2006 Sonata
- Size: Midsize
- Engine Size: 2.4L - 4 Cylinders 3.3L - 6 Cylinders
- Model: Sonata
- Year: 2006
- Class: Sedan
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Great Value for Money: Honda Look out!
Pros
Cheap, yet very well made, great features, pleasing performance.
Cons
Not quite up to Toyota/Honda/Nissan standards but not far off.
Recommended it?
No
The Bottom Line:
It's everything you need at a great price without sacrificing comfort & with great economy.
The Hyundai range is still the butt of some jokes & scoffing, but the new Sonata is firmly quelling any such suggestions. Rightly so.
The newly designed 2006 models saw fresh, eye pleasing styling & interior. It is still a little bland, a kind of generic Honda Accord copy, but still easy to look at. There are few hints to the budget nature of this vehicle, but one of the giveaways is a slight hollow "ring" to the doors when you operate the door handles. Having said that they still close with a solid, satisfying "Thump". The hood & the trunk are easy to open with gas a damper that props open the hood, always a nice touch.
The trunk is truly huge for this size of car & has an auxiliary power outlet in it. The engine bay is well laid out & should be easy for servicing. The only oddity I can see so far is that the radiator has the filler cap on the right but the expansion bottle is way over on the left, fed by a very long pipe. Not a disaster but very strange none the less.
The seating position feels high, but it's comfortable. The driver's seat has the usual adjustments, but no seat tilt, only height. The steering wheel tilts, but there's no reach adjustment unless you get the option or the SE version. This car came with Electronic Stability Control & Side Curtain Airbags too, something the rival cars I'd considered didn't have in my price range.
The interior is well laid out & specified, with lots of really useful storage. This is why I can't understand why Hyundai get criticized from people who don't know better. I also have a Subaru Outback, generally accepted as a well designed & made car, yet the cup holders are flimsy & have dumped hot drinks out onto the carpets & the sun glasses bin isn't actually big enough to take a pair of sunglasses! Contrast this with the Sonata where the center console's cup holders are secure & the sun glasses holder is actually big enough!
Entertainment is provided by a CD/Radio which is surprisingly good for a factory fit. My one dislike is that there's no MP3/iPod input socket. Once upon a time you could use an adapter in your tape player to feed in an accessory audio device, but you can't do that with a CD player. You also won't be able to replace the radio as it is a non standard size that is molded into the dash. It is, however, a good radio that is sure to keep you happy unless you crave huge MP3 libraries & a Sirius/XMRadio.
Storage is everywhere, there's a small bin on the console arm rest & a larger bin underneath that along with small recesses ahead of the gear lever. There's even a fold away hook in the front passenger side foot well to hang up shopping bags & prevent them from flopping over & spilling their contents.
The interior materials are substantial but the finish of the dash is still a little cheap looking. Switches & controls have a satisfying action, nothing spongy or vague. The electric window switches are where they should be, on the diver's side door arm rest, something some car makers should finally accept as being the best place for them. The windows wind smartly without being so fast that they are uncontrollable & the sun roof has a tilt/open switch & an interior slide out cover that matches the interior roof lining.
Starting the engine you soon find out that this isn't quite in the same league as more expensive cars, there's some engine noise but not much. However do you really need those extra decibels of quiet? Especially when the marginal improvement in noise levels may cost you $4,000 more? Certainly I test drove a Honda Civic &, apart from the quality of the interior trim, I thought the Sonata a far quieter, faster, better performing car.
Moving off you soon notice how willing the 175BHP 2.4L I4 engine is, you can spin the tires if you really try. You also notice that it isn't as smooth an engine as some of the better 4cylinder offerings from Nissan or Toyota. Once again is it really worth the money to have that extra bit of silky acceleration?
On the road the Sonata is fairly quiet, but road noise over rough surfaces is quite noticeable. My car came with Bridgestone Potenza tires (the cheap version) & I am sure that when these are replaced road noise will be subdued. These tires are noisy & unforgiving so its hard to make any definitive judgment on this noise issue until they are replaced. I have spoken to other Sonata owners who don't have Potenza tires fitted & they claim their cars are more than reasonably quiet at all times.
