai Sonata, we can see that it offers undeniable appeal in the family sedan marketplace.
Model Mix
Model Mix Choose a 2006 Hyundai Sonata in GL, GLS, GLS V6, or LX trim, knowing that even if you load up the top LX trim with every option the sticker price won’t crest $25,000.
Hyundai sells the 2006 Sonata in four trim levels: GL, GLS, GLS V6, and LX. Standard equipment for the Sonata GL includes a tilt steering wheel, power door locks with keyless entry, heated power mirrors, and auto-up/auto-down functionality for the power windows. What’s more, dual-tiered storage for the center console, a CD/MP3 player, air conditioning with cabin filtration, cruise control, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, and an illuminated glove box and trunk are also included in the base price of $18,495 including the $600 destination charge.
Bump yourself to $19,995 for the Sonata GLS to add 16-inch alloy wheels, fog lights, and chrome exterior trim. The GLS also includes a four-speed automatic transmission, premium carpet, woodgrain or metalgrain interior trim, premium door sill scuff plates, and upgraded cloth for the seats. Other standard features include floor mats, automatic headlights, lumbar support for the driver’s seat, audio controls on the steering wheel, and a trip computer. Options include a power sunroof, or a Premium Package with the sunroof and an eight-way power driver’s seat, an electrochromic rearview mirror, a Homelink programmable transmitter, and a compass.
If you need more power than the standard four-cylinder engine provides, choose the Sonata GLS V6 at $21,495. This adds a V6 engine with a five-speed automatic transmission, chrome-tipped dual exhaust outlets, bigger brakes, and solar control window glass. Options for this model mirror the standard GLS, except that the Premium Sport Package includes 17-inch alloy wheels – hence the addition of “Sport” to the option package name.
The luxurious Sonata LX starts at $23,495. The LX includes 17-inch alloy wheels wearing lower profile tires, chrome accented door handles, and leather seats. An eight-way power driver’s seat, heated front seats, and automatic climate control with an Air Quality System are also part of the price of entry. Sonata LX models further feature an electrochromic rearview mirror, a Homelink programmable transmitter, a compass, a telescopic steering wheel, and a sliding center armrest. Options are limited to a power sunroof and a CD changer with premium speakers.
Every 2006 Hyundai Sonata comes equipped with a healthy list of standard safety features. Stability control, traction control, four-wheel-disc antilock brakes with electronic brake-force distribution (EBD), six airbags including front side-impact restraints and side curtains, active front head restraints, and both pre-tensioners and load limiters for the front seatbelts. All this safety gear is doing some good: the NHTSA assigns a five-star rating for frontal and side impact crashworthiness to the new Sonata, and the car gets a “Good” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for the 40-mph offset frontal crash test. Note, however, that the IIHS gave the Sonata the next-lowest rank of “Acceptable” for its side crash protection.
Crash protection is not the only security that the 2006 Hyundai Sonata offers. The powertrain warranty is 10 years/100,000 miles, and the Sonata gets bumper-to-bumper coverage for five years/60,000 miles. Hyundai also throws in five years worth of 24-hour roadside assistance no matter how many miles you drive, and guarantees against rust perforation for seven years/unlimited miles.
Nuts and Bolts
Nuts and Bolts The 2006 Hyundai Sonata can be equipped with a four-cylinder or V6 engine, but if you’re looking for a powerful sports sedan with a manual transmission, this ain’t your car.
Like every other sedan in its class, the 2006 Hyundai Sonata comes standard with a four-cylinder engine. In this case, it’s a new 2.4-liter unit good for 162 horsepower and 164 lb.-ft. of torque. Constructed of aluminum and equipped with continuously variable valve timing (CVVT), this engine is rated as an Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle (ULEV) and, according to the EPA, should get 24 mpg in the city and 34 mpg on the highway when equipped with the standard five-speed manual transmission. Opt for the four-speed Shifttronic automatic, and you can expect 24 mpg in the city and 33 on the highway.
If you require more power, upgrade to the available 3.3-liter V6 in the GLS V6 and LX models. This engine is brand new and class competitive, making 235 horsepower and 226 lb.-ft. of torque – a whopping 65 horsepower and 45 lb.-ft. bump over the old Sonata’s V6. All aluminum and equipped with CVVT, the V6 also gets a Variable Intake System (VIS) to broaden the power curve for improved off-the-line and passing performance. The EPA says you’ll get 20 mpg in the city and 30 mpg on the highway with the standard and mandatory five-speed Shifttronic transmission.
