2006 Hyundai Sonata

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2006 Hyundai Sonata
Born in the USA: Think you know what Hyundai is about? Think again
ROGER HART
Published Date: 5/23/05
2006 HYUNDAI SONATA GLS
ON SALE: Now
BASE PRICE: $21,495 (est.)
POWERTRAIN: 3.3-liter, 235-hp, 226-lb-ft V6; fwd, five-speed automatic
CURB WEIGHT: 3458 lbs
0 to 60 MPH: 7.5 seconds (mfr.)
FUEL MILEAGE: 20 mpg city/30 highway (mfr.)

By simply holding this magazine in your hand, you?re a certifiable car guy, so this question should be easy. Which company, for the last three years, is the fourth best-selling foreign nameplate in the United States?

The first two are easy. If this were a bar bet, we?d give them to you: Toyota, 1.67 million and Honda, nearly 1.2 million. No. 3, Nissan at 855,002, is a bit harder, but not when you consider the flood of good products the company has unveiled since 2002.


That fourth company, Hyundai, is surprising. That?s right, Hyundai. If you knew the Korean automaker sold more cars in the States?418,615?than Lexus (287,927), Kia (270,055), Mazda (263,882), BMW (260,079), Volkswagen (256,111) and Mercedes (221,366), well, you are an especially steely eyed car guy?or you work for Hyundai.

Sales of Hyundai cars and SUVs have been bolstered by a steady increase in quality, with vehicles earning top scores in several studies, including the J.D. Power survey that named the midsize 2005 Sonata No. 1 in initial quality. In addition, with the launch of a $1.1 billion U.S. assembly plant and many new products?seven vehicles over the next two years?Hyundai?s influence on the U.S. market is quickly gaining momentum.

The first product to come out of the Montgomery, Alabama, assembly plant is the V6-powered 2006 Sonata, arriving at dealers as you read this. Sonata has been Hyundai?s best-selling nameplate for nearly a decade, and the redesigned model, with two new engine choices, three new transmission choices, an improved interior and significantly better road manners, will bolster sales.

The new Sonata is the best-looking, best-driving Hyundai we?ve ever been in. Right out of the box, we?d argue this car could forever change people?s minds about how they feel about Hyundai. Customers, after test-driving the Sonata, rather than thinking Hyundai makes cheap cars, might think Hyundai makes pretty good-looking, nice-driving, relatively inexpensive cars.

In other words, a good value.

There are three trim levels for the Sonata. The base model, built not in Alabama but in Korea, comes with a new 2.4-liter four-cylinder making 162 hp at 5800 rpm and 164 lb-ft at 4250 rpm. A five-speed manual transmission is standard, plus there?s an available four-speed automatic with Shiftronic, Hyundai?s version of an automanual.

The 3.3-liter V6 Sonatas rolling out of Hyundai?s first U.S. assembly plant develop 235 hp at 6000 rpm and 226 lb-ft at 3500 rpm. The only transmission is a five-speed automatic with Shiftronic. This six-cylinder version is expected to account for 60 percent of Sonata sales.

Keeping with Hyundai tradition, Sonatas get a 60,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty and the now-famous 10-year, 100,000-mile powertrain warranty.

Proof Hyundai is building better cars is that it is retaining owners. Bob Cosmai, Hyundai?s U.S. president and CEO, said 57.6 percent of Hyundai customers buy another Hyundai, up from 18 percent just four years ago. According to Cosmai, the industry average is 48.4 percent for repeat custom?ers, so Hyundai is ahead of the curve.

?We want to be more a mainstream brand,? Cosmai said. ?Brand awareness of Hyundai has been behind that of our competitors, but the people who buy our cars love the cars. But we do have a challenge in building our brand awareness.?


The Sonata can bring the kind of awareness Hyundai is looking for in the States. First, the car doesn?t look like anything else from Hyundai, and that?s a good thing. Look at the Sonata from the rear three-quarters, squint a bit, and you?d swear you?re looking at a Honda Accord, a major rival of Sonata in this ultra-competitive, midsize market that accounted for 2.1, million cars in 2004.