The ride is firm, this results in 2 things. First of all there's hardly any body lean in corners & it handles very well. Second it is a bit jiggly & unsettled on bumpy roads. While the suspension may be OK for the smooth roads of Europe the increasingly uncared for highways of the US might benefit from a slightly softer setting in future Sonatas.
At high Freeway speeds the engine seems a little breathless & the Variable Valve Timing encourages it to rev a lot when overtaking. If you like low end grunt & growl you'll be disappointed here. What won't disappoint you is the good fuel economy. So far in a mix of driving, with morning cold starts, commuting, stop-start crawls, shopping runs & long Freeway rides, I've averaged 27mpg on Unleaded. Don't forget this also includes some "Getting to know you" bursts of foot-down acceleration (AHEM!).
It is disappointing to see, yet again, that a car which is also sold elsewhere in the world still gets poor MPG when sold in the US. I don't know what it is but this modern, well thought out, aerodynamic car still gets substantially LESS MPG than the clunky, heavy, old Volvo I had back in the UK. Even factoring in the slightly smaller US gallons my Volvo (catalyzed, thank you) at 70mph still got better MPG than this Sonata at 60mph! (& a car engine is 20% less efficient at 70mph than it is at 60mph) I don't know what it is but I'd love it if I could get a US car that could equal Rest-Of-The-World economy levels.
After a while of driving the Sonata I discovered a few niggles I didn't like about it. First of all the gas pedal seems to be weakly sprung & this tires out my right foot as I have to resist gravity's urge to let my foot flop forward. Reversing means you have to deal with a somewhat restricted view from the rear view mirror due to the high rear parcel shelf & the body lines over the trunk. The steering also feels a little disconnected from the road, although it is accurate & easy to point the car where you want it to go.
In conclusion you can do better but for nowhere near the same amount of money. You can buy a Nissan Altima or Honda Accord for this price but only if you choose something 2 or 3 years older & with a lot more miles on it. Also you might not get toys such as side curtain airbags or ESC. What this Sonata represents is notice that Hyundai means business & that Honda, Nissan & Toyota had better watch out. Given the improvement from the 2005 to the 2006 model if Hyundai manages to maintain this level of improvement then the next iteration of their range will truly be on a par with the best the world can offer & honestly, judging by this car, they don't have far to go to get there. Let's hope the prices stay as attractive.
The newly designed 2006 models saw fresh, eye pleasing styling & interior. It is still a little bland, a kind of generic Honda Accord copy, but still easy to look at. There are few hints to the budget nature of this vehicle, but one of the giveaways is a slight hollow "ring" to the doors when you operate the door handles. Having said that they still close with a solid, satisfying "Thump". The hood & the trunk are easy to open with gas a damper that props open the hood, always a nice touch.
The trunk is truly huge for this size of car & has an auxiliary power outlet in it. The engine bay is well laid out & should be easy for servicing. The only oddity I can see so far is that the radiator has the filler cap on the right but the expansion bottle is way over on the left, fed by a very long pipe. Not a disaster but very strange none the less.
The seating position feels high, but it's comfortable. The driver's seat has the usual adjustments, but no seat tilt, only height. The steering wheel tilts, but there's no reach adjustment unless you get the option or the SE version. This car came with Electronic Stability Control & Side Curtain Airbags too, something the rival cars I'd considered didn't have in my price range.
The interior is well laid out & specified, with lots of really useful storage. This is why I can't understand why Hyundai get criticized from people who don't know better. I also have a Subaru Outback, generally accepted as a well designed & made car, yet the cup holders are flimsy & have dumped hot drinks out onto the carpets & the sun glasses bin isn't actually big enough to take a pair of sunglasses! Contrast this with the Sonata where the center console's cup holders are secure & the sun glasses holder is actually big enough!
Entertainment is provided by a CD/Radio which is surprisingly good for a factory fit. My one dislike is that there's no MP3/iPod input socket. Once upon a time you could use an adapter in your tape player to feed in an accessory audio device, but you can't do that with a CD player. You also won't be able to replace the radio as it is a non standard size that is molded into the dash. It is, however, a good radio that is sure to keep you happy unless you crave huge MP3 libraries & a Sirius/XMRadio.
