2009 Hyundai Sonata GLS V6

[The Critic]

On our way home from Sam's Club, my dad and I stopped by the new Hyundai dealer. He took a Genesis 4.6 out for a drive while I took the 2009 Sonata GLS V6 out for a drive.

As some of you may know, the Sonata was refreshed for 2009. The 3.3L V6 received a power boost to 249HP. That and a few other minor changes was why I wanted to take a look at it. I wanted to see how it compared to the current Camry, Accord and Malibu.

The driving position was pretty good. It's about the same as the Accord-- roomy and comfortable. It's definitely better than the Camry. The rear seat was also similar to the Accord-- much more headroom than the Camry or the Malibu (terrible headroom).

The interior quality of the Sonata was disappointing. While the build quality and fit/finish was excellent, the quality of cloth upholstery was poor. The material did not appear to be very durable. In the showroom, they had a Sonata Limited with leather upholstery. The tan leather in that car already had a lot of dark dye transfer. Edmunds mentioned this as a problem with their Azera. That is not very promising in terms of durability.

The drivetrain was pretty good. The 3.3L V6 had decent pick-up. It felt a bit weak in 1st gear, but once 2nd gear engaged you would feel a sudden strong surge of power. I did not find any problems with the programming, which I found to be very responsive and Honda like. The shift quality of the transmission is better than Honda, but still falls short of the Toyota and GM units.

Handling was OK. It's a bit better than the Camry LE, but still not quite as good as Honda. I'd say it's about the same as the Malibu with the 18" LTZ wheels. The steering feel was numb, but the weighting was OK, perhaps a tad on the light side.

Overall the Sonata is a decent car, but I'm not sure if it's really a class leader. With the current crop of midsize sedans, there really isn't a clear winner anyway. All of them have some fairly significant pluses and minuses. Considering that I could have probably bought the car that I drove for $17-$18k, the Sonata clearly gives you the best value. However, given the poor quality of some of the interior materials, it doesn't give me the confidence that this car will be durable in the long haul.

 

[ThirdeYe]

It's funny, you'd think with them trying so hard to gain a foothold in this market based on how quality their cars are now-a-days, that their Sonata doesn't seem to be better than the competition. I was thinking that they should try their hardest to sacrifice profit a little bit to increase their quality above the competition, then once they have that foothold, then they can reduce the quality a little..

 

[dishdude]

Odd, I really like the interior in the refreshed '09 Sonata. I just bought a new car this past spring, and I test drove the '08 Sonata and the only reason I didn't consider it was the interior seemed bland and grandpa-ish and there was no aux input for my ipod. I ended up with a Saturn Aura. I am very happy with the Aura, but had they reworked the interior of the Sonata a year earlier I might be driving a Sonata.

 

[BearZDefect]

I've driven the GLS 4-cyl, and the SE v6.

Critic, I am surprised you found one with a nice shifting transmission. The three total I drove all had at least one consistently poor shift during easy driving. Ex, the 4-cyl a sloppy drawn-out ending-with-a-thunk 2-3 shift, and the v6 a harsh 1-2 shift. Or maybe you drove it aggressively the whole time, in which case I agree, they shift just fine with more than half throttle.

The v6 really does take off in second gear, as you mentioned.

No problems with the programming? Even in the 4-cyl, the transmission shifts to 5th at 44mph, giving you about 1,400rpm, and almost total loss of acceleration. Must be to get better EPA city figures, but they REALLY should hold 4th longer since the TCC is already engaged.

I agree that the cabin space is great, the dash is decent, but the seats are cheap.

Oh, and the suspension in the non-SE trims is sloppy, and front end clunky. But no surprise there, I suppose it is Camry territory.

 

[The Critic]

Originally Posted By: BearZDefect
I've driven the GLS 4-cyl, and the SE v6.

Critic, I am surprised you found one with a nice shifting transmission. The three total I drove all had at least one consistently poor shift during easy driving. Ex, the 4-cyl a sloppy drawn-out ending-with-a-thunk 2-3 shift, and the v6 a harsh 1-2 shift. Or maybe you drove it aggressively the whole time, in which case I agree, they shift just fine with more than half throttle.

The v6 really does take off in second gear, as you mentioned.

No problems with the programming? Even in the 4-cyl, the transmission shifts to 5th at 44mph, giving you about 1,400rpm, and almost total loss of acceleration. Must be to get better EPA city figures, but they REALLY should hold 4th longer since the TCC is already engaged.

I agree that the cabin space is great, the dash is decent, but the seats are cheap.

Oh, and the suspension in the non-SE trims is sloppy, and front end clunky. But no surprise there, I suppose it is Camry territory.

Like I said in the original post, the shifts were better than the Honda but nowhere as good as the GM or Toyota AW units. The shift quality seemed OK to me, though I'd agree that the 1-2 could be a bit better. If you want an example of poor shift quality, go drive a 08+ Accord V6. The 2-3 is neck snapping, and the 3-2 downshift feels like someone rear ended you, especially in ECO mode. No joke.

On the Sonata V6, the engine really takes off in 2nd gear. I've never had that happen to me before in any other car. It just feels like the transmission holds 2nd gear for way too long?

The Honda 2.4 does the same thing with respect to shifting fifth that early. I don't mind it as long as the software is responsive and prompts the transmission to downshift instantly.

I should go test drive a 4-cyl Sonata and witness the poor shift quality firsthand.

 

[CivicFan]

Strange to see Hyundai being compared with Honda, Toyota or GM.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: CivicFan
Strange to see Hyundai being compared with Honda, Toyota or GM.

If they want to get better, they have to aim high. Price-wise, a lot of the Hyundai products are already in-line with some of those others you mentioned.

 

[BearZDefect]

Originally Posted By: The Critic
Like I said in the original post, the shifts were better than the Honda but nowhere as good as the GM or Toyota AW units. The shift quality seemed OK to me, though I'd agree that the 1-2 could be a bit better. If you want an example of poor shift quality, go drive a 08+ Accord V6. The 2-3 is neck snapping, and the 3-2 downshift feels like someone rear ended you, especially in ECO mode. No joke.

On the Sonata V6, the engine really takes off in 2nd gear. I've never had that happen to me before in any other car. It just feels like the transmission holds 2nd gear for way too long?

The Honda 2.4 does the same thing with respect to shifting fifth that early. I don't mind it as long as the software is responsive and prompts the transmission to downshift instantly.

I should go test drive a 4-cyl Sonata and witness the poor shift quality firsthand.

The only current generation Hondas I've driven are the Odyssey and the 4-cyl Accord. Both shift decently, although the shifts take too long when the transmission is very cold.

When you try the 4-cyl Sonata try driving it granny style for a while, maybe it will act up. Shut down and restart in the middle of your trip. Turn a gentle 90 degree corner during a launch from standstill, like from a stop sign. Witness how agonizingly slow the shifts can be. Perhaps they want to make sure those clutches wear out just after the 100k mile warranty.

Critic, your reports on test drives can be very helpful for others to compare their impressions. Thanks!