Hyundai Sonata 2.0 CRDI 130bhp

colm_mcm

Drove this today and was mighty impressed, had driven the 2.4 Auto before and was disappointed. the engine was underpowered and whiney, and the autobox was a bit old fashioned.
The diesel is a completely different story, nice amount of power and the 6 speed box is nice in a Japanese kind of way.


It has leather aloys and climate as standard too!

Anyone else drive one of these?

Stephen

Looks far sexier than the old model, i must say. Never drove one though.

colm_mcm

Hyundai seem to be on the up. they seem to have got the reliability and styling sorted, going on the new Santa Fe and the Sonata. all they have to do is start fitting proper intergrated stereos, put the stalk controls the right way round, and start using better plastics and they might have a winner.

halkar

Listed price is 30k , for extra 3k one can go for Passat 1.9TDI Highline, considering how Hyundai depreciates I know which one I would go for

ds20prefecture

For the same list price you can have a 140bhp Octavia TDI in elegance trim with the DSG 'box. I assume that if you're in the market for a hyundai, you're not too badge conscious.

colm_mcm

halkar wrote:

Listed price is 30k , for extra 3k one can go for Passat 1.9TDI Highline, considering how Hyundai depreciates I know which one I would go for

Oh yeah! I'm not suggesting you actually buy one, more "watch this space!"

and the re obligatory Octavia mention, the Sonata is much bigger

RoundyMooney

An excellent secondhand buy of the future. I saw one recently in traffic, not knowing what it was, and was amazed when it pulled ahead to reveal its bootlid badge.

It'll fall like a stone in value, and remain reliable. Grab one in three or four years and give it to the wife

Squirrel

My dad has an old model, '03 and we've had no troubles with it whatsoever. Personally I prefer the shape of our one, it looks different to alot of other things, rather than a conventional 3 box design with conventional light clusters. That said I was looking in one today and it is quite nice (our one was being serviced and we were taking a look waiting to collect it, the demo one wasn't in though to get a test drive).

My dad is thinking of getting one next year as a company car. Does the 2.4 manual have a 5 or 6 speed 'box?

colm_mcm

Not too unlike the Accord

RoundyMooney

Funny that. I actually assumed it was an Accord when it was beside me, before it moved off. Nothing wrong with that. I think the Accord is a fine car. I assume Hyundai are still a lot of car for the money in terms of spec, which would make it even more of a secondhand bargain when the value falls a bit.

Our currently family hack is a 99 Leganza CDX with all the toys. Bought for a song (< €4k) from a Boardsie nearly a year ago. 25k since with routine servicing and not a bother on it. Driving experience doesn't bother me 'cos I only drive the thing once a week, if that.

Buying new isnt for me anymore. (I bought new twice in the last five years).

Stephen

colm_mcm wrote:

Hyundai seem to be on the up. they seem to have got the reliability and styling sorted, going on the new Santa Fe and the Sonata. all they have to do is start fitting proper intergrated stereos, put the stalk controls the right way round, and start using better plastics and they might have a winner.

It took me a couple of days to get used to it, but I now find that I really prefer having the indicator stalk on the right - makes changing gears on roundabouts and the like much easier.

Squirrel

Stephen wrote:

It took me a couple of days to get used to it, but I now find that I really prefer having the indicator stalk on the right - makes changing gears on roundabouts and the like much easier.

It makes more sense on the right I think. Left hookers have them on the left so the drivers can change gears on roundabouts easier. Our 4 old Spacewagons, Sonata, MR2 and old Micra had/have them on the right while our Micra now has them on the left and that took some getting used to by some family members

ds20prefecture

colm_mcm wrote:

and the re obligatory Octavia mention, the Sonata is much bigger

Its 9" longer - 5%. Hardly "much". Although the wheelbase is 6" longer, which is where you need it.

Squirrel

ds20prefecture wrote:

Its 9" longer - 5%. Hardly "much". Although the wheelbase is 6" longer, which is where you need it.