Under the Sonata’s sheetmetal, there’s a four-wheel independent suspension with double wishbones in front and a multi-link arrangement in back. Front and rear stabilizer bars help control roll in turns. Engine-speed sensing, power rack-and-pinion steering guides standard 215/60R16 tires or optional P225/50R17 tires. Brakes are vented discs in front and solid discs in back, upsized on V6 models for improved capability.
Design
Design The EPA calls the stylish 2006 Hyundai Sonata a large car, but get inside and you’ll quickly discover that it actually competes against other midsize sedans.
Two inches longer, two inches taller, and stretched an inch between the contact patches, the EPA classifies the 2006 Hyundai Sonata as a large car, not a mid-size car. No matter, it competes against the Honda Accord, Nissan Altima, and Toyota Camry. Hyundai says the Sonata is wider than the ’06 versions of all three.
Looking at the Sonata, you wouldn’t peg it as a big car. This is a tidy design that looks more expensive than it is, but in a derivatively plain way. We see strong Acura and Honda influence in the exterior styling, which will age gracefully. Key elements of the Sonata’s look include the strong character lines in the hood, its jeweled projector lens headlights, and its appealing 17-inch wheels. The 2006 Hyundai Sonata comes in your choice of 10 colors in solid, metallic, and mica finishes.
Like the exterior, the Sonata’s cabin looks upscale thanks to two-tone décor and the restrained use of fake wood and decorative accents. The control layout is simple, making everything easy to find, understand, and operate. All markings are clear and legible, and Hyundai provides many storage solutions for managing the detritus of daily life. Even the design of the air vents won staff praise, and we thought the buttons, knobs, and stalks featured refined operation. If there’s any quibble with the Sonata’s interior design, it’s with the location of the radio high and in the center of the dash, above the air vents. It’s a stretch to reach it in this location, and we think the vents should swap spots with this oft-used entertainment feature.
As good as the interior’s design might be, the materials could stand an upgrade. We like that Hyundai offers gray metalgrain trim with gray interiors and fake wood with beige interiors, that the patterns on all surfaces match, that the storage compartments are lined to reduce excess noise, and that the LX model’s leather is decent to look at and touch. However, the Sonata’s dash pad looks glossy in bright sunlight, the headliner is a bit fuzzy, the control stalks are shiny, and the buttons and switches look a bit cheap.
Build quality also could stand improvement. On our particular test car, the center console assembly was poorly installed, with an errant plastic tab sticking out of a seam between it and the lower portion of the dashboard. This quality flaw absolutely should have been caught at the Alabama factory before shipment. We also noticed a few loose screw-top covers, and a driver airbag cover that was slightly askew. Outside, another potentially fatal flaw: the trunk lid was tweaked and rubbing on the left rear quarter panel above the taillight when it closed. Rust had already begun to form. Beyond that, the front fascia was not on straight, the right rear door fit poorly, and the chrome window trim did not line up at B-pillars on both sides of the car.
Comfort
Comfort For a so-called large car, the 2006 Hyundai Sonata isn’t terribly roomy. And comfort is rather elusive, especially in the driver’s seat. Plus, there’s lots of wind and road noise at speed.
Though the 2006 Hyundai Sonata’s seat height has increased an inch over last year’s model for better entry and exit, this writer couldn’t find a proper mix of seat cushion height and tilt, despite the telescopic steering wheel and power eight-way adjustment. Plus, the bottom cushion was too short, and there wasn’t enough rearward seat track travel. On a positive note, the seats were firm and supportive for a shorter companion on a road trip, the leather-wrapped steering wheel was pleasing to hold, the head restraints articulated to create a comfortable resting spot, and the upper door panels were softly padded for resting elbows.
The rear seat also disappointed, especially given the 2006 Hyundai Sonata’s large car ranking with the EPA. When the driver’s seat was adjusted to accommodate a six-foot-tall person with a 33-inch inseam, an identically sized passenger sitting behind him experienced full leg contact with the soft front seatback. The situation was snug, not uncomfortable, but rather surprising nonetheless. Foot space was snug too. Helping boost comfort, the backrest offered decent lumbar support, there was a softly padded center armrest, and the rear window glass went all the way down for complete ventilation.
As for interior noise, our test car suffered an unfortunate wind leak. On a round-trip run between Los Angeles and Phoenix, the right front passenger door whistled at highway speeds. Even without the door seal leak, wind rush was evident and road roar was rather loud. When we slowed down, a rattle made itself evident in the rear parcel shelf. Buyer beware: the 2006 Hyundai Sonata is not a particularly quiet car, even if you get one that’s air tight. But then, neither is a Honda Accord.
