Great television shows occasionally hit the ground running, offering a truly incredible experience from the first episode onward. Others initially struggle to find their footing, ultimately reaching their potential in season two and beyond. NBC’s The Office suffered from a lack of identity during its initial six episode run largely because it operated as a pastiche of its BBC counterpart. Did that make the show bad? Absolutely not. Critics generally liked the show, but felt that NBC didn’t do enough to distinguish it from the original, which by that point had become an international sensation.
Like season one of NBC’s The Office, Hyundai’s fifth generation Sonata was a competent and historic product that struggled to differentiate itself from international predecessors.
Hyundai’s path to relevancy didn’t begin with the Sonata, but a product based on its platform did. Introduced in 2001, the Santa Fe represented a departure for the Korean automaker. Prior to its debut, Hyundai’s lineup only featured cars not explicitly designed for the North American market. The Korean automaker decided to change the formula with the Santa Fe, using their design studio in California to develop the exterior while basing its size on the Ford Explorer. It represented a clear step up from the entry level cars consumers came to expect from Hyundai.
Creating a vehicle for a burgeoning segment where all the products are relatively new is different than redesigning a car in a mature segment that feature models with decades of established credibility. The Sonata carried the baggage associated with previous generations in its trunk.
If you asked the average car shopper to outline the advantages of owning a Hyundai in 2006, their top response likely centered around the value proposition the brand represented. Hyundai’s strategy relied on packing their vehicles full of standard features with pricing considerably lower than their American and Japanese counterparts. While that is still mostly true in 2017, contemporary Korean cars compete on more than just price.
| Year | Sales |
|---|---|
| 2002 | 68,085 |
| 2003 | 82,330 |
| 2004 | 107,189 |
That was not the case for the fourth generation Sonata. Hampered by awkward styling, the mid-size sedan struggled against better known competitors. But it did succeed in attracting a growing number of customers looking for a value packed sedan, and sales increased 36 percent over three years. That didn’t mean Hyundai could rest on its laurels. In the February 2002 issue of Car and Driver, Daniel Pund outlined the status of the Sonata as a viable competitor to the Camry and Accord:
Does the Hyundai feel as well engineered, well constructed, and satisfying to drive as the Accord and Camry? No. Should Honda and Toyota worry? No.
If Hyundai wanted to gain more credibility (and customers) they needed to field a vehicle substantially better than the fourth generation sedan.
And they largely did. The 2006 Sonata boasted a more elegantly chiseled exterior than its predecessor. Hyundai ditched the dual circular setup of the headlights for a single, rectangular design much more aligned with the established norms of the mid-size sedan segment.
The somewhat rounded silhouette of the fourth gen model gave way to a more traditional boxy shape with the fifth generation.
Out back, the Sonata ditched the bulbous, square shaped tail lights for some rectangular units.
Obviously, Hyundai decided to style the Sonata after the Accord. Introduced in 2002, the Honda made its debut at about the time the fifth generation Sonata was in its initial design stages. The similarities between the two are so apparent that one could even go so far as to say the 2006 Sonata looks like a blend between the sixth and seventh generation Accord. If you swapped their badges, and told an automotive layman that your Hyundai is an Accord, they probably wouldn’t second guess you.
When comparing the Japanese and Korean sedans, its a bit surprising Honda chose to design triangular shaped headlights for the front end, since anything other than vaguely rectangular shaped lenses tend to derail exterior design in mainstream vehicles. Previous versions of the Sonata suffered for it, but Honda successfully incorporated a front end that looked attractive with the non-traditional layout.
Unfortunately, something got lost in translation with the interior, or perhaps Hyundai wanted to create a cabin not directly influenced by the Japanese. They succeeded, but their effort produced a dash lacking any sort of aesthetic quality. The most noticeable issue is the vast distance between the audio controls and the HVAC system, which is made worse by the contrasting strip of silver (and wood applique in other trims). Visually, the strip bisects the entire dash, which breaks up the natural flow of the design and makes the entire area look like two different interiors were mixed together to create it. Saying this is not the most attractive car interior in automotive history is an understatement.
