2007 Hyundai Sonata Limited from North America - Comments

Absolutely nothing.

Thought this brand was awful. Would not even consider buying one. Just for laughs, I took one out for a test drive - I drove the Sonata Limited and bought it on the spot.

I have owned Honda's and Toyota's and have loved the reliability and resale value of each. To be honest, I will worry about the resale value later – it’s just a matter of time and getting more of these on the road, so that people know what it is. Then the resale value will keep going up.

Lots of people have asked me what type of car it was and made positive comments about the color and the styling (mine is black). The only thing I would like is better adjustments on the seats (like the 95 Ford SHO’s or Recaro’s).

I think on the Limited Edition, the tires should be something like 255-50-17’s from the factory. It handles just fine with what came on the car, but the tires look small.

So far, the car has run great and I have had no problems. I dumped the original factory oil before I even took it off the dealer’s lot, changed to Amsoil 0-30 oil.

FYI the car will really go 135 MPH as the report in Autoweek verified, not bad for stock out of the box.

"Thought this brand was awful"

People will laugh at the old Hyundai Pony.

But those who know of the Pony know that it is a bullet proof car that refuses to die!!!

In time, Hyundai may get as much respect as a Honda.

They are coming out with a 4 door back wheel drive V8 and an all wheel drive 7 seater sport utility that looks too much like the Mazda... lol.

I agree. I considered buying one years back, but I knew they hadn't been around very long, so I passed on the car. I should have bought it.

Right now I'm looking forward to test driving the new Accent hatchback. That'll probably be my next car if not a new Corolla. The Accent is about 4 grand cheaper, which might make the difference.

What I know about Toyota is that every one I've had gets well beyond EPA gas mileage ratings; to the point that some people don't even believe me or think I'm miscalculating when I tell them that my v-6 4wd Tacoma has gotten 23 and 24 miles to the gallon on long trips, when it is only rated for 17-19.

I'm researching Hyundai right now and if I find that they also tend to do better than expected, the Accent will be my next car.

I've just rented one for the weekend since we have guests that unexpectedly showed up for an extended visit. My regular car is a Mazda6.

First impressions: Not the best looking car I've seen... especially after the eyes have gotten used to the sexy lines of a Mazda.

The interior looks, well, unimaginative. I swear I've seen the same dashboard on an Accord :) Quality of plastics and solidity/feel of the interior still isn't up to the level of my regular car.

Seats are firm, but completely flat. Most cars today have seats that "hug" the body... i.e. lumbar support and side bolstering. The Sonata's seats were flat.

Power from the 16V 4-banger is good... surprisingly enough. Suspension, however, feels mushy and the car looks like its riding on stilts. I dread taking curves/corners in this car.

Love the XM satellite radio that came with the car. I might just insist on driving this rental, just for the XM radio. :)

Never change the oil in a brand new car before the mileage recommended; it's a special oil with detergents to clean the engine in its breaking in period; even the dealers can't have it, I know as I used to work in the parts department.

What is Amsoil 0-30 oil? Is there something special with this type of oil?

I fell in love my 07 Limited the moment we met in the showroom floor! But there are some things I would like to see Hyundai improve on.

My most serious "complaint" is; when driving over bumps, or an uneven road, the suspension feels like it bottoms out; same kind of feeling you get when you hit a bad pothole, and in Brooklyn we got a lot of that...

I think I heard, higher aspect ratio tires would improve this condition.

Although I like the interior, I would like to see the brushed aluminum plastic pieces, like the door release handles and the center console shifter plate, replaced by chromed metal. That would give the car a more solid feel!

And yes, one last thing: lose the body paint color insert on the door handles...

Thanks

Aldo

Brooklyn, NY.