anyone have a 2006 Sonata?

looked at one today and they are quite impressive. I am wondering about them being a redesign for this model year.... if they are going to be reliable or not.

looked at one today and they are quite impressive. I am wondering about them being a redesign for this model year.... if they are going to be reliable or not.

I am driving a GLS V6 as a demo right now. So far so good. Only things we've replaced under warranty so far is a radio in one, and a trunk release switch in another. Other than those two problems, no other complaints. There is a recall out right now on them too. Those without power seats, they are replacing the recline handle on the front seats. I guess people have been having problems with the seatbelt getting caught on it, and reclining the seat when they try to put the seatbelt on. Not a major concern if you ask me. I really like the car. It gets good gas mileage, quiet, smooth, plenty of power. Only thing I don't like is that I can't get comfortable with the manual seats. The LX's and GLS's with power seats are more comfortable to me, but when I got into this demo, we were out of LXs, and didn't have any GLS with power seats in stock. Next one I get will be an LX, if we have any. We've been selling the crap out of the LXs.

I am driving a GLS V6 as a demo right now. So far so good. Only things we've replaced under warranty so far is a radio in one, and a trunk release switch in another. Other than those two problems, no other complaints. There is a recall out right now on them too. Those without power seats, they are replacing the recline handle on the front seats. I guess people have been having problems with the seatbelt getting caught on it, and reclining the seat when they try to put the seatbelt on. Not a major concern if you ask me. I really like the car. It gets good gas mileage, quiet, smooth, plenty of power. Only thing I don't like is that I can't get comfortable with the manual seats. The LX's and GLS's with power seats are more comfortable to me, but when I got into this demo, we were out of LXs, and didn't have any GLS with power seats in stock. Next one I get will be an LX, if we have any. We've been selling the crap out of the LXs.
For all the standard features in that car and the styling its not surprising that they are selling out especially when a 3.3l v6 can get 33mpg, does it really get that many miles to the gallon if you baby the throttle?

For all the standard features in that car and the styling its not surprising that they are selling out especially when a 3.3l v6 can get 33mpg, does it really get that many miles to the gallon if you baby the throttle?

The 3.3L is only rated on 30mpg on the highway, 20mpg in the city. Well, I shouldn't say only 30mpg because that is still damn good, but it's less than 33. The 4cyl I think is 34 on the highway. Best I've seen in the 2k miles I've put on mine is about 24 mpg. However, I sit in heavy insterstate traffic every morning. Takes me about 10 mins to go 3 miles. That is about the same mileage that I used to get in my last demo which was an Elantra GT. So, for a bigger car, with almost twice the horsepower, and still getting the same mileage, I'm happy. A definate good buy. My wife doesn't like it though, mainly because of the two tone interior. Which I do happen to like. So she is going to keep her '03 Sonata LX for awhile longer. We've had that car for 2 and a half years, and have over 80k miles on it, so probably going to drive it until it dies. Which, with 80k miles, and not a problem with it yet, it might be lasting quite a long time. At which point, we will then get the new Sonata, or the Azera.

I bought a 2006 Sonata, in September, with a v6 engine. Only have about 1400 miles on it at this time. Car has a lot of (smooth) power and rides good. I do have one complaint about the car. It does not get very good gas mileage. The best we have gotten is 18.5 mpg and that does not make me very happy. Most of that was 30 mile trips. Hyundia is suppose to be checking to see what they can do about it. I hope some one else has had that problem and got it fixed and will let me know how they did it.

I bought a 2006 Sonata, in September, with a v6 engine. Only have about 1400 miles on it at this time. Car has a lot of (smooth) power and rides good. I do have one complaint about the car. It does not get very good gas mileage. The best we have gotten is 18.5 mpg and that does not make me very happy. Most of that was 30 mile trips. Hyundia is suppose to be checking to see what they can do about it. I hope some one else has had that problem and got it fixed and will let me know how they did it.

That is strange. Did you check it on a freeway with Cruise Control set to about 60mph? You should get 30-33mpg depending on the AC, lights and other electronic equipment turned on in the car.
My average (with only 500 miles so far under the belt on 2006 Sonata LX) is 25mpg with a mixed 40% city 60% highway driving. But I do go gently on the car, trying to avoid hard acceleration and cruising when possible.
Love everything about the car except annoying to no end belt safety ring and absent track skip controls on a wheel.
Cheers,

Netscorer.