It is actually "much". My dad was considering an Octavia vRS as the next company car, but looked in the back of a normal one and said no way.

colm_mcm

In much the same fashion as the Polo Saloon, Seat Cordoba, Skoda Fabia Saloon, Bora, and Vento, they just stuck a huge boot onto a wheelbase intended for a smaller hatchback.

Great if you need a big boot, not so great if you've got rear passengers!

Bards

I'll add that I recently bought a 06 2.0L Petrol Sonata manual and am very happy with build/ride quality

was looking at a volvo 1.8se before i bough and when i check out residuals and was told (from the main volvo dealer) that in 3 years it would cost the bones of 18000-21000 to change the volvo, and (from the main Hyundai delaer) in and around 12k for the sonata I decided to go with the sonata.. 3yr unlimited milleage warranty and loads of extra's.. can hardly beat it


I had a 03 hyundai coupe before and traded for the Sonata

Hyundai are where Toyota were a few years ago.. nobody rated them then and now luok

colm_mcm

Bards wrote:

Hyundai are where Toyota were a few years ago.. nobody rated them then and now look

I reckon Hyundai will be very big, as long as the Chinese don't figure out how to make cars properly. then we're all screwed

Thats why a lot of manufacturers are trying to get a foothold over there

PauloMN

colm_mcm wrote:

I reckon Hyundai will be very big, as long as the Chinese don't figure out how to make cars properly. then we're all screwed

Thats why a lot of manufacturers are trying to get a foothold over there

You mean will be bigger surely, they were 8th last year for total sales, not bad at all. Well ahead of Skoda, Seat, Kia, Fiat, Suzuki - their main budget competitors - and others.

I think the new Sonata is certainly nice to look at - much much nicer than the old model. Never driven one though, I've only driven an Accent, which I didn't think much of.

unkel

colm_mcm wrote:

Not too unlike the Accord

I agree about the looks. Honda is pricing itself right out of the market though. How about the cheapest list prices of these models:

BMW 3-series €36k
Hyundai Sonata €28k
Honda Accord €34k

Really, cop on, Honda! :rolleyes:

colm_mcm

The Honda is the superior machine, especially compared to a 316i. far better spec and reliability. also doesn't look as strange as the BMW

bazz26

unkel wrote:

I agree about the looks. Honda is pricing itself right out of the market though. How about the cheapest list prices of these models:

BMW 3-series €36k
Hyundai Sonata €28k
Honda Accord €34k

Really, cop on, Honda! :rolleyes:

Well the Accord has a 2.0 engine compared to the 3 Series' 1.6. Also the entry level Accord has a sunroof and duel zone climate control as standard. The 316i has basic air conditioning and no sunroof. Add these and a few other extras and expect to pay close to €40k. Too much imo for the sake of having RWD in a 1.6 litre car. Of course the BMW will sell just for having the badge.

A fairer comparision would be the 320i which starts at €41.5k, again add in the extras found on the Accord and that will bump the price up another few grand.

unkel

bazz26 wrote:

Well the Accord has a 2.0 engine compared to the 3 Series' 1.6. Also the entry level Accord has a sunroof and duel zone climate control as standard. The 316i has basic air conditioning and no sunroof

Granted, a bit of an unfair comparison with the engine difference, the €38k 2 liter 318i is a better match. I suspect for many people in the market for one of either (company car?) it won't matter much

My main point is that I get the feeling that the price of the Accord has been creeping towards that of a 3-series slowly but surely for quite some time now. I reckon they won't get away with it, but sure enough I could be wrong

Anybody any Irish sales stats for all Accords / 3-series over the last few years?

prospect

Regarding the 3 series Vs the Honda,

I don't really see how it can be argued that Honda are pricing themselves out of the market, and yet some people are happy to pay more money for the BMW, which is in most ways a poorer car..

The BMW, is less powerful, uglier, poorer spec, etc and yet more expensive.
The Honda, is better looking, far more reliable, sportier and much better specced, and its cheaper.
It really is a no brainer to me. I feel sorry that some people feel that BMW are a superior car. Because, the truth is, they are not.

Regarding the Hyundai,
Yes, like toyota, they will slowly start to hold value, then they will command better public opinion and as a result get more expensive.

bazz26

prospect wrote:

Regarding the Hyundai,
Yes, like toyota, they will slowly start to hold value, then they will command better public opinion and as a result get more expensive.