Where did Hyundai get the inspiration for such an audaciously designed cabin? Hard to say, since visually it does not resemble the competition nearly as well as the exterior matches that of the Honda Accord. But there are similarities between the Sonata’s cabin and the interior found in the 2002 Toyota Camry. Most notably the audio control layout, with the buttons on the Sonata residing in positions that mirror those on the Toyota.
| Make/Model | 4 cyl. (hp) | 6 cyl (hp) |
|---|---|---|
| Hyundai Sonata | 164 | 237 |
| Honda Accord | 166 | 244 |
| Toyota Camry (XV40) | 158 | 268 |
| Ford Fusion | 160 | 221 |
As for the sections less visible to the consumer, Hyundai proved it could do its homework in those areas as well. Hyundai’s first all-aluminum engine, the 2.0 liter four cylinder dubbed “Theta,” boasted competitive horsepower figures, and the new 3.3 liter “Lambda” V6 was no different.
The fifth generation Sonata proved Hyundai could compete in the big leagues. That doesn’t mean the car was perfect. In an early 2006 comparison test that featured the Accord, Camry, Fusion, and Sonata, Motor Trend had this to say about the differences between the Korean and Japanese products:
The doors slam with a thinner thud. Inside, the waterline of cheaper hard plastics along the dash and door panels is an inch or so higher, so your eyes notice them more. Over micro-bumps, which the Toyota’s suspension absorbs without a ripple in your latte, the Sonata’s chassis quivers; on worse surfaces, its suspension skips and patters. But its steering and braking are crisper.
It seems the Sonata couldn’t compete in certain areas but did well in others. In December 2005, Car and Driver wrote about their experience testing the same cars, and generally liked the Sonata, even if it wasn’t groundbreaking:
The suspension lacks the muscular control that gives the Honda such a sporting feel, and it lacks the plush-carpet smoothness that eases the Camry over Michigan’s broken roads. Hey, benchmarks are very hard to beat. That said, the Sonata certainly behaves within the envelope of contemporary expectations.
Did Car and Driver damn the Sonata with faint praise? Sort of. But they also acknowledged the progress Hyundai achieved in just a few short years. This is also evident in the Sonata’s third place finish in the comparison test. It marked one of the first times a Korean car beat out one of the class leaders. But were the Accord and Camry true competitors to the Sonata?
| Make/Model | 2006 | 2008 | 2010 | 2012 | 2014 | 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toyota Camry | 448,445 | 436,617 | 327,804 | 404,886 | 428,606 | 388,618 |
| Honda Accord | 354,441 | 372,789 | 282,530 | 331,872 | 388,374 | 345,225 |
| Ford Fusion | 142,502 | 147,569 | 219,219 | 241,263 | 306,860 | 265,840 |
| Hyundai Sonata | 149,513 | 117,357 | 196,623 | 230,605 | 216,936 | 199,416 |
The numbers shown above illustrate the importance of reputation and brand recognition. The Accord and Camry each had decades of positive buzz to build upon, while Hyundai still needed to win customers over to its side. That being said, the Korean nameplate fared well, as did the Fusion, and these four sedans roughly follow similar sales trajectories, even if the numbers between each differ. The Altima, which doesn’t appear in the chart, performed similarly and maintained third place for most of the past decade. Fluctuating numbers between 2008 and 2010 were likely due to the recession, and the second decline in 2016 probably highlights the growing popularity of crossovers. If anything, the sales numbers provide proof that automakers competing in mature segments are fighting for marketshare at the margins.
In this light its entirely plausible to view the two comparison tests as evaluations of the newcomers rather than a contest to determine a winner among the group. Of course the opposite argument can also be made. While the Sonata and Fusion never threatened to topple the best sellers, they each carved out their own niche in a segment large enough to sustain a diverse group of vehicles. But they were also able to compete on the merits for shoppers not entirely on board with a Camry, Accord, or Altima.
