On Friday afternoon I bought a couple of cases of bottled water. The cases weigh 50-60 lbs, so they're kind of a hassle to deal with. But getting them into the Sonata's trunk couldn't have been easier: The lift-over height is super low -- the bottom lip of the opening is just above my knee.
The rest of the weekend with the Sonata was similarly enjoyable...
This isn't a car for people who are into cars, but with its smooth ride, easy maneuverability in tight parking decks and comfortable seats (for me, anyway), it can be quite relaxing. Throttle response is a little too aggressive off the line, but the Sonata does have nice low-speed pull and merges into freeway traffic with no problem. The downside is that the V6 feels a bit weak at higher rpm.
A bigger downside, though, is the unimpressive fuel economy -- our long-termer's lifetime average is just 19.7 mpg. Compare that to 22.6 mpg in our long-term V6-equipped Malibu. I like the way our Sonata looks and I like the way it feels, but its low gas mileage numbers would probably keep me from buying one of my own.
Erin Riches, Senior Content Editor, 16,357 miles
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