I have tried it on highway with cruise set at 65, I have yet to get 20 mpg. Usually around 17-18. We are gentle on car also. Thanks for the reply.
That is strange. Did you check it on a freeway with Cruise Control set to about 60mph? You should get 30-33mpg depending on the AC, lights and other electronic equipment turned on in the car.
My average (with only 500 miles so far under the belt on 2006 Sonata LX) is 25mpg with a mixed 40% city 60% highway driving. But I do go gently on the car, trying to avoid hard acceleration and cruising when possible.
Love everything about the car except annoying to no end belt safety ring and absent track skip controls on a wheel.
Cheers,

Netscorer.

I have tried it on highway with cruise set at 65, I have yet to get 20 mpg. Usually around 17-18. We are gentle on car also. Thanks for the reply.
Are you going off of what the fuel economy readout is saying, or are you checking it when you fill up. I have found that you have to reset the gas mileage reading each time you fill up to get it as accurate as possible. If you are still only getting 17-18, then either you are calculating it wrong, or something is wrong with the car. It should be getting a whole lot better than that.

Hello John
Thanks for the reply. I have checked my gas mileage both ways, resetting my fuel economy readout each time and by checking gallons devided into miles. The more I drive it the worse it seems to get. I am trying to get ahold of the Hyundia service rep. to see what he can do.
Jerry Pool

Are you going off of what the fuel economy readout is saying, or are you checking it when you fill up. I have found that you have to reset the gas mileage reading each time you fill up to get it as accurate as possible. If you are still only getting 17-18, then either you are calculating it wrong, or something is wrong with the car. It should be getting a whole lot better than that.

Jerry that sounds like a problem, not just the car. Get ahold of the dealer, and let us know what they say/find. Too bad that you ended up with one with a problem, everyone here in Montgomery is loving them.

I just bought one tonight! I love the two tone dash (my Oldsmobile had it also) and leather seating. The car has ample power although the trans seems to shift alittle slow... Love the 17 inch Pilots although I will hate replacment cost! For the money I feel we got alot of car. I was looking at used BMW's for the same price but the unbeatable warrenty and wife I couldn't turn it down. I have heard from a reliable source that delfi is trying to sort out the transmission problems. Im not sure on what scale the falures are but oh well with the warrenty! Oh the handleing and braking are nice but the seats need bigger side bolsters! Also the steering wheel needs track skip/tuning button. Really all minor things. This is my first non GM car so Im hoping this will work out! Gm has really burned me with cutting models! The Camaro and then Oldsmobile! Well the general lost another to hundai...

I think you are right. My gas mileage is getting worse instead of better. Just checked another tank of gas and got 16mpg. Trying to get ahold of someone with Hyundia. They are hard to get ahold of. Can't get them to return my calls.

Jerry that sounds like a problem, not just the car. Get ahold of the dealer, and let us know what they say/find. Too bad that you ended up with one with a problem, everyone here in Montgomery is loving them.

I think you are right. My gas mileage is getting worse instead of better. Just checked another tank of gas and got 16mpg. Trying to get ahold of someone with Hyundia. They are hard to get ahold of. Can't get them to return my calls.


If you have had it long enough to go through all those tanks of gas why didn't you take it back to the dealer for service?? What are you trying to contact Hyundai for??????????

I bought a new Sonata back in September and am getting 24-25 mpg consistently in mixed city/hwy driving. If I only got what you say you got I would have made an appointment for service immediately.

I wouldn't even bother to make an appt. Just go to the dealership and tell them that they have the obligation to fix it as there is obviously a defect. Don't give them a chance to say no.

I bought a 2006 LX in August and I love it. There is a little noise from the sunroof but that's the only bad I can say about it.

:rofl: I bought a Dark Cinnamon LX a couple of months back. and I have not had any problems with it. Only had a little vibration after 30 miles per, but had it rebalanced. AOK! Check it out!