Road Test
Road Test The 2006 Hyundai Sonata’s available V6 engine puts out good power and decent fuel economy, and the brakes are excellent, but the ride quality needs work. This thing rides like a 1970s Cadillac on overinflated tires.
We drove a 2006 Hyundai Sonata LX for a week, commuting to the office, getting groceries, running errands, and taking a road trip from Los Angeles to Phoenix to find out if Hyundai’s got the right product to take on the big dogs of the family sedan class…and win. As it turns out, the Sonata does win, in some respects, but there is still work to do refining this car and improving the quality.
The Sonata’s available 3.3-liter V6 puts out good power. It’s not class leading power, but it’s better than what several competitors produce. Hyundai’s refinement efforts can start here, under the hood, because this engine isn’t as smooth as the bogeys from Honda, Nissan, and Toyota. Plus, throttle tip-in is too abrupt, and it’s easy to accidentally squeal the Sonata’s front tires. Refinement efforts can then extend to the five-speed Shifttronic transmission, which features smooth upshifts under normal conditions, but when you’re battling for holes in traffic, suffers an incredibly aggravating delay when downshifting. At least we managed an average fuel economy number of 21.9 mpg, smack dab in the middle of the EPA’s usually overblown results.
Maybe the same guys who tuned the Sonata’s outstanding brakes can work their magic on the powertrain. The four-wheel discs feature terrific pedal feel, response, and modulation. It’s too bad, then, that the rest of the underpinnings are such a mixed bag. The steering is easy to twirl and responds nicely off center, but lacks road feel and heft. The suspension needs tuning, too. It feels like the Sonata LX has stiff shocks and soft springs, which produces a ride quality not unlike a 1975 Cadillac Fleetwood rolling on over-inflated rubber. The Sonata has a busy ride, pitching and wallowing on dips but with lots of harshness on bumps. Grip from the 17-inch Michelin Pilot touring tires is impressive, and rather than howl as the Sonata’s nose pushes wide at the limit, they produce a strange, hushed, scrubbing noise as they lose adhesion.
Compared to the “Big Three” family sedans, we think the 2006 Hyundai Sonata is more entertaining to drive than a Camry, less entertaining to drive than an Altima, and lacks the Honda Accord’s dynamism. And, to this writer, it’s less comfortable than all three. But duking it out with those class-leading models on equal footing ain’t easy, especially when you want to create a compelling value equation. As critical as we might be of the new Sonata, the reality is that this car needs only minor tweaks to make executives at other manufacturers whimper in their sleep. Indeed, the 2006 Sonata represents a huge leap forward for Hyundai. If other entries in the automaker’s lineup since the 2001 Elantra debuted haven’t convinced you that South Korea is poised to become a global car-building force, this Sonata will.
Specifications
Specifications The 2006 Hyundai Sonata’s primary competitors are the Chevrolet Malibu, Ford Fusion, Honda Accord, Kia Optima, Mazda 6, Mercury Milan, Nissan Altima, Pontiac G6, Toyota Camry, and Volkswagen Passat
Test Vehicle: 2006 Hyundai Sonata LX
Price of Test Vehicle: $24,895 (includes $600 destination charge)
Engine Size and Type: 3.3-liter V6
Engine Horsepower: 235 at 6,000 rpm
Engine Torque: 164 lb.-ft at 4,250 rpm
Transmission: Five-speed automatic with manual shift feature
Curb weight, lbs.: 3,458
EPA Fuel Economy (city/highway): 20/30 mpg
Observed Fuel Economy: 21.9 mpg
Length: 188.9 inches
Width: 72.1 inches
Wheelbase: 107.4 inches
Height: 58.0 inches
Leg room (front/rear): 43.7/37.4 inches
Head room (front/rear): 40.1/38.2 inches
Max. Seating Capacity: Five
Max. Cargo Volume: 16.3 cu.-ft.
Competitors: Buick LaCrosse, Buick Lucerne, Chevrolet Malibu, Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger, Ford Five Hundred, Ford Fusion, Honda Accord, Hyundai Azera, Kia Amanti, Kia Optima, Mazda 6, Mercury Milan, Mercury Montego, Nissan Altima, Nissan Maxima, Pontiac G6, Pontiac Grand Prix, Subaru Legacy, Toyota Avalon, Toyota Camry, Volkswagen Passat
Model Mix Choose a 2006 Hyundai Sonata in GL, GLS, GLS V6, or LX trim, knowing that even if you load up the top LX trim with every option the sticker price won’t crest $25,000.
