Why I Love the Hyundai Sonata

I am a member of a family of Hyundai drivers. My father-in-law drives an Elantra GT, my mother-in-law drives a 2006 Santa Fe, my brother-in-law drives an Accent, my husband drives a 2000 Tiburon, and I drive the Sonata. The model that I have is the 2003, and I absolutely love it. My Hyundai Sonata is a 4-cylinder, 4-door midsize sedan and there are loads of standard features. The only option that I have is a sunroof. The car also came with a 10-year, 100,000 mile warranty on the power train, 5-year, 60,000 mile warranty bumper to bumper and 5-year, unlimited roadside assistance, but I have never had to use it. (Knock on wood!)

The Sonata is not my first new car. However, my first new car was a 1999 Elantra, which I traded for this Sonata. (There was absolutely nothing wrong with the first car, the dealership was just having a great deal!) Some of the standard features of the 2003 Sonata include: CD player, power windows, power locks, cruise control, anti-lock brakes, front and side airbags, intermittent wipers, air conditioning, shift-matic transmission, LATCH system for car seats, child safety locks on the rear doors, rear defrost....you get the picture. All this for around $18 thousand (in February 2003) dollars.

Now, I know what some of you are thinking: Hyundai is just imitation Honda, right? I thought the same thing when they first started selling them. But I have to tell you, I drove a Honda Accord when I was a rental agent, and HANDS DOWN I would choose a Sonata. There were more features and the Sonata was much more comfortable. Not only that but the interior of the Honda Accord (2002 model) seemed very generic. I really found myself wondering what the big, screaming deal was about with Honda. Anyway, the seats of the Sonata are very comfortable, there was a lot of interior space and head room, and the layout of the radio/climate control consol is very well done. There is also a lot of leg room for people in the back seat. This is something that older children will appreciate-as will you if you ever give up the front seat to an older relative.