As one of the primary competitors to the Sonata, the first generation Fusion may have indeed represented a bolder choice than the Hyundai, at least when it came to driving dynamics and exterior design. But the interior definitely played it safe, sticking to a fairly basic formula. In this way the Ford also follows the Hyundai in resembling the first season of a television show, only this time that show is 2017’s Star Trek: Discovery. Like the Fusion, the show made some risky choices that ultimately paid off; the result is a refreshing take on a thoroughly established franchise.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jz1omRneAGg
The Sonata may have not been as exciting, but the fifth generation significantly elevated Hyundai’s reputation in the American market. By emulating the characteristics that made the Japanese heavyweights segment leaders, Hyundai developed a vehicle fully capable of succeeding on something more than just price. Fans of workplace comedies didn’t need to make excuses for liking The Office from day one even if it wasn’t perfect. With the fifth generation Sonata, owners could similarly feel confident about their vehicle in spite of the fact that it owed its existence to the cars that preceded it.
The redesigned angular dashboard along with the larger headlights and grille that came with the 2009 refresh are a marked improvement over the 2007 model.
The original Sonata was an OK, but bland looking design, with serious quality issues.
The fourth generation was a better car, but downright ugly. The fifth generation shown here was IMHO, one of the best looking sedan designs of it’s time.
But, as someone that doesn’t buy new cars, the big elephant in the room is – does the reliability and durability of a 10 year-old Sonata make it a viable alternative to a ten-year-old Camry, Accord or Altima?
Having heard tales in recent years of decontenting and quality lapses on once bullet-proof Japanese marques, this also begs another question – are a 10 year-old Camry, Accord or Altima as desireable as their counterparts from the mid ’90s?
Happy Motoring, Mark
Here’s a CR comparison of the reliability and used car prices of the Sonata compared to the Accord, Altima and the Camry. I would rather get the ’07 Camry or Accord
I would steer clean of the 2007 Accord with the auto trans. It seems that Honda still had not worked the bugs out of the transmissions. I have never understood this issue. Up until 1997 Honda had a bullet proof auto trans. Then starting in 1998 BOOM!!! transmission issues in Accords, Odyssey and assorted Acura models until around 2008. Yes they recalled then but the replacement ones died too.
“I would steer clear of the 2007 Accord with the auto trans”
What the heck is it with the stupid spell checker on my phone?
It has Honda transmission coding embedded in it. /s
Agreed, my last roommate has the transmission on her Odyssey go and it cost 3K to fix. She bought a Prius after she paid off the repair and the van.
The best design before the radical changes from 2011-2012. His “eyes” resemble too much the 2003 Holden Calais / Chevrolet Omega.
Here is the guy
Anyone with personal experience on how these are holding up? I see 10 year old Japanese sedans (and other products) all the time. These are pretty rare on the ground, even in Ontario, where people tend to take care of their cars and keep them longer in my experience at least.
I have a 2005 Highlander and 2006 Solara convertible with 178K and 201K respectively, and they have been very reliable vehicles. I would actually buy another one of these if I needed to replace one due to theft or accident. Even the leather seats look better than a lot of newer cars I have been in. Peak Toyota if you ask me.
I do have to give Hyundai credit for keeping at it. Competition (mostly) improves the breed.
Well, a friend of mine has a 2006 Sonata with V6 and automatic transmission. It was purchased new and seems to be holding up well. The car has about 140,000 miles at this point and the only repair it has required is fuel pump replacement at about the 120,000 mile mark. (Of course that’s just one car.)
I’m in Charleston SC. I see this generation all the time. They are reasonably priced used cars here. Two of my neighbors have them and both of them love the cars. I think they hold up quite well.
I had a fourth gen (2002) that I picked up dirt cheap. It was a great car. I ran it for 4 years with no major issues. It was an ugly but comfortable car and I only got rid of it when a great deal on a Focus fell in my lap.
