Pretty Good Car for the Money
The Sonata is a good car. In a world were crossovers and SUVs have all but taken over the affordable car market, Hyundai's resistance to this change by keeping an automotive staple--the mid-sized sedan--is a welcome addition to the market. The Sonata's size, comfort, and features make it ideal for a 4-5 person family, or even a single person or couple with a lot to transport without needing to upgrade to an unruly, unsafe, and gas guzzling SUV. It features ample trunk space, a well-performing engine, fuel efficiency (especially once broken in), and style without breaking the bank.
Having said all that though, the car isn't perfect. The drive-by-wire system can take a while to get used to. Not so much the switching of gears, but the fact that the steering wheel isn't connected to the wheels of the car. This makes the Sonata's steering unnaturally light. It is slightly heavier in Sport mode, but for those of us who grew up with power steering, it still feels a little off. More resistance would be appreciated. Further, the driver's aides seem to be a touch too sensitive. A tad too worrisome. That's not to say that you can't override them if you want, but it can feel odd to have the car turn itself before you feel the car should be steered. I've also noticed that sometimes the car lurches when cold. I don't know if this is the automatic transmission receiving conflicting signals from the gas pedal, but it is worrying when it happens, and the only way to prevent it seems to be hard acceleration, which is another I don't like about it. It takes quite a hard press of the gas to actually get it moving. My old car, a BMW 328i, needed very little input from the gas to get going, even in Eco Pro mode. And speaking of modes, the car's Sport mode seems to hang onto gears for too long when accelerating. I realize the Sonata isn't a performance vehicle, some more fine tuning of how the engine performs would be appreciated.
I know it seems like I have more negative than positive things to say about Sonata, but that's only because I'm coming from a performance vehicle to a more everyday driver. Overall, I like the Sonata and would recommend it. But there is definitely room for improvement.
Verified Owner