Storage is everywhere, there's a small bin on the console arm rest & a larger bin underneath that along with small recesses ahead of the gear lever. There's even a fold away hook in the front passenger side foot well to hang up shopping bags & prevent them from flopping over & spilling their contents.
The interior materials are substantial but the finish of the dash is still a little cheap looking. Switches & controls have a satisfying action, nothing spongy or vague. The electric window switches are where they should be, on the diver's side door arm rest, something some car makers should finally accept as being the best place for them. The windows wind smartly without being so fast that they are uncontrollable & the sun roof has a tilt/open switch & an interior slide out cover that matches the interior roof lining.
Starting the engine you soon find out that this isn't quite in the same league as more expensive cars, there's some engine noise but not much. However do you really need those extra decibels of quiet? Especially when the marginal improvement in noise levels may cost you $4,000 more? Certainly I test drove a Honda Civic &, apart from the quality of the interior trim, I thought the Sonata a far quieter, faster, better performing car.
Moving off you soon notice how willing the 175BHP 2.4L I4 engine is, you can spin the tires if you really try. You also notice that it isn't as smooth an engine as some of the better 4cylinder offerings from Nissan or Toyota. Once again is it really worth the money to have that extra bit of silky acceleration?
On the road the Sonata is fairly quiet, but road noise over rough surfaces is quite noticeable. My car came with Bridgestone Potenza tires (the cheap version) & I am sure that when these are replaced road noise will be subdued. These tires are noisy & unforgiving so its hard to make any definitive judgment on this noise issue until they are replaced. I have spoken to other Sonata owners who don't have Potenza tires fitted & they claim their cars are more than reasonably quiet at all times.
The ride is firm, this results in 2 things. First of all there's hardly any body lean in corners & it handles very well. Second it is a bit jiggly & unsettled on bumpy roads. While the suspension may be OK for the smooth roads of Europe the increasingly uncared for highways of the US might benefit from a slightly softer setting in future Sonatas.
At high Freeway speeds the engine seems a little breathless & the Variable Valve Timing encourages it to rev a lot when overtaking. If you like low end grunt & growl you'll be disappointed here. What won't disappoint you is the good fuel economy. So far in a mix of driving, with morning cold starts, commuting, stop-start crawls, shopping runs & long Freeway rides, I've averaged 27mpg on Unleaded. Don't forget this also includes some "Getting to know you" bursts of foot-down acceleration (AHEM!).
It is disappointing to see, yet again, that a car which is also sold elsewhere in the world still gets poor MPG when sold in the US. I don't know what it is but this modern, well thought out, aerodynamic car still gets substantially LESS MPG than the clunky, heavy, old Volvo I had back in the UK. Even factoring in the slightly smaller US gallons my Volvo (catalyzed, thank you) at 70mph still got better MPG than this Sonata at 60mph! (& a car engine is 20% less efficient at 70mph than it is at 60mph) I don't know what it is but I'd love it if I could get a US car that could equal Rest-Of-The-World economy levels.
After a while of driving the Sonata I discovered a few niggles I didn't like about it. First of all the gas pedal seems to be weakly sprung & this tires out my right foot as I have to resist gravity's urge to let my foot flop forward. Reversing means you have to deal with a somewhat restricted view from the rear view mirror due to the high rear parcel shelf & the body lines over the trunk. The steering also feels a little disconnected from the road, although it is accurate & easy to point the car where you want it to go.
In conclusion you can do better but for nowhere near the same amount of money. You can buy a Nissan Altima or Honda Accord for this price but only if you choose something 2 or 3 years older & with a lot more miles on it. Also you might not get toys such as side curtain airbags or ESC. What this Sonata represents is notice that Hyundai means business & that Honda, Nissan & Toyota had better watch out. Given the improvement from the 2005 to the 2006 model if Hyundai manages to maintain this level of improvement then the next iteration of their range will truly be on a par with the best the world can offer & honestly, judging by this car, they don't have far to go to get there. Let's hope the prices stay as attractive.