The NF Sonata seems to be pretty reliable overall. The 2.4l engines have a well known propensity for heavy oil use due to dilapidating piston rings, just like Toyota 2.4s. The rarer V6s seem to be nearly bulletproof. Suspensions are sound, although they never felt that well-tuned even when new. The 3.3 isn’t top speed restricted, oddly enough. I remember a story in around 07 where a rental customer was photo-ticketed for 150+ mph on a NY toll road. He fought it, saying it wasn’t possible. The authorities tested the rental Sonata GLS V6 he had been driving and achieved 153, IIRC. On wheelcovers!
These things are cheap as heck to buy now, and many V6s have 200k+ with few problems. We see very few failures on them even at higher mileage in our shop.
The stereo sucks, big time, and the base cloth seats are extremely ugly. Overall, a watershed product for Korean auto industry.
Wife traded hers in (I think it was an 09) about a year and a half ago. Had over 90,000 miles on it. We had just started dating when she was coming off a Dodge Magnum lease. I was the one who said not to settle for a Toyota or Honda appliance. The second time I saw her she had a new Sonata Limited with a V6. We never had any issues with the car other than a strange radio station preset issue towards the end. My take on the car was that it had all the bells and whistles, but just a cheaper version of them. Leather felt thin, plastics looked cheaper and carpet not as plush. V6 had a lot of power, but drivetrain overall was not refined. And lastly, the handling was what I think Koreans felt Americans liked…. soft and floaty like a late 70s Delta 88. I liked the look of the car. Miles ahead of the previous generation and not overstyled like the next generation. Many times we ended up using her car instead of my Audi A6 with its many issues. Wouldn’t hesitate getting another Hyundai. Test drove a new Tucson with her which she loved, but price was too high. Traded the Sonata for a certified-used VW Tiguan which is the perfect size for us and has been great so far.
Diesel Sonatas were popular as taxi cabs, I see them for sale with 500+,000kms still going strong, styling is still in catch up phase like the Camcords , I have an 08 car currently that is so much more advanced than Asian offerings it isnt even funny, But Hyundai made their name by just building cars that work and are cheap to buy last fairly well and dont breakdown too often, my exs dad had a 90 Sonata V6 he cxross shopped a Holden Calais the Sonata came out in front on features and 10K less out the door, it never went wrong, that car and thousands of Excels all over Aussie said they had landed and they only got better rapidly, Mitsubishi based SUVs have been a hit too very few people complain about them.
The Koreans are already ahead of the place where the Japanese cars were in the 80s in that these have proved to be fairly rust resistant. Time will tell if they can match the kind of durability the Japanese cars showed in the 90s.
It seems to me that these have proved to be the equals of at least the second tier Japanese brands. And I would choose one over a Dodge Avenger any day.
About that: the final Avenger is based on the same platform as the featured Sonata, and I think shares a 4-cyl engine block. The Mitsubishi Outlander shares dem bones, too. The Daimler and Cerberus stewardship of Chrysler left their cost cutting happening at record levels, so the Avenger/Sebring had an ancient 4-speed automatic and hard plastics everywhere.
Interesting, I knew that there was a lot of Mitsubishi in the final Avenger, but was unaware of the Sonata tie-in. I am working from a small sample size but I know a former Avenger owner who was the happiest guy in the world on the day he became a Former Avenger Owner. That car (which he bought new) found ways to fail that just amazed me. But then he seems to be one of those guys whose cars conspire against him. He jumped into a high mile turbo Jetta that (unsurprisingly) treated him no better than the Avenger did. 🙂
Dave, I think you’re mistaken. The Mitsubishi provided the “bones” for the Caliber/Compass/Patriot/Avenger/Sebring/200.
The Lancer is a distant cousin, with the Caliber platform providing the basis for the Avenger and Sebring
The engine was a collaboration between Mitsubishi/Hyundai/Chrysler.
No Hyundai participation except for the WGE 2.4.