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a153/Freval51/2006Sonata004.jpg (2006) http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a153/Freval51/2006Sonata007.jpg (2006) http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a153/Freval51/SantaFe003.jpg (2006) http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a153/Freval51/SantaFe004.jpg (2006)
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a153/Freval51/2006Sonata002.jpg (2006)

We bought my wife a 2006 Sonata yesterday. She really likes the car so far. I checked her tire pressure tonight. Each tire was at a different pressure. I guess picking the car up on a Sunday may not be a good idea as there is no service people there. Anyway, I checked the recommended pressure and found it was supposed to be a 30 PSI. That seems really low for a 44 lb. rated tire. Anyone running higher than 30 PSI?

Thanks,

Jeff

Not sure about the pressure, but 30lb doesn't seem extremely low. I just usually go by the recommended rating or a small bit above, considering that the company has tested different pressure in R&D and picked the best for performance, and even more importantly these days, best for MPG.

I have a 2006 GLS w/ v 6 and love the car but the gas mileage is terrible at 21 mpg and that is highway,I even checked the gas pump to odo and it agreed with the car, also it says my average speed is 30 mph which cant be right since more than 75% of my driving is 65 mph iam taking it back to my dealership and see if i can get this gas mileage thing taken care of

:rofl: I bought a Dark Cinnamon LX a couple of months back. and I have not had any problems with it. Only had a little vibration after 30 miles per, but had it rebalanced. AOK! Check it out!

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a153/Freval51/2006Sonata004.jpg (2006) http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a153/Freval51/2006Sonata007.jpg (2006) http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a153/Freval51/SantaFe003.jpg (2006) http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a153/Freval51/SantaFe004.jpg (2006)
http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a153/Freval51/2006Sonata002.jpg (2006)

When you turn the key to the on position with the headlights OFF, do all your dash lights come on? Ours do. Wondering if this is normal.
Ernie

The back lighting for the gauges doesnt but the odo light comes on and all the system lights come on momentaraly . my gas mil is getting better my last tank was 23.5 mpg and i called the dealership, talked to the service manager he said that hyundai factory has told them the engine is not fully broken in until about 10000 miles but if it hasnt got any better by 5000 to bring it in for a fuel consumpsion test.

For those of you with bad gas mileage. I don't know where you live, but I have noticed that the weather plays a big factor in the mileage. I was driving a GLS V6 as a demo and was getting about 24mpg with combined city and highway, and lots of sitting in traffic. Once the weather got stupid cold, gas mileage went down to about 19mpg. When the car is cold, more gas is dumped into the engine to aid in warming the engine up. I also noticed an increase in exhaust fumes when it is real cold as well, indicating the rich condition. I am now driving an LX as a demo, and the mileage is the same 19mpg as it was in my GLS. I'm guessing the poor mileage is due to the cold weather. I will be in this demo until about March, so we'll see if it gets any better when it warms up. If you live in a colder area, this could be one explanation. If you're in a warm environment, I don't have an explanation.

Didnt realize this post was here before I started a new thread.

This is what I posted:

http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=501083

John D

Well I still Love my 06 Sonota LX Except... THe power is alittle on the low side at least in class. And I and my brother in law both bought ours at the same time and we both have alighnment issues. Both of our cars pull to left no matter what mine has been back once so far and not fixed his has been in twice and still not fixed. Last time we went to the dealership we talked to the rep that was visiting and was promised a call back within a week. It has now been three weeks and no call! Anyone else having this problem?

No problems so far except low heavy commute gas mileage. As said erlier in thread, when cold, gas mileage goes down. Have seen that on all our cars since moving to Illinois from Washington state.

I have to admit the standard Michelin tires leave me cold. Work well in dry, but forget any slush on the road.

Bought a GLS V6 01-25-2006 in Birmingham, Al. Serra Hyundai. Only has 66 miles but I am impressed so far. Looked at camry/avalon and honda products. For the money I was willing to take a chance. Originally looking for GLS V6 w/ sunroof option. Offered dealer $19,500 OTD and he took it. When the car was delivered, it actually had the Premium Sport Package Option that included the integrated rear view mirror and 17" tires along w/ the sunroof. My only need at the moment is to DISARM the Seat Belt Chime...any suggestions.

