Hyundai

[zooom]

How awesome would it be to slip one of these Hyundia V8s into something like a Camaro and proceed to piss off everyone at some local car show. 

make the beast with two backs putting it in a Camaro...Chevette or a Vega!!!

[DesmoDiva]

Not sure why, but the Elantra Touring wagon always catches my eye. 

And the Genesis would be on my short list if I were looking for a coupe.

[Randimus Maximus]

10 year warranty is worth considering!  I drove the Genesis and enjoyed it.

make sure you read all of the fine print on that warranty.

[lethe]

make the beast with two backs putting it in a Camaro...Chevette or a Vega!!!

While I've always wanted to make a silly Chevette, with the intention of pissing people off a Camaro is a better choice. However a Corvette would probably top that.

[superjohn]

While I've always wanted to make a silly Chevette, with the intention of pissing people off a Camaro is a better choice. However a Corvette would probably top that.

A malaise era 'vette with a big high revving V8 would be most cool

[lethe]

A malaise era 'vette with a big high revving V8 would be most cool

with Hyundai emblems displayed in full view

[Le Pirate]

We test drove a 2011 sonata a couple months ago...ended up with another VW instead. Just sayin...


The car was fine, but for the same money we got into a nicely equiped Jetta. We were driving around in the Sonata and my wife piped up from the back seat with "this interior looks like it was put together by 1st graders." (thats the teacher coming out, i guess  )

The sales guys perma-smile instantly faded. The car is fine...drove okay, but felt a little down on power compared to my golf. I'm sure thats because the car is so much heavier. The killer for it was the fit and finish on the inside. Maybe it isn't far to compare it to a german car, but we walked out the door with a 1010 jetta for about $1000 less, so I'm going to compare them.

[lethe]

snip> a 1010 jetta <snip

cool, that's one of the really old ones   

[Bladecutter]

My girlfriend and I test drove the Sonata GLS yesterday.
We were both very impressed with the car as a whole.

The interior layout was well thought out, and the materials looked nice, and felt nice.
The engine had good power, and the 6 speed automatic transmission shifted well in both full auto and manual mode.
The engine also provided good torque taking off from a stop, and was pretty quiet through the entire rev range.

Now, when I compare it to my '07 Altima 2.5S with the 6 speed manual that I've owned for just under 4 years, and 50k miles:

Interior room is directly comparable. Same amount of head room in the rear seats, which means that my hair it touching the roof, and I'm 6'1".
Front seats are actually nicer feeling than my Altima.
The dash layout is different than the Altima, but isn't missing anything. I think the chrome around the gauges could reflect the sun into your eyes if the sun were at just the right angle behind your car. Potential Ick.

The exterior of the car looked nice with one exception:
The hood of the car looks like it is popped with a gap line all the way around the sides of the car.
We actually saw a car on the highway, noticed the gap, and both thought that the lady driving her new car didn't know the hood was popped. Then we saw the same gap on every car on the lot, and it doesn't look right to us.

Engine bay is nice and uncluttered.
Working on the car shouldn't be an issue for changing plugs, oil, or anything else.
In fact, you can even see the bulk of the washer fluid tank, so you can at a glance tell how much is in there, and if you might need to fill it sometime in the near future. I liked that, as you won't know you're out until the light comes on on the Altima, and then runs out shortly later.

The car is very nice, and comparing it against the Altima, I think it wins in every respect, except for the handling and bump absorption, as the Altima just feels more planted and responsive to driver inputs and the braking feels much more immediate and powerful on the Altima.

The biggest issue I have with the Sonata is that you can only get the manual on the GLS, and not on the SE or the Limited. To add to it, there's a nice alloy wheel package that you can add to the auto version of the GLS, but if you opt for the manual instead, you can't get it. That package is $750, and also includes a 6 way power seat for the driver, auto lights for the headlights, some leatherette trim pieces, fog lights, and some other less important do-dadds. Why can't you get that on the manual?

Of course, if you're buying an Altima today, you can't get a manual at all.
Glad I bought mine back when you could!

You can't really compare the interior off the Hyundai to the Interior of a VW.
It is a lot nicer, though.
Also, isn't the interior of the Jetta smaller than the Sonata and Altima?