Hyundai sells the 2006 Sonata in four trim levels: GL, GLS, GLS V6, and LX. Standard equipment for the Sonata GL includes a tilt steering wheel, power door locks with keyless entry, heated power mirrors, and auto-up/auto-down functionality for the power windows. What’s more, dual-tiered storage for the center console, a CD/MP3 player, air conditioning with cabin filtration, cruise control, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, and an illuminated glove box and trunk are also included in the base price of $18,495 including the $600 destination charge.
Bump yourself to $19,995 for the Sonata GLS to add 16-inch alloy wheels, fog lights, and chrome exterior trim. The GLS also includes a four-speed automatic transmission, premium carpet, woodgrain or metalgrain interior trim, premium door sill scuff plates, and upgraded cloth for the seats. Other standard features include floor mats, automatic headlights, lumbar support for the driver’s seat, audio controls on the steering wheel, and a trip computer. Options include a power sunroof, or a Premium Package with the sunroof and an eight-way power driver’s seat, an electrochromic rearview mirror, a Homelink programmable transmitter, and a compass.
If you need more power than the standard four-cylinder engine provides, choose the Sonata GLS V6 at $21,495. This adds a V6 engine with a five-speed automatic transmission, chrome-tipped dual exhaust outlets, bigger brakes, and solar control window glass. Options for this model mirror the standard GLS, except that the Premium Sport Package includes 17-inch alloy wheels – hence the addition of “Sport” to the option package name.
The luxurious Sonata LX starts at $23,495. The LX includes 17-inch alloy wheels wearing lower profile tires, chrome accented door handles, and leather seats. An eight-way power driver’s seat, heated front seats, and automatic climate control with an Air Quality System are also part of the price of entry. Sonata LX models further feature an electrochromic rearview mirror, a Homelink programmable transmitter, a compass, a telescopic steering wheel, and a sliding center armrest. Options are limited to a power sunroof and a CD changer with premium speakers.
Every 2006 Hyundai Sonata comes equipped with a healthy list of standard safety features. Stability control, traction control, four-wheel-disc antilock brakes with electronic brake-force distribution (EBD), six airbags including front side-impact restraints and side curtains, active front head restraints, and both pre-tensioners and load limiters for the front seatbelts. All this safety gear is doing some good: the NHTSA assigns a five-star rating for frontal and side impact crashworthiness to the new Sonata, and the car gets a “Good” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for the 40-mph offset frontal crash test. Note, however, that the IIHS gave the Sonata the next-lowest rank of “Acceptable” for its side crash protection.
Crash protection is not the only security that the 2006 Hyundai Sonata offers. The powertrain warranty is 10 years/100,000 miles, and the Sonata gets bumper-to-bumper coverage for five years/60,000 miles. Hyundai also throws in five years worth of 24-hour roadside assistance no matter how many miles you drive, and guarantees against rust perforation for seven years/unlimited miles.
Nuts and Bolts
Nuts and Bolts The 2006 Hyundai Sonata can be equipped with a four-cylinder or V6 engine, but if you’re looking for a powerful sports sedan with a manual transmission, this ain’t your car.
Like every other sedan in its class, the 2006 Hyundai Sonata comes standard with a four-cylinder engine. In this case, it’s a new 2.4-liter unit good for 162 horsepower and 164 lb.-ft. of torque. Constructed of aluminum and equipped with continuously variable valve timing (CVVT), this engine is rated as an Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle (ULEV) and, according to the EPA, should get 24 mpg in the city and 34 mpg on the highway when equipped with the standard five-speed manual transmission. Opt for the four-speed Shifttronic automatic, and you can expect 24 mpg in the city and 33 on the highway.
If you require more power, upgrade to the available 3.3-liter V6 in the GLS V6 and LX models. This engine is brand new and class competitive, making 235 horsepower and 226 lb.-ft. of torque – a whopping 65 horsepower and 45 lb.-ft. bump over the old Sonata’s V6. All aluminum and equipped with CVVT, the V6 also gets a Variable Intake System (VIS) to broaden the power curve for improved off-the-line and passing performance. The EPA says you’ll get 20 mpg in the city and 30 mpg on the highway with the standard and mandatory five-speed Shifttronic transmission.
