When I first took a look at the Sonata's audio controls, I thought something was missing. The design is so incredibly spare that I thought maybe the radio didn't offer presets. I was wrong, of course. The Sonata's stereo setup has everything you'd expect; it just manages to lay things out in a wonderfully efficient way...
Instead of a zillion buttons, the Sonata gives you a handful.
The same is true of the car's HVAC controls. Two knobs and a couple of buttons. That's it. Oh, and some relatively handsome faux wood trim. You could do a lot worse in an economy car. The center stack is usually one of the most cluttered, unattractive areas of a car's cabin, but the Sonata's is a study in user-friendly simplicity.
Warren Clarke, Content Editor @ 15,469 miles
The same is true of the car's HVAC controls. Two knobs and a couple of buttons. That's it. Oh, and some relatively handsome faux wood trim. You could do a lot worse in an economy car. The center stack is usually one of the most cluttered, unattractive areas of a car's cabin, but the Sonata's is a study in user-friendly simplicity.
Warren Clarke, Content Editor @ 15,469 miles
billt9 says:
11:54 AM, 07/30/06
I want a setup that gives me the fastest access possible to all functions.
Usually that means a zillion buttons for instant access to all. I love it.
The Saab 9-3 has the best cockpit. Damn Saab for redesigning it for the upcoming year!
You simplicity people disgust my delicate tastes.
irismg says:
04:11 PM, 07/28/07
I think this looks more like faux marble than faux wood. Nice! Unfortunately, a sedan has limited cargo capacity, otherwise I'd consider it.
njwilliam1 says:
07:07 PM, 01/10/12
I strongly disagree. I've had my 2011 Sonata for 12 months (12,000 miles) now. I have been disappointed with the radio controls from the very start. In order to change the treble, bass, balance or fade, one has to go into a set-up menu that would have many drivers going off the road before achieving the desired adjustments. Those controls should be easily accessible. My 2008 VW Passat (with no nav system) had the most ideal audio controls layout. There were five separate knobs for treble, midrange, bass, balance and fade. By the way, even with the Sonata's bass turned all the way down, the bass is too high; it's very annoying. Another thing I dislike about the Sonata is the scrolling. One has to scroll through the 2 FM and 1 AM bands to get from one to the other; meanwhile there is a button all by itself called, "Display." The Display button is used solely to turn off the audio read-out. Why have it at all, and why not bury THAT button in the set-up menu and give FM a separate button? XM radio has a button all by itself too. Do more people use satellite radio than FM? Another thing I dislike is that the HVAC controls do not allow one to put AC on one's chest while the front defogger is running. If you're running the defogger, you can only have AC on your FEET! How stupid is that?