Amy's Santa Fe broke down in Daytona Beach (alternator) while she was on the way home from seeing our girls in Georgia so I had her rent a car and leave the Santa Fe to be fixed. We drove up there today to return the rental and pick up her car. The Sonata was a bargain basement, 2019 SE.
Plusses: The car used a quarter tank driving for 3 1/2 hours. Great mpg. The motor is a 4 banger with 185 hp but it was sufficient. Smooth ride and more features than you would expect in a base, $20K car.
Minuses: The transmission is tuned for fuel economy. Drops into top gear at around 40 mph and lugs big time. The cloth seats are sweaty and garbage. The base stereo sucks.
All in all, I could see buying one of these for Amy since she has a long commute to work. I'd skip the SE and get the SEL or better. More options would have made for a better car and the Sonata has a lot of them if you go SEL or Ultimate versions.
The new Hyundais also have the N Line which is the "performance" version with around 300 hp. It's still front wheel drive and reviews have it wheel hopping so it's sort of a fake sports car. Still, it has a turbo with a lot more power.
Plusses: The car used a quarter tank driving for 3 1/2 hours. Great mpg. The motor is a 4 banger with 185 hp but it was sufficient. Smooth ride and more features than you would expect in a base, $20K car.
Minuses: The transmission is tuned for fuel economy. Drops into top gear at around 40 mph and lugs big time. The cloth seats are sweaty and garbage. The base stereo sucks.
All in all, I could see buying one of these for Amy since she has a long commute to work. I'd skip the SE and get the SEL or better. More options would have made for a better car and the Sonata has a lot of them if you go SEL or Ultimate versions.
The new Hyundais also have the N Line which is the "performance" version with around 300 hp. It's still front wheel drive and reviews have it wheel hopping so it's sort of a fake sports car. Still, it has a turbo with a lot more power.