We bought a Sonata GLS V6 the day before yesterday and I'm just completely impressed with it. We'd done some test driving and the Sonata is every bit as nice as a new Accord or Camry. We started out wanting an '05 Sonata, but it seems that Hyundai offers a $2500 rebate for military on new cars so there wasn't much of a difference in payment between an '05 and an '06. I couldn't believe that the Sonata actually has decent power now! I just regret that I don't get to drive it much because it's for my wife primarily. I honestly believe that the '06 Sonata is the best buy on the new car market, period.

I can say that our glsv6 has very good get up and go. It seems that I must only touch the gas pedal and off I go. It is also very smooth and quiet. My only other issue...other than I cannot disarm the seat belt chime...is that my driver seat bottom seams to be alittle narrow for my butt. I do not think there is a better value for the dollar, considering all the options in the Premium sport Package GLS V6. If you can live w/ out the leather and six disk CD changer, it's the same as the LX. Again for 19,500 OTD.

An update about the gas mileage concern. My lead Hyundai tech here was just at some training last week, and he brought up the issue with the poor mileage in the Sonata. He drove a brand new one from Indy to Chicago for the school, and it went through 3/4 of a tank of gas. The instructor informed them that the car is programed that the mileage will be a little poor until a certain time/mileage has been reached. I guess this was for break-in. They have found that it's usually around 8k miles, and the gas mileage will go up a significant amount. Hopefully this is true.

looked at one today and they are quite impressive. I am wondering about them being a redesign for this model year.... if they are going to be reliable or not.

Been licking my chops for this car since Feb 2005 (3 months before it went on sale!) I've been scanning parking lots, streets, and highways for a sighting. Not 1 sighting in 9 months!

Went to see a real one at the dealer in another town Saturday, and I was not disappointed! We kicked the tires and drove it, and I fell in love. Told the sales lady that as soon as my tractor note was paid off, I would be back. Well, she ambushed me and said "What if we pay your tractor off..." :eek:

My Deepwater blue GLS V6 will be ready tomorrow. :licka:

I'm not a great fan of taking major purchasing decisions based on advice from owners/fans, as they can a little bit biased. I mostly paid attention to the negative reports by lucid owners that popped up consistently . There were very few indeed. I think this car is the real deal, but hey, I may be biased. :)

I picked up my new Deepwater blue GLS V6 on Saturday and I love it so far. The only thing that I noticed, twice, was a loud thump in the rear suspension when I was cornering. I'll keep an ear out for any more.

I picked up my new Deepwater blue GLS V6 on Saturday and I love it so far. The only thing that I noticed, twice, was a loud thump in the rear suspension when I was cornering. I'll keep an ear out for any more.

I've got 300 Mi now, and have heard the thump about 3 times. Sounds like a muffler or exhaust pipe hitting against the floor.

An update about the gas mileage concern. My lead Hyundai tech here was just at some training last week, and he brought up the issue with the poor mileage in the Sonata. He drove a brand new one from Indy to Chicago for the school, and it went through 3/4 of a tank of gas. The instructor informed them that the car is programed that the mileage will be a little poor until a certain time/mileage has been reached. I guess this was for break-in. They have found that it's usually around 8k miles, and the gas mileage will go up a significant amount. Hopefully this is true.

I figured so. We've noticed about 24mpg in our v6 which was lower than expected. I figured that it was related to engine break-in.

I was thinking to buy a Sonata V6 (the warranty - especially - looks very-very attractive, and so does the car - it looks real nice) but the mileage numbers I'm reading here are worrysome. Mileage under or around 20 MPG (combined) that's not good. I currently have an '01 Taurus w/the 24V DOHC 3.0L Duratec, and I got 27.6 Mpg during my trip from MD to Dearborn MI, and back, Cruise control set at 74 MPH. Also, thru mountains in the PA leg of the trip. Outside temp in the 40s, no rain, no AC. One gas stop, plus one plumbing stop. Does anybody out there has something comparable mileage test on the new Sonata - I mean long, continuous highway driving at a fairly constant speed? I'm concerned of the mileage by the later part of the life-cycle of the car I'm buying (say 3 years hence), by then gas prices could be in the $5-6/gal rate, if the present trend continues.