Under the Sonata’s sheetmetal, there’s a four-wheel independent suspension with double wishbones in front and a multi-link arrangement in back. Front and rear stabilizer bars help control roll in turns. Engine-speed sensing, power rack-and-pinion steering guides standard 215/60R16 tires or optional P225/50R17 tires. Brakes are vented discs in front and solid discs in back, upsized on V6 models for improved capability.
Design
Design The EPA calls the stylish 2006 Hyundai Sonata a large car, but get inside and you’ll quickly discover that it actually competes against other midsize sedans.
Two inches longer, two inches taller, and stretched an inch between the contact patches, the EPA classifies the 2006 Hyundai Sonata as a large car, not a mid-size car. No matter, it competes against the Honda Accord, Nissan Altima, and Toyota Camry. Hyundai says the Sonata is wider than the ’06 versions of all three.
Looking at the Sonata, you wouldn’t peg it as a big car. This is a tidy design that looks more expensive than it is, but in a derivatively plain way. We see strong Acura and Honda influence in the exterior styling, which will age gracefully. Key elements of the Sonata’s look include the strong character lines in the hood, its jeweled projector lens headlights, and its appealing 17-inch wheels. The 2006 Hyundai Sonata comes in your choice of 10 colors in solid, metallic, and mica finishes.
Like the exterior, the Sonata’s cabin looks upscale thanks to two-tone décor and the restrained use of fake wood and decorative accents. The control layout is simple, making everything easy to find, understand, and operate. All markings are clear and legible, and Hyundai provides many storage solutions for managing the detritus of daily life. Even the design of the air vents won staff praise, and we thought the buttons, knobs, and stalks featured refined operation. If there’s any quibble with the Sonata’s interior design, it’s with the location of the radio high and in the center of the dash, above the air vents. It’s a stretch to reach it in this location, and we think the vents should swap spots with this oft-used entertainment feature.
As good as the interior’s design might be, the materials could stand an upgrade. We like that Hyundai offers gray metalgrain trim with gray interiors and fake wood with beige interiors, that the patterns on all surfaces match, that the storage compartments are lined to reduce excess noise, and that the LX model’s leather is decent to look at and touch. However, the Sonata’s dash pad looks glossy in bright sunlight, the headliner is a bit fuzzy, the control stalks are shiny, and the buttons and switches look a bit cheap.
Build quality also could stand improvement. On our particular test car, the center console assembly was poorly installed, with an errant plastic tab sticking out of a seam between it and the lower portion of the dashboard. This quality flaw absolutely should have been caught at the Alabama factory before shipment. We also noticed a few loose screw-top covers, and a driver airbag cover that was slightly askew. Outside, another potentially fatal flaw: the trunk lid was tweaked and rubbing on the left rear quarter panel above the taillight when it closed. Rust had already begun to form. Beyond that, the front fascia was not on straight, the right rear door fit poorly, and the chrome window trim did not line up at B-pillars on both sides of the car.
Comfort
Comfort For a so-called large car, the 2006 Hyundai Sonata isn’t terribly roomy. And comfort is rather elusive, especially in the driver’s seat. Plus, there’s lots of wind and road noise at speed.
Though the 2006 Hyundai Sonata’s seat height has increased an inch over last year’s model for better entry and exit, this writer couldn’t find a proper mix of seat cushion height and tilt, despite the telescopic steering wheel and power eight-way adjustment. Plus, the bottom cushion was too short, and there wasn’t enough rearward seat track travel. On a positive note, the seats were firm and supportive for a shorter companion on a road trip, the leather-wrapped steering wheel was pleasing to hold, the head restraints articulated to create a comfortable resting spot, and the upper door panels were softly padded for resting elbows.
The rear seat also disappointed, especially given the 2006 Hyundai Sonata’s large car ranking with the EPA. When the driver’s seat was adjusted to accommodate a six-foot-tall person with a 33-inch inseam, an identically sized passenger sitting behind him experienced full leg contact with the soft front seatback. The situation was snug, not uncomfortable, but rather surprising nonetheless. Foot space was snug too. Helping boost comfort, the backrest offered decent lumbar support, there was a softly padded center armrest, and the rear window glass went all the way down for complete ventilation.
As for interior noise, our test car suffered an unfortunate wind leak. On a round-trip run between Los Angeles and Phoenix, the right front passenger door whistled at highway speeds. Even without the door seal leak, wind rush was evident and road roar was rather loud. When we slowed down, a rattle made itself evident in the rear parcel shelf. Buyer beware: the 2006 Hyundai Sonata is not a particularly quiet car, even if you get one that’s air tight. But then, neither is a Honda Accord.