Dave, could you provide some basis for that claim? The Mitsu/ChryslerDaimler GS platform was used by quite a few cars, from those two companies, along with a PSA crossover and a Proton, but no cars from Hyundai appear on the list using that platform. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitsubishi_GS_platform
The Sonata is credited with using a new in-house platform called NF.
I must have misremembered all the links involved.
PSA repowered a Mitsubishi Outlander with their own turbo diesel 2.0 & 2.2 turbodiesel powertrains a mild restyle of the ends and called it a Peugeot not the same 2.2 I have in my car but an earlier relative, it was a better driver than the Mitsu version according to the scribes at the time, A mate of mine has a PHEV Outlander 014 I think it is yet to go wrong drives nice tows fine barely uses petrol ( the engine starts every 6 months on a timer just to ensure it will) 5 stage regen works like a retarder for braking, quite a clever car.
Also, this is the 147 mph V6 Sonata. People doubted the possibility at the time.
“Your Honor, I can’t have possibly been clocked at 147 mph. My car is a Hyundai, it says so on the ticket. Here is a Car and Driver test which says my best possible speed is 114 mph – hands over magazine with report on 4 cyl version.”
“Case dismissed” (bangs gavel and glowers at deputy who wrote the ticket)
Walks back to car with V6 badges removed and drives away.
Why? my owners manual says my car will stop accelerating at 138mph, its a 4 cylinder diesel why would a V6 gas car not be faster the gas version of my car has a 3.0 V6 and is limited at 155mph
Not about a Ford, but one of your best articles ever Edward. You clearly define everything that this car represented for Hyundai’s path to true competitiveness and what it still needed to improve on. More so, this is a car that tends to be forgotten, but it’s significance shouldn’t be forgotten so and you’ve shed light on it.
I’d say it was the sixth generation that truly was a class conpetitive and appealing Sonata, but the fifth generation was the necessary “we’re getting there” vehicle. Something unfortunately has been lost with the seventh generation.
Not about a Ford, but one of your best articles ever Edward.
Agreed. Nice work.
Thanks guys. I will admit to writing about the Hyundai in order to get out of my comfort zone. And I think this particular generation needed the coverage as well.
The exterior was definitely a step forward, but that interior reminds me of early ’00s “Old GM”.
There is no question that Hyundais and Kias have improved over the years. However, from everything I’ve seen and read, the company still has a bit of a problem getting that last bit of dynamic polish that the better Japanese manufacturers mastered for some time now.
Looks kinda generic today…but when it first came out I found this generation Sonata to be quite attractive, even if in a “safe” way. It definitely looked – for the first time – like something intended for this market.
I owned a 2010 Sonata for 5 years and 80k miles. I bought it as a “disposable” car to avoid running up miles on my BMW. It was an utterly competent turnpike cruiser that made a 500 mile commute completely painless. I called it “the appliance”, as it evoked absolutely no emotions at all. It was not pretty, ugly, fast, slow, fun, or any other extreme descriptor. What it was was utterly faithful dependable cheap comfortable transportation. It was precisely the right tool for the job, day in and day out.
I think that nails the whole Korean car experience. I had 2 Santa Fe (one totalled in an unfortunate accident) and a Spectra, with about 200K total miles between the 3, and all with minimal fuss. However, they really did not evoke any emotional response, only the comfort of purchasing another pair of shoes identical to the ones being replaced. You know what you are getting, and at a good value. You get good use, but little enjoyment. Kind of like eating oatmeal. It’s not your favorite, but you get used to eating a bowl every morning. With a modern Kia or Hyundai, you know the car will get you to and from point A to point B, but the ride will be unremarkable. Overall, not a bad thing for a middle of the road purchase, but soul-draining for an enthusiast.
I missed the Korean baroque styling themes when this bland thing came out. Universal tail lights, shape and grille mimicking Japanese cars, but comes the next model Sonata…. these look like 61-65 Continentals in their restraint.
Ironically, my little brother and his wife rented a black V6 Hyundai Sonata to drive to Newport OR when my Dad died. They picked me up in LA and I got to drive it for a couple of stretches.
