I wish to purchase either an '06 or '07 Sonata

We have a 2005 Elantra with 9000 plus miles on it. Got it in Oct of
'05 and am very pleased with it. I will be needing another car later
this year. I am thinking of an 06 or 07 Sonata. I am in no rush to
purchase. My question is, does anyone have any insight or knowledge
about the '07? Any thought on the warrantee. I heard that the
100,000 miles will be reduced. Don't know if there is any truth to
that. Are there any '06 owners that have nagging problems; the type
that you can live with, no repair for, just a qwerk of the car. i.e I
have heard there is a lag in gas pedal response, any truth to that.
Thinks like that I am interested in. Any feed back would be
appreciated. I know the Sonata is a good car, as is my Elantra. Any
thoughts on the '07.Thanks.

 

There was a long thread here some time ago on the Sonata and its quirks.
It has several, but few a major. Yes, the throttle has both a lag and
is also very sensitive (high gain). Not such a big deal with an
automatic, but my stick shift is a pain to start out with.

I also think the heater is feeble at temps below 20F and the defroster
is inadequate also below about 20F with 4-5 people in the car. It is OK
with just me, but with a car load it is nearly impossible to keep the
top 1/4 or so of the windshield clear.

The gas tank makes sloshing noises and the rear suspension makes an
occasional noise.

The storage bins are too small for commonly sized items. For example,
the bin under the armrest is too small to easily fit a square box of
Kleenex and too small for CD cases. The storage cubby in the dash with
the door will handle CDs with the door left open, but is too short to
contain a CD. The cupholders in the console, especially the rear one,
are so close to the armrest that you need to be double jointed to get a
cup of coffee out of it.

The fuel mileage isn't great as compared to the EPA ratings and other
cars of similar size.

There are, however, many things to like. The Sonata is quiet, roomy,
has good performance, good fit and finish, excellent styling, a nice
interior, pretty nice gauges and controls, etc.


Matt

 

.........here we go again <grin>.......Matts last paragraph is right on
IMO..... his preceding paragraphs must apply to one Sonata at least, but
not any of those conditions apply to mine.....touchy throttle? no way, nor
slosh in tank, lots of storage areas, haven't noticed them being any more or
less perfect than those in other cars, and I fit CD's in the center
console.........I do think the front seat cushion should have been longer
(under the thigh).... If I slam into a New England pothole I can get a creak
from the dash area,(not a suspension noise) otherwise the car is very quiet,
supple, and smooth on all surfaces. Its handling is good and very
forgiving-easy car to drive fast, and it is fast.......My MPG this winter
and spring averages 26mpg (lx v6 auto) with a best of 29. I feel warm
weather may up those figures. I now have 12,500 miles on my car. Very
pleased thus far. Cheers.

 

Some folks are just more attuned to noises and things like a touchy
throttle. The throttle has been mentioned by almost every person who
has reviewed the Sonata during a driving test as has the sloshing tank,
etc. These are "features" of the Sonata's design, not sample defects.
Just read a few of the car magazine reviews.

I have the dash creak also. Mine happens mainly when it is cold, and
seems to be less now that the weather is warming. I spend 45 minutes
last week driving around with a technician from the dealership trying to
replicate it. Of course, this was in the afternoon on a day that chose
to warm up to 60 and rain. Could not make the creak happen. The next
morning at 30 degress, it creaked several times on my way to work. Mine
is just one loud creak/snap when I hit an abrupt bump. Weird.

Matt

 

Matt, we definately have the same creak-you described it perfectly...see,
I'm not deaf, dumb, and blind !.....you want to experience a touchy
throttle, you should drive my turbo volvo s60- wow. It makes you look like
an idiot just trying to roll away from a stop.....the sonata is worlds
better in that regard. ps got a recall call from dealer concerning the
cupholder of all things, doubt they'll relocate it though. Cheers

 

I wasn't saying you were any of those, well maybe a little deaf.

Yes, mine was "recalled" for the cupholder (they replace the rubber
insert - not sure why), the little trim pieces behind the door handles
(again the dealer wasn't sure why), the door recline handle (contains a
notch to catch the seat belt, and adding extra adhesive to the headliner.


Matt

 

Does it improve the cupholder at all? Besides the overly touchy
throttle, its really the only thing that I truly dislike about my 06
Sonata.

-B

 

I can't say as mine was "fixed" a day or two after I took delivery and I
don't think I ever even used the original cupholder insert. It is still
a lousy location for a cupholder as it is too close to the center
armrest and I have a hard time grabbing a cup in the rear holder. The
front isn't so bad, but the rear is nearly useless unless your arm is a
lot more limber than mine.


Matt

 

The problem I have with it isn't so much the location... its the overall
design. It doesn't hold any normal size bottles/cans/cups. The only
perfect fit I've found so far is a Yahoo glass bottle that is extremely
fat. Every time I make even a slight stop, whatever bottle I have in
there leans all the way forward or falls out entirely. Those plastic
flaps are ludicrous. So now I have a nice collection of muck on my
shift boot and my carpet.

-B

 

Yes, mine still isn't good at holding things, but I don't use it all
that often. If you use the front holder, things don't tip as badly.
Using just the rear alone is really a bad idea. The rear cup needs a
cup in the front to hold it in place during stops. Overall, a really
lousy design and implementation of something so simple. This is one
that Hyundai really mess up.


Matt

 

I can't disagree that this is a bad design, but I haven't had the
problems that others have reported. Except that first time, when I
didn't notice the plastic flap.

Medium to large cups from most fast food places fit well as do 20 oz
drink bottles and 12 oz cans. The 17 oz. water bottles are a little slim
though. Maybe I'm cutting some slack here b/c my previous car (Camry)
had only one size and wouldn't hold large cups (except for those with
the skinny base) or 20 oz. bottles.