?This is a Hyundai like you?ve never seen before,? said John Krafcik, vice president of product development and strategic planning. ?This car was designed specifically for the United States. It?s a globally sold product, but built for Americans.?

Being built for Americans means being roomy on the inside, and the Sonata doesn?t disappoint. With 121.7 cubic feet of interior space, it fits into the government?s ?large car? category, with significant increases from the previous model in leg-, shoulder- and headroom. Sonata?s interior is larger than those of the Accord, Toyota Camry, Nissan Altima and Chevrolet Malibu.

The seating position has been raised an inch from the old model, allowing easier access in and out of the car, as well as giving you a better view down the road.

The trunk is also larger, by 16 percent, with 16.3 cubic feet. Trunk space has been maximized by using a rather complicated hinge and dual support struts. The setup does not impede into the storage area, so nothing in the trunk can be damaged by the hinge.

Our first drive of the 2006 Sonata came in the top-of-the-line V6-equipped LX. The LX comes standard with 17-inch, five-spoke alloy wheels shod with Michelin Pilot 225/50R tires. The package includes eight-way power driver?s seat, leather interior and leather-wrapped steering wheel.

The V6 is potent enough for the car, and the transmission shifts smoothly. The company says 0 to 60 mph will take 7.5 seconds, and we believe it. On twisty two-lane roads, we moved the gearshift lever to the auto?manual mode and enjoyed shifting for ourselves. The Sonata is no sports car, but it is powerful enough to keep your attention, while the suspension?front double wishbones with coil springs, rear multilink with coils?is firm enough and the steering responsive enough to keep you engaged.

The cabin is roomy and comfortable, with supportive seats. Materials used throughout look and feel good, with all components nicely integrated. Gaps are consistent and everything fits. The back seat offers enough legroom for six-footers to ride without their knees in their chin.

?We benchmarked the Audi A6 for its interior craftsmanship and the Lexus ES 330 for NVH,? Krafcik said.

While we wouldn?t place the Sonata in the A6 class for interior refinement, it is good for the midsize segment, especially considering the base GL sells for $18,495.

As for NVH, Lexus doesn?t have to worry?just yet. The new Sonata is significantly more refined than the previous model, and while we didn?t drive an Accord or Camry back to back with the Hyundai, the car is quiet. On our first drive we had to listen hard to pick up any wind or road noise, even at freeway speeds.

In our second test car, a V6 GLS model equipped with 16-inch alloys with Michelin MXV P215/60R rubber, we found the ride a bit softer than the car with 17-inch tires, the steering a bit less responsive, and the interior not as quiet as the LX. The GLS had a squeaky seat and a rattle in the headliner, gremlins that can drive owners crazy. Our test cars, pre-production units built in Alabama as the plant was ramping up, were driven from Alabama to San Francisco to break them in before the press introduction.


Krafcik notes there are just 10 different combinations of Sonata available, so a high degree of customization won?t be offered at dealers. Despite that, Hyundai is loading the car with a long list of standard features including six airbags, antilock brakes, electronic stability control, traction control and active headrests. All cars get a six-speaker stereo system with CD and MP3 capability and, in the fourth quarter, Sonatas will come equipped with an XM satellite radio receiver.

?Our prices are about $2,000 less than a comparably equipped Accord and $2,700 less than Camry; $3,000 less than a Pontiac G6,? Krafcik said. The top-model LX costs $23,495.

Hyundai plans to build 150,000 Sonatas annually at the Montgomery plant, which has the capacity to build twice that many. Other models down the road could possibly be built there.

Toyota, Honda and Nissan aren?t wasting time looking over their shoulders now, but with cars like the Sonata, Hyundai?s footsteps are getting louder.

[giant_mtb]

Merely skimmed the article...but I'm noticing a lot more Hyundai cars around, especially the sedans.  The reason, most likely, is that they are inexpensive and offer pretty good quality in their cars...

I was surprised that they're the 4th best selling import car in the U.S...but hey, you learn somethin' new every day.  :P