Very nice. Leather seats were overstuffed like a recliner and excellent. Felt sort of willowy to drive, but was quiet and competent on the road.
Interior materials seemed quite thin, but well assembled. I rather liked it.
I’m somewhat of a contrarian, I guess, as I consider the 2007-2010 to be a “me too” kind of design. The 2003-2006 model I suppose is also a me too design since it looks a bit like a Jaguar X type…as styled in Asia, yet it sure is different enough from a Camry or Accord to let you know it’s not Japanese.
But I do agree, that the Sonata turned a corner with this model, and the 2011 model is a real stunner.
MotorWeek and Star Trek Discovery mentioned within a single article. + 100 points.
+1
I looked at one of these way back when. I never bothered driving it because the legroom up front was tight and the interior was awful.
I’m not sure what it is, but I still don’t like Hyundai and Kia interiors. They always look cheap to me, even when they aren’t.
I’m with you Phil, although for me its not about the quality, but the aesthetics. I think the interiors of the Sonata and Optima are sorely lacking when it comes to looks.
I got one of these as a rental car once. It was one of those rental cars that had me really pleasantly surprised. I’d never driven a Hyundai before and just knew of their reputation as cheap basic transportation. But that Sonata was much nicer than I’d expected.
This Sonata really was quite the leap forward. I understand the generic sedan styling criticism, yet I think the overall look has aged very well, and I much prefer it to the Accord generation that inspired it. One other important detail that should be noted is the mid-cycle refresh vastly improved the interior; this photo is the lowest trim, but more expensive models added moderately tasteful “wood” and other detail changes:
There are quite a few Hyundai Sonata diesels doing taxi duty over, they are ACC approved so can tap that lucrative market, they pop up for sale at low dollars but with big mileage so they must be reasonably well made 300nm of torque so one would go ok, might go for test flight one day I;m looking for another car.
We got the first one as the Hyundai Stellar Prima, an ‘upmarket’ version of the Stellar with a 2 liter engine as opposed to the 1600cc, and with a higher level of standard equipment. The second and third generation to me looked like an update of the Stellar, but the fourth one never appealed to me – looked like a cheap knock off of the then E-Class Mercedes, like its Kia Amati sister (I think that was the name of the Kia). That fifth generation one was a return to form where Hyundai’s design was concerned – I have a copy of their 2007 car range brochure, and all the cars had that basic dashboard design. Over here, SUVs outsell big cars, so the latest Sonatas, including this one, are very rare.
I had a 2006 Sonata with the v6 engine in it for a year. It was a pretty good car. I had no issues with it except for needing to replace the tires(It had crappy Michelins on it which were dry rotted) and a pulley dampener (which 100 a big 20 mins to do)
I had no problem with the looks of the dash. To me it actually looks better then the dash in the 2006 Camry. The Sonata radio blends into the dash and the color of the radio face matches the color of the dash. Unlike the Camry radio which has a face that is made of black shiny plastic that looks cheap and does not match the rest of the dash. It is almost like Toyota said “you have this nice gray dash but BLAM we are going to stick a radio in the middle of it so it throws the dash off because we can”
I actually came to appreciate the position of the center vents being lower in the dash rather then at top like most cars and trucks have. It seemed to warm me up quicker in the winter and cool me down faster in the summer. Being at chest level it seemed to warm/cool the body quicker with the added feature of not blowing into your face.
As for the car with the ugliest dash that I have seen, that is probably the one on my 2012 Ford Fiesta (the same as in the Focus) They should have made the screen bigger as it looked odd.
“and a pulley dampener (which 100 a big 20 mins to do)”
I meant it took me a big 20 minutes to replace it. I have no idea where that 100 came from.
I remember the first gen we got up here in Canada back in the early nineties or late 80’s. My buddy’s parents had one and we took it out to the mountains a few times. It was comfortable and seemed confident for the times. A real eye opener compared to the pony that preceded it. I don’t know how long it lasted. This model and the next one seemed to really make it a contender to the Camry and accord. Judging by the used prices on these out here in BC you would think they were the Honda or Toyota versions.
