Sam:
Always enjoy your segments on “Ask the Tech Guys” and other TWIT shows. I am now retired, and after leasing Toyota cars since 1980, I’m thinking of buying a comfortable sedan for long driving trips without the limits of lease miles. I originally thought I’d get a Camry Hybrid, but now that I’ve seen the 2024 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid, I am strongly thinking that’s the one. (I want the loaded Limited version). These cars won’t be out for a few months so I’d like to hear your opinion on the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid.
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As the owner of a 2017 Sonata Hybrid Limited, I can’t recommend them. Unless they solved a lot of issues, the car still has a weak hybrid system and the other electronics have a lot of issues as well. I’ve had a persistent issue with the ‘smart cruise’ system failing and putting the drivetrain into ‘safe mode’ where it effectively stops being a hybrid alltogether. Hyundai had my car for over 6 weeks during a two month period trying to work on the problem. They never resolved the issue and I’m stuck with a car that I don’t trust to drive in colder weather as that seems to be when the problem happens. They put 2K miles on my car while they had it and the only thing that I can tell that they changed was it now smells of cigarette smoke.
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Hyundai is well known for substituting good engineering for a very gracious warranty. If you’re OK with that, then it’s a good deal, but expect things to go wrong.
Since you specifically asked for an opinion, I’ll say I’m really not a fan of their design philosophy. Like-for-like copies of high-end marquees, and then hiding their own branding in the hopes people are duped.
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This is my first time hearing it put this way… I like this phrase.
Toyota vehicles are known to keep their value over time, because of their reliability. My personal experience is with a 2007 Yaris that is still going, though it’s showing many signs of age, with greater than 450,000km’s on it.
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I just got back from Florida, Sonatas do seem very popular there. They looked nice enough, but I have zero experience of them.
It struck me how US drivers still like saloons/sedans. All but vanished here in the UK. SUVs and hatches took over and killed them off.
really well said Knewman
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