Beyond the many fine traits exhibited by our Sonata (relatively quick, refined ride quality, solid ergonomics, attractive interior materials, etc.) I personally like the color. It's a maroon/brown shade (official name is "Dark Cinnamon") and it looks quite upscale, particularly for a $23,000 car. I took possession of the car just after it had been washed, but limited garage space meant it had to sit out at curbside. It struck me at one point that the car, in all it's freshly-washed, Dark Cinnamon glory, looked quite attractive parked out there. I never thought a Hyundai would enhance the look of my house, but this one did. Unfortunately, some brainiac was burning trash in the Lockwood Valley, a few miles north of me, and now a raging fire is dumping ash on every uncovered surface in the neighborhood. That includes the once-shiny Sonata. Somebody needs remedial Smokey the Bear training.

Karl Brauer, Editor in Chief, Edmunds.com @ 17,721 miles

It's a small thing, but I like the way the Sonata's shifter works. There's no button to press, and it slots solidly from gate to gate -- you never have to worry about it being halfway in. And with the "manual" gate off to the side, there's no chance of missing "D" and finding 4th instead. Overall, a nice design and very handy during complicated parking maneuvers and freeway adventures alike.

Erin Riches, Senior Content Editor

On Friday afternoon I bought a couple of cases of bottled water. The cases weigh 50-60 lbs, so they're kind of a hassle to deal with. But getting them into the Sonata's trunk couldn't have been easier: The lift-over height is super low -- the bottom lip of the opening is just above my knee.

The rest of the weekend with the Sonata was similarly enjoyable. This isn't a car for people who are into cars, but with its smooth ride, easy maneuverability in tight parking decks and comfortable seats (for me, anyway), it can be quite relaxing. Throttle response is a little too aggressive off the line, but the Sonata does have nice low-speed pull and merges into freeway traffic with no problem. The downside is that the V6 feels a bit weak at higher rpm.

A bigger downside, though, is the unimpressive fuel economy -- our long-termer's lifetime average is just 19.7 mpg. Compare that to 22.6 mpg in our long-term V6-equipped Malibu. I like the way our Sonata looks and I like the way it feels, but its low gas mileage numbers would probably keep me from buying one of my own.

Erin Riches, Senior Content Editor, 16,357 miles

Los Angeles is suffering through a heat wave. Not only is it hot here, it is also humid, which is rare in our desert climate. When driving around the city, or more likely sitting is traffic, you need to have a good air conditioner.

While the A/C in the Sonata works quickly and quietly, the vents are in the wrong position. They should be swapped with the stereo. We've mentioned this before, and at the risk of beating a dead horse, we're sufficiently annoyed to mention it again.

The cool air pumping into the cabin keeps hitting my right hand on the steering wheel. My hand actually gets numb with cold. If the vents were in a higher position, the air would bypass my hand and go directly to my face.

Unfortunately, the 2007 Sonata has the same design.

Donna DeRosa, Managing Editor @ 15,505 miles

When I first took a look at the Sonata's audio controls, I thought something was missing. The design is so incredibly spare that I thought maybe the radio didn't offer presets. I was wrong, of course. The Sonata's stereo setup has everything you'd expect; it just manages to lay things out in a wonderfully efficient way. Instead of a zillion buttons, the Sonata gives you a handful.

The same is true of the car's HVAC controls. Two knobs and a couple of buttons. That's it. Oh, and some relatively handsome faux wood trim. You could do a lot worse in an economy car. The center stack is usually one of the most cluttered, unattractive areas of a car's cabin, but the Sonata's is a study in user-friendly simplicity.


Warren Clarke, Content Editor @  15,469 miles

Every time our editors drive one of our long-term fleet vehicles, they write their comments in a logbook kept in the car, whether it be praise or criticism.

Flipping through the pages, I found multiple comments about how the stereo and A/C systems are in opposite positions. The A/C is where the stereo should be and vice versa. We wrote about this nitpicking in the April update on the Sonata.

So I thought after spending a week tooling around in the Sonata, I would get used to their placement. But I didn't. There is just something unnatural about the radio not being low on the center column. Whenever I reached for the A/C controls I got the stereo and every time I reached out to adjust the A/C, I changed the radio station.

Can you think of any other examples where the audio and A/C systems are not in the right place?

Donna DeRosa, Managing Editor @ 15,213 miles

While driving the family around LA, several times my passengers have commented on how quiet the Sonata is.  Besides the cluck cluck meow meow of three chatty women in a car together, wind and road noise are low. And when stopped at traffic lights, the engine is very quiet.

However, when you do something the car disapproves of, the bells start ringing. I stopped at a supermarket to run in for a second and left the car running so my passengers could remain in the cool air conditioning. As soon as I removed my seat belt, the bells starting going off. They kept ringing on and off the entire time I was in the store. My passengers finally buckled my seat belt to shut the Sonata up. You would think this feature would know when the car was in "park" or when there isn't someone sitting in the seat. The Sonata can sense passenger weight to turn the airbags on/off, why can't it use the same technology for the seat belt warning chime?

All in all, the Sonata has been a very pleasant car for our road trips. When we added the weight of a 200 lb. man to our trips, however, acceleration was noticeably slower and a little noisier. I also had to allow for more braking distance when trying to bring the car to a halt with the weight of four adults onboard.

A quick note about fuel economy: I filled the tank today and with all the city driving, we're only averaging 18.8 mpg.

Donna DeRosa, Managing Editor

East coast family members came to visit, so we've been spending the week with the Hyundai Sonata touring various spots around the Los Angeles area. Roomy and comfortable, the Sonata is perfect for hauling around four adults. Today, I packed up my family and headed to the South Bay for some much-needed beach time. If you could see how white our legs are, you'd scream.

We had to park the Sonata in the blazing sun for a couple of hours while we hung out on Hermosa Beach . When we finally returned to the car, the interior was roasting, so I put the A/C on full blast and it cooled the car in seconds. There aren't any vents in the back but the cool air pumped out powerfully enough to reach the rear passengers with no problem.

It's not always easy to find parking in the hilly, narrow streets of Hermosa. But we had no problem with the mid-sized Sonata. Large cars and trucks just don't fit in these sleepy neighborhoods.

With over 16 cubic feet of trunk space, we had plenty of room to carry our beach chairs, towels and bags. So far the Sonata has been great for our day trips.

After a long hard day's work, I look on our board to see what car I have been assigned for the evening. I'm always relieved to see my initials next to the Sonata. It's just so easy to drive. It's not overly techy inside so I don't have waste time trying to figure out any gadgets. The stereo has good quality sound to entertain me in traffic. The air conditioner works well and the vents are nicely positioned. I like to combine heated seats with the air conditioner blowing in my face. I find the heat relaxes my back while the air keeps me from roasting. I find the Sonata a very relaxing ride home.

I appreciate steering-mounted audio controls more and more each day. Like power door locks and power windows did a decade ago, this feature is quickly morphing from a nice-to-have to a must-have. An ever-increasing percentage of cars that pass through my hands have them. I'm not certain if manufacturers are adopting them because it makes good ergonomic sense, because it helps soften the ever-increasing complexity of audio systems as they sprout satellite radio and auxiliary iPod / MP3 player inputs (which our Sonata does not have), or simply because of the demands of the automotive feature "arms race".

Continue reading...