2008 Hyundai Sonata GLS 2.4 from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

Great value commuter with mediocre dynamics

Faults:

Nothing. Not even a rattle inside.

General Comments:

This was an unplanned purchase to quickly replace a falling apart euro car. Definitely not a car that I sought out to buy.

Pros

- Ultra reliable, outstanding build quality.

- Economical open road for a large car.

- Great air con.

- Huge boot.

- Very refined and quiet cruiser.

- Great safety features/ratings.

Cons

- Terrible artificial steering feel.

- Stodgy handling, truly dire body control.

- Awful seats. Sit too high, poor lumbar and lateral support.

This is a paradoxical car. Impeccable build quality, great features and ultra low running cost, but uncomfortable seating and woeful handling make it tiring to drive long distance on demanding NZ roads. It was such good condition and such a bargain price I can forgive it for its shortcomings as a daily commuter.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 26th January, 2018

2008 Hyundai Sonata GLX 2.6 4 cylinder from North America

Summary:

Could be much better

Faults:

Grab handles in ceiling have all come out and had to be replaced.

Rear brakes needed replaced at 45,000 miles.

AC compressor seized at 60,000 miles.

Serpentine belt wore out at 50,000 miles.

Belt tensioner needed replacement at 65,000 miles.

Transmission has slipped off and on since we bought it. Now it sticks in 2nd or third when pulling out of intersections, which makes the motor lug and have no power.

Engine rattles and shakes with all sorts of noise at idle when the AC is on, and has no power.

Engine will not accelerate for up to 15 seconds when the outside temp is over 90F from a stop.

Door weatherstrips worn through before 50,000 miles.

Sun visor decided not to stay up after 70k miles.

General Comments:

Overall, the car is fairly quiet and impressive for a four cylinder, but we've had lots of problems with it, and the dealer tells us there's nothing wrong.

The mileage is not really better than the Regal's 3100 V6.

The car handles funny over hills and curves.

The brakes are easy to change, however the dealer tried to tell us nothing was wrong when the inboard rear pads were down to the rivets.

The hard steering wheel hurts our hands, and on a long drive, your backside is going to be very sore due to the hard seats.

The car has otherwise been good, and roomy, and I'm wondering just how much of the troubles we have is due to the dealership and not the car.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 11th November, 2011

21st Dec 2020, 04:17

OP here, an update.

Our Sonata is now over 12 years old and still kicking at 185,000 miles. Shortly after this post had been written, the computer was reflashed and the engine and transmission straightened out. In the past 100,000 miles it has only needed another set of front brakes, a new set of tires, and a new set of plugs.

It generally gets 23/28 on Iowa ethanol mix gas, but down south where non ethanol gas is more available it got 28/34 with two adults, two teens, and luggage. In comparison our 2008 Impala V6 got 19/32 and our 2017 Impala, 2.5 4 cylinder 8 speed transmission gets 22/28.

It has handled being in a flood almost to the door handles, two trips through the mountains in New England and Tennessee (we were gaining speed on this long upslope while some semis were actually stopped or going downhill backwards with smoking brakes near Chattanooga), and a trip through the Rockies, no problem.

Recently it was t-boned at a roundabout, went back together just fine. It's easy to work on, and no rust yet.

On the funny handling comment, it's hard to describe but I think it's all the electronic nannies. For instance an older car will kind of roll naturally and gradually through a curve, the Sonata feels like it's flat, then suddenly banked and back again. If you've ever been up the Arch in St. Louis and know how the elevators sort of jerk - you tend to roll forward and then the carriage jerkily flips you back, rather than just hanging with gravity - you have an idea, just sideways instead. And sometimes in the mountains you feel as if the car is tilted rather than flat. Strange but you get used to it and don't notice so much - and new tires help.

Overall this has been a great car, that seems to just keep improving.