I've owned a Sonata Lx since last summer. I only have 700 miles on it. Parked it in storage for winter.
Nice car. Lots of power. It's a head turner! I bought a black one, had the windows tinted black, and had the OEM rims chromed. Car looks sharp!
As far as the gas mileage, it stinks. What little bit I have drove it it seemed like around 18 - 20 mpg. I thought maybe after the engine loosened up it would get better. We'll see.

I'm considering the 4 cyl or 6 cyl GLS. I test drove both and the V6 is effortless when it comes to acceleration, but the 4 cyl is not bad either.

It would be good if a spokesperson for Hyundai can post a message here either confirming or denying what was said about the mileage being programmed to increase after 8-10 k miles or Hyundai is going to lose some sales.

Can anyone with the 4 cylinder 2006 GLS post their mileage?

I would appreciate it.

Steve

We have a 2006 sonata with v-6, it has all the bells and whistles that we could get on it. The gas milage in town will run around 16-18 mpg and on the road 20-26 depending on how I drive. No problems so far. Have 11000 miles on it.

My 4 cylinder has 2500 miles and so far gets 26 mpg total.

It's about 50/50 city/highway driving.

I had my 06 Sonata since Oct '05. It's a 4 banger, 6500 at present. i live in rhode island. the gas mileage was around 17-19 city during the winter and freeway about. In the warmer spring time temps it went up to about 21 city ang abuot 30 with cruise on. since the cooler temp recently the mile is down agian. i'm using mobile syn. oil ( 5-30 ) to try to help with the milage only gain about 1mpg better.
i aslo noticed a vibration in the car at speeds above 3o mph. it seems wosrt when the tires a cold and it improves when the warm up.
Other than that no other problems yet.

Well I bought mine in November so I have had it in the cold and warm and the milage hasnt changd at all. NOT one differnce! In fact its getting alittle worse. Mine is between 16.3 and 17.. My brother in laws was getting 19-20. He bought his in november also and has already traded it in for a elantra! I like mine but the service is terrible! I con not count on my service department for anything! Also don't hit a pot hole and bend the wheel! The tire/wheel combo cost alittle over 500 bucks! Odd enought the tire was more expensive then the wheel. So I really do love mine and if they get the milage worked out its a sure buy!

Gripes:
Really bad milage
Sub par shifting
Rotors warped
they still have not fixed the alignment since Novemeber
If you run the recomended pressure in your front tires or at least in my case your tires will wear very uneven ( partially due to alignment)
NO track Skip button on wheel!
OH painted interior door handles what a mistake! I have to get in and out of my car alot and the paint wears way to fast! These need to be molded in color or plated!
thats enought for now there really is alot more to love about the car.

Well, I've had my 2006 since mid-Spetember. It's an LX and the gas mileage has improved. I was getting 17-18 MPG in rush hour traffic in the winter. I'm now between 19.6 and 20.3 depending on the number of stoplights I get caught by:banghead:

I've got it up to about 8100 miles now, most city driving. We took a vacation drive about 3.5 weeks ago and averaged 28.2 mpg. Very little city driving, especially rush hour. Open road our best was 30.8 on a cool rainy day for the first half of the trip w/o running Climate Control.

Average for the whole day of driving was 29.2, including half day of climate control. Our overall trip averaged 27.6.

I'd still like to see better mileage, but it's at least in the ballpark of my last car and the space utilization, especially the trunk is quite good.

Gerry

I have an 06' GLS 4 cyl with 2800 miles on it. With 40/60% highway/city I'm averaging @25mpg. With a straight fairly flat 30 mile highway run I get around 34-36mpg ( via computer). The air conditioner seems to drop this 2-3 mpg, which is unfortunate since I live in Texas. :frown: If I get agressive with driving and/or alot of stop/go the average drops to around 23mpg.
-Mike

:smokin: I just bought mine 1st tank was 27.6 mpg, Some city 90% interstate cruised at 75mph. In my Santa Fe had a bad tank after my wife turned off overdrive. MY Lx has a featrure on trip OD that shows average MPG. Just playing 80 drops to 24mpg and 65 gets 29mpg I have tried it on highway with cruise set at 65, I have yet to get 20 mpg. Usually around 17-18. We are gentle on car also. Thanks for the reply.

I have a 4 cylinder 2006 Sonata. I chose the 4 cylinder for the better gas mileage and to save some $ for the cost of the car. I've been getting an average of 25.5 MPG over the 12K miles on the car so far.