Just looked, and it is smaller.
There's less front legroom in the Jetta compared to the Sonata and the Altima.
Less rear headroom. Less rear shoulder and hiproom.
And the gas tank is 14.5 gallons vs 18.5 for the Sonata, and 20 for the Altima.
Plus, I rule out any car I can't get rear disc brakes for in the trim levels I want.
I hate dealing with drum brakes.

But, when you compare the Sonata vs the Altima, Accord, Camry, or the American's, I believe you are going to be looking at a great car, for a reasonable amount of money. There really isn't anything extra in the Sonata that I test drove over the Altima I own, but if my car was destroyed in an accident tomorrow, I would probably buy the Hyundai to replace it, compared with everything else in the comparable market.

If the VW CC was ~24k, I would buy that in a heartbeat.
I just love that car top to bottom.
The only thing I don't care for is the visibility over the shoulders, when compared to the Altima or the Sonata.

BC.

[Le Pirate]

I agree about the drum brakes. I can't believe VW started putting them on the Jetta! so stupid 

They really cheapend that car up alot for the 2011 year model. The one we ended up buy was the 2010, which is independent rear suspension with disc brakes. If we compared the 11 jetta to the 11 sonata...It might of gone differently to be honest.

As far as leg room, etc. I'm not sure I noticed the differences...plus the wife was dead set against the interior materials. I really think the fit and finish on the inside is better in my 07 rabbit, that I payed 10k less than the sonata for.


I'm totally with you on the CC, though. If we were looking to spend 5-7k more...I'd have a CC in the garage right now.

[ducatiz]

I agree about the drum brakes. I can't believe VW started putting them on the Jetta! so stupid 

They really cheapend that car up alot for the 2011 year model. The one we ended up buy was the 2010, which is independent rear suspension with disc brakes. If we compared the 11 jetta to the 11 sonata...It might of gone differently to be honest.

I don't get the economy of using drum vs disk.  they aren't cheaper and they make the car more unsafe.  replacing a drum costs the same as replacing a rear disk, pads are cheaper than shoes and i assume the drum cylinder is about the same as a caliper. 

someone 'splain the cheaper part?

[Howie]

I don't get the economy of using drum vs disk.  they aren't cheaper and they make the car more unsafe.  replacing a drum costs the same as replacing a rear disk, pads are cheaper than shoes and i assume the drum cylinder is about the same as a caliper. 

someone 'splain the cheaper part?

Calipers, particularly when the parking brake is integrated are more expensive.  If you look up the cost of a replacement rear caliper for a '95 Jetta from VW it is $187 minus a $50 core charge, which indicates it is remanufactured.  A rear caliper for an '09 Jetta is $212 for the left and $205 for the right.  A new wheel cylinder for a '95 Jetta is only $68.50.  The new base Jetta is now the cheapest car in the US line up.  A 2011 base Golf is $17695, the base Jetta is just $15995 for a family size car.

[ducatiz]

Calipers, particularly when the parking brake is integrated are more expensive.  If you look up the cost of a replacement rear caliper for a '95 Jetta from VW it is $187 minus a $50 core charge, which indicates it is remanufactured.  A rear caliper for an '09 Jetta is $212 for the left and $205 for the right.  A new wheel cylinder for a '95 Jetta is only $68.50.  The new base Jetta is now the cheapest car in the US line up.  A 2011 base Golf is $17695, the base Jetta is just $15995 for a family size car.

I think that's a supplier issue, the integrated brake caliper I have on my '05 Golf is a painfully simplistic device.

Plus, if they wanted, they could switch to a rotor/drum combo like on the Volvos.  The rear rotors have a tiny drum inside which is used for the parking brake -- which is on a steel cable and has a pair of shoes on each side. 

[Howie]

Simple?  Yes, but not compared to an even simpler wheel cylinder.  Plus they are probably clearing their shelve of old inventory.  Remember the VW Brasilia?  The system used on your Volvo with the separate drum requires a more complex casting with an extra machining process on the rotor, a set of brake shoes and hardware.  This design does make an excellent parking brake though, which is why you see it on so many large SUVs and pick ups.

If you look at the basic Corollas, Civics, Foci (plural of Focus ) and some of the Hyundais you will find drum brakes hiding behind the rear wheels.  

[ducatiz]

I gotcha, I meant simple comparing the calipers. 

Drum brakes are just shit, I can't believe anyone would use them in the 21st century.  I know they do, but jeebus.  Plus, it has to affect their safety rating as ABS just won't work with them. (well, not well)