I wish I had some revelation for you. Some insight you haven’t heard before. But I don’t.
I drove our long-term 2011 Hyundai Sonata 820.6 miles in two days and all I have for you is more praise. It was the perfect car for the trip; quiet, extremely comfortable and very fuel efficient. It had plenty of power when I needed it and it covered 517.6 miles on the first of its two tanks of regular. Unlike the Volt, which I also drove to San Fran and back last month, the Sonata didn’t need a gas stop until Salinas on the way back.
And its navigation system is fantastic. One of the easiest to use I’ve ever used. Sure the screen is a little small, but it’s accurate and extremely simple to program. I never had to RTFM. And not once did I get frustrated with its interface.
I drove Interstate 5 on the northbound leg, so I changed routes on the way home, taking 101 South to 46 East to 5 South.
State Route 46 is the road James Dean was killed on back on September 30, 1955, at the intersection of Route 46 and 41 just east of Cholame. His “Little Bastard” Porsche 550 Spyder was hit by a black-and-white 1950 Ford Custom Tudor coupe, driven from the opposite direction by 23-year-old college student Donald Turnupseed.
Today a monument to Dean stands in Cholame and I couldn’t resist stopping to take a few photos of our Sonata at the famous intersection and at the momorial. Next time maybe I’ll drive our 911 up there. Seems more fitting.
Scott Oldham, Editor in Chief
dayz says:
04:44 PM, 05/20/11
WOW! 517 miles on a tank of gas...that's incredible.
jaeger1 says:
05:20 PM, 05/20/11
Don't apologize for a positive report. Sounds like the car did just exactly what a good midsize sedan should on a roadtrip.
arumage says:
06:51 PM, 05/20/11
@dayz:
If he got the EPA numbers of 35 mpg highway over the entire 18.5 gallon tank, he could go 647.5 miles on a tank.
dg0472 says:
07:25 PM, 05/20/11
Uhm, the highway number is calculated at highway speeds. You can't fill up a car in continuous motion at highway speeds. You at least have to get to a ramp and accelerate up to speed. It's also not possible to use all 18.5 gallons without a tow truck unless you just happen to be lucky enough to run out right at a fuel station.
tempesting says:
12:10 AM, 05/21/11
My 2007 Camry V6 XLE made 30 MPG on HWY (1700 miles over 3 days) which was advertised MPG and had really bad MPG on city (hello LA) ... I currently drive 2011 Elantra and it's also bad on city (I guess it's a local thing) but get above 40 MPG easily on HWY (if you reset it at the lamp). I think Hyundai's MPG meter and fuel gauge are pretty accurate. what do you all think about others? The Camry was pretty accurate for me as well but I wouldn't know for others.
emajor says:
06:53 AM, 05/21/11
Quiet, comfortable, and efficient. Valid reasons for the typical midsize sedan shopper, but that is appliance-like praise. Hyundai has been gunning for the Camry for awhile now with this car, and it looks like they succeeded in building its clone. No wonder they are selling well.
ed124c says:
07:45 AM, 05/21/11
That is the color I want, but it would have a six speed manual in it. The manual gets 24 city instead of the automatic's 22. I would not miss the GPS in the dash, since I now own a nice Garmin. (Can't get a GPS-- or any options, really-- with a manual. Typical automaker's myopia.)
Really, for me, the base manual transmission Sonata only lacks a power driver's seat and a sunroof. I can have the roof put in after-market, but there's not much I can do about the power seat.
Fortunately, new cars today have pretty good manual seats, including a seat height crank lever. In fact, the only power seat function that I really need is the power recliner. I frequently change the seat back position on a trip.
For some cars (CRUZE!) it is very difficult to locate the recliner lever with your left hand. In fact, every time I have driven a Cruze (two test drives, one with an automatic-- yuch- and the other an ECO with the manual) I have needed to open the door, swivel my head, visually locate the tiny little lever, grab it with my hand, get my body back into a seating position, and move the seatback to its upright (for me) position. Not a very good design. It is the worst I have ever experienced.
j2j says:
12:26 PM, 05/21/11
"Hyundai has been gunning for the Camry for awhile now with this car, and it looks like they succeeded in building its clone. No wonder they are selling well."
- Except, it's not as boring to llok at (inside or out) and feels a good bit more agile going into the bends on the road.
However, what's most Camry-like about the Sonata is its overboosted steering feel (good for parking lot maneuvers, I suppose).
sa31 says:
05:47 PM, 05/23/11
I traded an 08 Camry (that was using a quart of oil evert 1200 miles) for a 2011 Sonata. The Sonata is better looking, more comfortable, has more horsepower, and gets better mileage. It just feels like a better built car. Not to mention the heated mirrors, bluetooth or the XM radio and a much better warrantee. I'm a believer!!
casonatared11 says:
04:25 AM, 05/26/11
Filled up Monday. 511.2 miles...18.186 gallons. Mostly crappy Los Angeles freeway traffic. Loving how comfy,quiet it is and still has power to pass.