I’ll always remember this car as the first Korean car my mother said something positive about. She remembered when the Excel first came and all the flack that came with it. She liked the look of it and thought it was a Honda at first. The rear view was the best angle imo. I briefly lusted after the top of the line heavily refreshed ’09 model which looked especially gorgeous and a bit Teutonic in black or silver and it had a much improved interior to boot. They’re pretty cheap on the used market but I have something better and this was in Hyundai’s transition period when they were close but not there yet.
I have a coworker who picked up a pre-refreshed model as a cheap commuter for work and school. It’s been to the shop twice in the nearly a year she’s owned it, I want to say for electrical issues but I can be wrong, but that aside it’s been doing her good.
This is my vehicle it may not be that old but it is a 2007 Hyundai Sonata. It has over 232,951 miles on it.
The vehicle is still running thankfully, but I wanted to come on here and ask for a few tips.
I have had this vehicle since 2015 and thankfully its all good, but is there anything I can do to keep it running smoothly other than just the normal stuff like oil changes, etc.?
I am only asking cause I am planning on getting my vehicle wrapped in the upcoming months and I am really worried that it will die out on me.
So many of my friends and family are basically jinxing it saying it is going to die on me before it gets wrapped, but it seems to be doing fine.
I am just worried of losing my first ever vehicle. I know most people have like their second or third car by my age but I really love this car and I don’t want to lose it I want to keep it as long as I can. This car has been to so many places around the country and I don’t want to lose it.
Please feel free to message me any tips thank you so much fro taking the time out to read my comment <3
I had one as a rental for a week on a long distance drive to Atlanta. It was delightfully mediocre. These have become a high school student’s ride, it is cheap to buy and quite dependable. I discovered that Hyundai saved some money with this generation Sonata when driving through Kentucky – I heard and felt every pavement strip. I wouldn’t hesistate to recommend one if it was under $4000 and it was well maintained.
Funny, I had one ( 2006 ) for a week too, albeit in Wisconsin. I thought it was very good looking ( for a 4-door sedan anyway ) and well equipped. Engine pulled good when you wanted to, but was lacking in low-end torque. I can concur with other’s comments that it was a good car “on paper”, but overall, I liked it.
The only negative was the specious handling, which I’m glad I found out early on. I remember it felt very composed and responsive. Enough to lure into a false sense of security. Feeling it could deliver, I dived it into a sweeping, decreasing radius curve and then had that disconcerting ( no queasy ) feeling that I might actually be in trouble. Thankfully I recovered and respected how the chassis was capable of writing a check it couldn’t cash.
My hard driving son and his wife drove a a 4cyl 2007 well over 200k with no issues other than floppy sun visors. Based on that we bought a 2009 4cyl and drove it 140k miles, replacing a squealing rear hub at 120k. We now have a 2020 Tucson.
As a retiree the warranty and price was the deciding factor over a Toyota or Honda. I’m an ex-motocross racer, with my corner carving days behind me, I found the handling acceptable at slightly above reasonable speeds. I’ve always had cheap cars (it’s a character flaw) so I could buy zero miles on a new car for the price of a 20k Honda or Yota.
A lot has changed since 2017. Star Trek Discovery was cancelled, not making it to the usual seven seasons of other Star Trek shows.
Hyundai has lost quite a bit of brand equity with their premature engine failures and ham fisted ignition switch recalls.
Like the Star Trek Discovery show it was compared to, it’s getting cancelled at the end of the current generation production run.
https://www.motor1.com/news/587921/sonata-stinger-k5-axed-us/
My impression was that this car was targeting the 2002-2006 Camry and only the Camry. The safe conservative styling, and refined but soft driving experience were a Hyundai photocopy of what Toyota was doing then. I didn’t see any attempt to ape the sharper driving Honda or Nissan or Ford with this car.
Seemed to work, a lot of these were sold.