2009 Hyundai Sonata GLS 2.4 gas from North America

Summary:

If my fiance is satisfied, Hyundai has created a repeat buyer

Faults:

Haven't owned it long enough to give a good review on things that have gone wrong. So far everything is operating the same as the day we drove it off the lot.

General Comments:

My fiance and I bought this car to replace her '91 Escort. It is a beautiful car with low miles, an excellent warranty, and we got it for a killer price. We spent about 3,000 less than KBB price, and the Toyotas and Hondas in the same category were priced about 2-3K dollars higher than this vehicle.

I really enjoy the ride of this car, and look forward to having it for a long time. On the next oil change, I will be running Mobil 1 5W-20 Synthetic Oil. Dealer told me this should improve the mileage from an already great 35mpg, to a stellar ~40mpg, all while quieting the operation. Looking forward to that. Will update this review once we have driven it through a MN winter.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 13th September, 2009

2009 Hyundai Sonata from North America

Summary:

Second rate garbage

Faults:

Very poor gas mileage - below sticker minimum; service manager says this is normal for Hyundai due to ethanol in all gas - so much for the warranty and federal disclosures!

General Comments:

Car is uncomfortable and heat/air controls unreadable without causing an accident.

No miles per gallon indicator.

Gas door is cheap plastic and almost came off when I first opened it.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 23rd August, 2009

29th Aug 2009, 22:11

I don't know what car you are driving, but the Sonata I own could never be described in the manner of your review.

6th Sep 2009, 08:28

I have a 2008 V6 Sonata fully loaded - and love love love it. I don't have a bad thing to say about this car. It is the best car I have ever owned.

Aren't the things you complain about, things that you would have noticed prior to purchasing the car? I'm just saying.

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2009 Hyundai Sonata SE 3.3 V6 from North America

Summary:

A fantastic buy!

Faults:

No problems at all so far.

General Comments:

So far I'm more than pleased with the performance, comfort, and economy. Hwy mileage averaging 32, above the EPA estimate, and 27mpg over all.

The interior is much bigger than my previous car and very comfortable. The upgraded stereo system (6-disc in-dash, 7 speaker, MP3 & USB adaptive, and satellite radio) is awesome.

A lot of car for $22k out the door.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 4th August, 2009

8th Dec 2009, 11:46

Sonata by far the best car I have ever owned, but the honeymoon is over. The car is wickedly fast for the 28 mpg I average, and I get 31+ on the road. I am a car guy, and I am telling you that this car is uncanny quiet, until you hit the afterburners. I don't know why the aftermarket tuners aren't all over this car.

HOWEVER, in their quest to make it a smooth luxurious ride, the engineers have specified the softest bushings on the planet for the control arms. They are so soft that this car is not safe for the average driver at speeds over 60mph. My wife says the car is "squirrely" on the freeway. (Now I know how fast she drives.) ON ruts or irregularities on the road it will take the car away from you. Adrenaline will be with you after the first harrowing surprise. I have had it aligned four times and the hot rod alignment guy who has and academic rather than vocational approach found the issue. There are aftermarket kits from Korea, but it's not my problem anymore. Unsafe no longer resides at my house. Alas the car is gone.

Don't ever expect warranty work on this car either. Hyundai and Kia both have a blanket declination policy for big ticket warranty repairs. Check the blogs. I experienced this first hand even with all the maintenance tickets.

60,000 mile maintenance demands a $750.00 timing belt replacement. What's up with that?

Now I own a Toyota.

8th Dec 2009, 12:22

I believe that as with most cars, your previous Sonata was "tuned for American tastes." The Sonatas in Europe, while being no Audis, have reasonable or predictable handling, and motorway speed limits in Europe vary anywhere from 75 MPH (UK) to 140 km/h (87 MPH, in France or Italy). I wonder if it is really so necessary to Malibuize everything that gets to America.

8th Dec 2009, 17:27

"60,000 mile maintenance demands a $750.00 timing belt replacement. What's up with that?"

If you have a car with a timing belt, than you should expect to have to replace it every 60,000. A belt can seem like a pretty small deal right? I know it can. But the timing belt is CRITICAL ENGINE PART. If your timing belt were to break, you would be looking at up to a $3000 repair, or perhaps even more if the damage to your engine was serious enough. Be thankful for the belt replacement now, and not the engine replacement later.

In reply to 8th Dec 2009, 12:22

8th Dec 2009, 17:30

I'm an American and wonder that myself. I hate marshmallowy, zero road feel driving. I like to know what my car is doing and know how it is going to react to certain conditions. I like to know that I can make that corner in excess of 30 MPH without worrying about sliding out of control like I would in a domestic. I drive Honda's, and while I'm sure they have been softened, at least I can still get some road feel out of them.

In reply to 8th Dec 2009, 11:46

21st Dec 2020, 03:45

$750 to change timing belt. Dude, he got taken. The Hyundai Theta II (2.0 and 2.4) as well as the 3.3 V6 have timing chains designed to last for the life of the motor, defined as 300,000 miles, starting in -2006-!