Road Test
Road Test The 2006 Hyundai Sonata’s available V6 engine puts out good power and decent fuel economy, and the brakes are excellent, but the ride quality needs work. This thing rides like a 1970s Cadillac on overinflated tires.
We drove a 2006 Hyundai Sonata LX for a week, commuting to the office, getting groceries, running errands, and taking a road trip from Los Angeles to Phoenix to find out if Hyundai’s got the right product to take on the big dogs of the family sedan class…and win. As it turns out, the Sonata does win, in some respects, but there is still work to do refining this car and improving the quality.
The Sonata’s available 3.3-liter V6 puts out good power. It’s not class leading power, but it’s better than what several competitors produce. Hyundai’s refinement efforts can start here, under the hood, because this engine isn’t as smooth as the bogeys from Honda, Nissan, and Toyota. Plus, throttle tip-in is too abrupt, and it’s easy to accidentally squeal the Sonata’s front tires. Refinement efforts can then extend to the five-speed Shifttronic transmission, which features smooth upshifts under normal conditions, but when you’re battling for holes in traffic, suffers an incredibly aggravating delay when downshifting. At least we managed an average fuel economy number of 21.9 mpg, smack dab in the middle of the EPA’s usually overblown results.
Maybe the same guys who tuned the Sonata’s outstanding brakes can work their magic on the powertrain. The four-wheel discs feature terrific pedal feel, response, and modulation. It’s too bad, then, that the rest of the underpinnings are such a mixed bag. The steering is easy to twirl and responds nicely off center, but lacks road feel and heft. The suspension needs tuning, too. It feels like the Sonata LX has stiff shocks and soft springs, which produces a ride quality not unlike a 1975 Cadillac Fleetwood rolling on over-inflated rubber. The Sonata has a busy ride, pitching and wallowing on dips but with lots of harshness on bumps. Grip from the 17-inch Michelin Pilot touring tires is impressive, and rather than howl as the Sonata’s nose pushes wide at the limit, they produce a strange, hushed, scrubbing noise as they lose adhesion.
Compared to the “Big Three” family sedans, we think the 2006 Hyundai Sonata is more entertaining to drive than a Camry, less entertaining to drive than an Altima, and lacks the Honda Accord’s dynamism. And, to this writer, it’s less comfortable than all three. But duking it out with those class-leading models on equal footing ain’t easy, especially when you want to create a compelling value equation. As critical as we might be of the new Sonata, the reality is that this car needs only minor tweaks to make executives at other manufacturers whimper in their sleep. Indeed, the 2006 Sonata represents a huge leap forward for Hyundai. If other entries in the automaker’s lineup since the 2001 Elantra debuted haven’t convinced you that South Korea is poised to become a global car-building force, this Sonata will.
Specifications
Specifications The 2006 Hyundai Sonata’s primary competitors are the Chevrolet Malibu, Ford Fusion, Honda Accord, Kia Optima, Mazda 6, Mercury Milan, Nissan Altima, Pontiac G6, Toyota Camry, and Volkswagen Passat
Test Vehicle: 2006 Hyundai Sonata LX
Price of Test Vehicle: $24,895 (includes $600 destination charge)
Engine Size and Type: 3.3-liter V6
Engine Horsepower: 235 at 6,000 rpm
Engine Torque: 164 lb.-ft at 4,250 rpm
Transmission: Five-speed automatic with manual shift feature
Curb weight, lbs.: 3,458
EPA Fuel Economy (city/highway): 20/30 mpg
Observed Fuel Economy: 21.9 mpg
Length: 188.9 inches
Width: 72.1 inches
Wheelbase: 107.4 inches
Height: 58.0 inches
Leg room (front/rear): 43.7/37.4 inches
Head room (front/rear): 40.1/38.2 inches
Max. Seating Capacity: Five
Max. Cargo Volume: 16.3 cu.-ft.
Competitors: Buick LaCrosse, Buick Lucerne, Chevrolet Malibu, Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger, Ford Five Hundred, Ford Fusion, Honda Accord, Hyundai Azera, Kia Amanti, Kia Optima, Mazda 6, Mercury Milan, Mercury Montego, Nissan Altima, Nissan Maxima, Pontiac G6, Pontiac Grand Prix, Subaru Legacy, Toyota Avalon, Toyota Camry, Volkswagen Passat
Photos courtesy of Hyundai