Wasn't Planning on Buying an 06

Author's Rating:

Pros: Good fit and finish and a host of standard safety features

Cons: The Hyundai nameplate may be a problem for those who remember the dreaded Excel

The Bottom Line: 
If you are looking for a surprisingly affordable vehicle with many standard and safety features, this deserves a test drive.

Author's Review
Introduction
It was time for my aging 2002 Cadillac Deville to be replaced and after test driving a 2005 PT Cruiser, a 2005 Saturn ION and a 2005 6 cylinder Hyundai Sonata, I had decided upon the Sonata. We were at a break in the paper signing stage when I happened to notice a 2006 Sonata on the showroom floor. I stopped the deal in progress.

For 2006, the Sonata has been given a new look. A casual glance may have you think you are looking at a Honda Accord. In fact, that is exactly the target audience Hyundai is going after. This review concentrates on the base GL trim level I purchased that starts at $17, 895 for the 5 speed manual version. My particular vehicle came with automatic transmission which bumped the price into the high $18,000 range.

Isn't Hyundai that cheap Korean car maker? If you still have bad memories of the Hyundai Excel, you owe it to yourself to give the Sonata a look. Hyundai has recently constructed a new plant in Alabama where the Sonatas are being built. The fit and finish of the 2006 Sonata is impressive.

Under the hood The engine comes in 2 flavors: a 2.4 liter DOHC 4 cylinder 162 hp @5800 and a 3.3 liter DOHC 6 cylinder 235 hp @6000. One of the reasons I stopped the purchase of the 2005 was because the 2006 4 cylinder engine had almost as much horsepower as the previous year’s 6 cylinder! With gas prices where they are, I figured the improved mileage of the 4 cylinder was a better choice. It is claimed to be 24 city/33 highway. Electronic stability control and traction control comes standard, as does 4 wheel ABS.

Exterior The next thing that attracted me to the 2006 was the clean lines and excellent paint job. I admit I am a sucker for particular colors and the Golden Wheat is just stunning. I still like the pseudo-Jaguar styling of the 2005 Sonata, but the inoffensive 2006 is growing on me. It is not particularly eye-catching, but it is functional. The base GL has 16 inch steel wheels and P215/60R16 Michelin tires. The GLS adds alloy wheels, and the LX sports 17 inch aluminum with P225/50R17 Michelins. Remote keyless entry is standard, as is the security system.

Interior Switches and knobs have a positive feel. There are several little storage areas. There is an overhead padded sunglass holder, as well as a compartment on the dash that just fits the 12V charge for my cell phone perfectly. There is no arm rest on the GL trim [higher trims add a sliding arm rest feature], but the center console has both an upper and lower storage area. The interior classification is actually "large" and should accommodate 5 adults in relative comfort.

Seats are firm and well designed. Higher trim levels offer driver power seats. The beige or grey cloth is of good quality. The LX offers leather in either beige or grey.

Analog gauges are easy to read and logically placed. Higher trim levels add a trip computer. The shift is floor mounted and features either a 5 speed automatic or 4 speed Selectronic automatic. If you have a need or are just bored, you can use the "sports mode" to do clutchless shifts on the automatic.

The Non-CFC air conditioning cools the car quickly and the cabin air filter keeps it dust free.

The audio system is a 6 speaker AM/FM/MP3/single CD unit. Higher trims add a load feature which lets you load in 6 CDs. The LX adds a subwoofer and separate amplifier. The audio quality is surprisingly good for a stock system and features treble, midrange and bass controls, as well as those (to me) annoying EQ presets. When playing MP3 disks, the display will provide with a few button pushes information on the filename, album, artist and number of songs in the library. I think that’s fine for the passenger, but tempting to play with when the driver should be watching the road.

Safety Features We are still talking about the base trim here, so it is surprising to find not only the standard airbags, but in addition, front seat-mounted side-impact airbags, front and rear roof-mounted side-curtain airbags and front active head restraints. Clearly, Hyundai is concerned with occupant safety.

Ride Smooth and quite. Considering I went from a Cadillac Deville to a Sonata, it is surprising how more similar the ride is between the two, rather than jarringly different. Understand, I'm not saying it rides like a Cadillac, just that in terms of wind noise and smoothness they are more alike than is reasonable to expect.

If you prefer more "road feel", this may not be the car for you, but don't rule it out until you do a test drive.

I have no problems merging or passing, though at higher RPMs, the engine noise does intrude into the otherwise quiet cabin.

Final Impressions If you were considering a Honda Accord, or a Toyota Camry, at the very least you owe it to yourself to check out the 2006 Sonata. The amount of standard features and consideration to safety that has been built into this vehicle is astounding when you consider its price compared to those other two fine cars. It may not be 100% comparable, but I'd put it at 98% and climbing.