I am in suburban NJ and use it for commuting and short trips. Most of the usage is not cruising at 65 MPH, but a fair amount of stop and go.

I have no complaints, except when starting from a stop and making a turn, the car doesn't have the punch that a 6 cyl would. But what can you expect from a 4 cyl?

I have no regrets about the car and saved at least $7K compared to an Accord or Camry that I was considering.

As far as mileage. I drive my GLS 06 V6 mostly on city streets. A few highway miles a couple times a week. So I cant even afford to fill my tank. I put in 35.00 and its 3/4 of a tank.

I have owned my car for about 15 months. Just recently I have had to replace in less than one month 2 sensors. Right now as we speak my AirBag light on the dash is on. I plan on taking it in next week. My question to everyone have you had sensor problems?

Anyone with sensor problems or anything serious?

I work with someone that has that same problem. But don't know what it is.

My ARS light came on a couple of months ago, at 1 1/2 years old 30K miles. They had to replace the sensor. It's been fine ever since. They also had to replace both sun visors. Somehow they wouldn't stay in the up position any longer.

Also, my milage never really change at 8k. At 30K, I'm still averaging 27mpg in mixed driving. 65miles/day on same route.

I just purchased a 2006 GLS V6 with 31,000 miles on it. I bought the car to commute 60 miles one way to work every day. So far all the driving I have done has been at highway speeds with both the a/c on and off. I am very impressed with the fuel milage I have been getting, I am averaging 31.4 MPG on the highway with the cruise set at just under 70mph. I found that the recommended tire pressure of 30 was way too low and caused the car to get about 27mpg, so I increased the tire pressure to 38 and the MPG went up. It appeared the previous owner didn't know how to rotate the tires so I have to good tires I put on the front and two bad tired on the back, my question is, what kind of tires have people had success with after replacing the factory installed michelins? I don't want to pay that price for michelins.

Even with rotation, my OEM's were dead at 32K. Turns out the alignment was way off. Friend had the same problem on his elantra.

I purchased Aquatreds because we tend to get heavy rains here. They were pricey but have very nice handling. They are also a little more noisy than the originals but not much, even though they are supposed to be quite tires. I think the stiffer sidewalls transfer more of the road noise into the car.

Get that alignment checked!

Thanks, i will get it checked when I buy the tires next week.

kumho's are cheap and theyre good

I bought a 2006 Sonata back in 2006. I live in Colorado at about 7,000 feet above sea level, and my Sonata is terrific. It gets around 19 to 21 mpg around town and 30 to 31 on the interstate. I have 25k on it now and there has been no degradation in performance. I have the 3.3L V-6.

The only problem I experienced is an AC sensor went out and caused the AC to fade in and out while driving. Since it was under warranty, it was fixed at no charge.

The ESC (Electronic Stability Control) is a great feature. I drive on snow and ice in the winter, and I can feel it adjusting the power from one wheel to the other when they begin to slip in the snow.

One of the things I love the best is the power. This car gets up to speed in no time. It's going to get me in trouble one day - no tickets yet!

looked at one today and they are quite impressive. I am wondering about them being a redesign for this model year.... if they are going to be reliable or not.

I bought mine used back in August. That's strange about the low gas mileage. My V6 has 50k miles on it now and it's consistently got 24-27mpg in any temperature since I've had it. I always reset my trip after filling up and divide the miles by the gallons it took to fill it, so it's pretty accurate. I do about 60%city/40%hwy. I have figured out the "thump" that other people have mentioned. Mine does that too and I started noticing that it only happened when my gas tank was full, so it has to be the gas just sloshing around for some reason.

The only complaint I have: Does ANYONE know how to disengage that seatbelt/door chime? It even says in the handbook that it will ding for 6 seconds every 30 seconds even if the car is not cranked (if key is turned to on). I know the stupid answer is to wear my seatbelt, but I'm in outside sales and I have a partner that rides with me. During the winter if I have to run in somewhere and my partner stays in the car, I'll leave it running so that he can stay warm. Now it's gotten to the point where he'd rather freeze than hear the chiming! It's bugging me so bad that I've started to really dislike the car and I've searched the manual and there is nothing in there about it.