Yes, remember the days of the Pony and Stella? :eek: Hyundai have come along way since then while still keeping within their budget market segment. While the Irish market is relatively small buttons to most car manufactureres it is these type of markets (hight cost of car ownership) that can be exploited by the likes of Hyundai. If only they will sort out the Accent and Elantra now.

unkel

colm_mcm wrote:

The Honda is the superior machine, especially compared to a 316i. far better spec and reliability

prospect wrote:

The Honda, is better looking, far more reliable.

Hondas in general are very reliable. So are BMWs. To call one far more reliable than the other is simply not true

prospect wrote:

I feel sorry that some people feel that BMW are a superior car. Because, the truth is, they are not

According to who?

Anyway, back to my point (and apologies if it is deemed to be O/T) that for an Accord to only cost a couple of grand less than a similar 3-series, than (with higher depreciation), it is not going to be any cheaper to own over a few years. I'm not making any emotional statements here, just predicting that the pricing policy for the Accord might not be good for sales

bazz26 wrote:

Yes, remember the days of the Pony and Stella? :eek: Hyundai have come along way since then while still keeping within their budget market segment

Indeed they have. The Trajet seems to be a big seller here too

alias no.9

Didn't top gear enquire to hyundai about why the hyundai XG was more expensive than the almost identical Kia Magentis and were told you're paying for the premium badge there's badge snobbery everywhere I tells you

ds20prefecture

unkel wrote:

I agree about the looks. Honda is pricing itself right out of the market though. How about the cheapest list prices of these models:
BMW 3-series €36k
Hyundai Sonata €28k
Honda Accord €34k

Really, cop on, Honda! :rolleyes:

I imagine Honda and BMW are delighted to price themselves out of any market that has their product compared to Hyundai. It's all about the preserving the "brand", doncha know.

Skoda vs Hyundai is a much fairer comparison. Both are budget brands that produce bland, reasonable quality goods carefully pitched into the size gaps in the market. While the Hyundai is "much" (actually fractionally) bigger than the Octavia, the Octavia is aimed at the gap between Focus sized and Mondeo sized. Likewise, the Superb is a "much" bigger car than a Sonata yet in 140bhp 2.0tdi form only 2k more expensive.

Squirrel

alias no.9 wrote:

Didn't top gear enquire to hyundai about why the hyundai XG was more expensive than the almost identical Kia Magentis and were told you're paying for the premium badge there's badge snobbery everywhere I tells you

The XG is actually bigger than a Magentis, the Magentis uses the same floor as a Sonata but with the old running gear if I'm not mistaken. The Magentis uses the 2.5 V6 from the older Sonata while the now previous generation Sonata used the new 2.7

colm_mcm

BMWs are nowhere as reliable as Hondas, and there are many RELIABILITY surveys to back this up.

bazz26

unkel wrote:

Anyway, back to my point (and apologies if it is deemed to be O/T) that for an Accord to only cost a couple of grand less than a similar 3-series, than (with higher depreciation), it is not going to be any cheaper to own over a few years. I'm not making any emotional statements here, just predicting that the pricing policy for the Accord might not be good for sales

I agree that the 316i will probably retain it's value better than the Accord for a few reasons. First off because the 316i will appeal to the image consious customer who is more concerned about having the right badge on the bonnet rather than having an underpowered engine and poorly equipped car. Secondly running costs, even though the BMW will cost the bones of €40k new the a 1.6 will sell all day faster than a 2.0 Accord in Ireland.

It makes me wonder though how someone can shell out almost €40k on a new car yet choose a 1.6 because it is that bit cheaper to run.

To turn the point the other way round the basic 1 Series costs €29k :eek: and that doesn't include air con or even electric rear windows as standard. Now that is overpriced, poorly equipped, ugly (imo) and cramped in the rear.

Another point is that image is a powerful weapon in the car industry, I don't think most buying a 3 Series or Accord would even consider looking at a Sonata even though it is a grand car and thousands cheaper.

colm_mcm

Bazz, the 316 is 1.9 litre