1st Dec 2015, 18:58
Gees - I realise that you need to run a car for a minimum amount of time for the car's systems to run in closed-loop mode after reaching operating temperature (else it runs rich to comply with emissions), but 13 MPG (just over 5 km/L) is to 1970s Rolls-Royce V8 level. Something is amiss - cars these days are simply not designed to be THAT bad. Maybe it just needs a good run. And don't rely on the trip computer. Keep us posted.
14th Feb 2016, 23:36
Have you found any problems with the gas and brake pedals? Example: Too close together, which may cause you to press both at once.
13th Jun 2016, 02:57
Original reviewer. There might have been a first issue. I noticed the coolant level was at minimum few weeks ago. I thought maybe the car left the factory with less coolant. However today the coolant was even lower, actually there is barely coolant in the reservoir with the engine cold. I pulled the spark plugs and they were black (by the way, this engine is marvelously easy to access for most of its components although one must stretch quite a bit because the engine bay is so long). Either poor combustion - which might explain the poor MPG - or there is an issue with the coolant leaking inside the cylinders. Will get an appointment at Hyundai to have it checked.
We haven't noticed any issue with the pedals, given this is an automatic. I'm also tall with large feet and legs. Speaking of the transmission, I have no complaints when it's put in normal mode. In Eco mode it's lagging and hesitating, while in Sport mode it's a bit harsh, but might please younger drivers.
The sunroof started making a rattle when closed; quite annoying. I had a look myself, but nothing too obvious so we'll let the dealer take care of it.
Side note, I sat yesterday in an older Sonata, not sure which year, but perhaps an 2010 or earlier. I was surprised how different were the two cars. The older Sonata has the seats quite a bit higher and softer (it was cloth seats) and it has a softer and more composed drive.
23rd Jun 2016, 20:16
Original poster.
Seems like we'll have a first trip to the main dealer service. The car has exactly 3000 miles on it. Here's a review of the symptoms.
- Weak acceleration, essentially no torque to speak of.
- Very high fuel consumption for a vehicle driven by an 70 year old person.
Today, I noticed the coolant reservoir was almost empty. About 1/2" below the min. mark. I do remember two months ago the level was slightly above the min. mark, and I thought perhaps the guy at the assembly line forgot to fill properly the reservoir. I also remember last time when I drove it (I drove it around the block 2-3 times in the past two months), it got some weird burnt smell inside, couldn't really understand where it came from so I didn't care about it. Obviously, the level is dropping. Interesting enough, I got no 'coolant low level' message on the instrument panel. Not sure this car has a level sensor though.
Funny enough, I called the technical advisor at the Hyundai dealer, to ask what to do: do they want me to tow the car to them to let them evaluate the level in the coolant reservoir, or do I have to top up the reservoir and drive to them? If you have a little knowledge about vehicle mechanics, you will find the answer amusing: " It's normal, the car hasn't been driven a lot lately, when the car sits for extended periods, the coolant level drops inside the reservoir". I'm about to call Hyundai Canada to see how funny this sounds to them too.
3rd Jul 2016, 20:12
Haven't been yet to the garage with the coolant issue, but wanted to mention two items that can be improved.
First, where the right leg knee touches on the shifter console, there is a hard plastic edge that hurts. Granted, the leg shouldn't rest on the console but I do this often times, especially since I have long legs. Would be nice to have this area with a little bit of soft touch material.
Secondly, the sunroof (or moon roof) had an automatic shade cover. We have the large panoramic roof that extends to the rear seats. There is no way to have the roof glass only a little open without having the shade cover fully rolled back and the rear seats exposed to sunshine. As soon as the roof glass is slightly open, the whole roof cover rolls all the way back and rear passengers get toasted - as a matter of fact, this sunroof glass does not have enough tint, I can feel the sun heating quite a bit my skin. In my Volvo, the glass has a better tint without being darker, and protects better from sunshine heat.
5th Aug 2016, 17:32
We brought the car to the dealer, they noticed the coolant level, topped up and will keep an eye on it from now on.
On the other side, summer is here, so we started using the sunroof. Well, it creaks and squeaks like a bunch of marmots when the pavement is all but smooth. And here in our city, it is all but smooth. Even on smooth pavement there is still a constant small cracking noise, but it's when the road gets poorer that the symphony really kicks in. It's constant, loud and it sounds like it comes from more than one place, all of them from around the sunroof glass. When the sunshade is rolled back, the noise becomes even louder.
16th Mar 2017, 14:58
Have a look at this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DTcEMqpHC0
23rd Mar 2017, 16:20
OP here. The car hasn't got many miles on it, but until now it has performed as advertised. I've come to appreciate all the little more or less usual extras it has - remember this has close to the top of the line equipment.
Driver's seat moves back when we enter the car, then forward to its position when the Start button is depressed. I'm not sure I like this option, but I'm tall. Maybe it's better for smaller persons.
The headlights are great, and offer uniform and clear light ahead.
There is but one thing I really don't like about this car: the seat's low position. I literally feel like I'm sitting in a bathtub when I sit in this car. It is awful and I can't understand this Hyundai design. It doesn't even feel like a 'sports' car seating position if that was the idea. Really, the floor is very close to the bottom cushion of the seat, so your legs feel like they are resting up in the air. The roof is also too close to adjust the seat upwards.
The infotainment/GPS touch screen is not a big hit. It doesn't react that fast, but most importantly, the GPS maps and driving directions are not great. My Windows phone or Android tablet with their specific GPS driving apps are much better. Plus, the GPS of Hyundai has weird functions, like when I'm driving, if I touch the screen to zoom it, it leaves the driving mode and it's impossible to set back to GPS mode while I'm keeping hold of the steering wheel. So it's not worth the upgrade for the GPS option in the Sonata.
1st Dec 2015, 00:13
Updating the review with the observed fuel consumption. The car is driven mostly in city, yet gently on acceleration. Over the summer period, we've got 13 US MPG (or the equivalent of 16 IMP MPG). The car has a little over 2000 miles on it (it's been driven by an old retired person) so perhaps the engine has yet to improve its MPG. Still, the numbers are quite different compared with what Hyundai does announce.