mmarshall

They are both excellent cars. The Sonata actually leads the Accord, by a small margin, in the reliability department, according to Consumer Reports (I'm not sure about J.D. Power, but in general, for many reasons, I have a higher opinion of CR anyway).
Neither are as quiet as the Camry non-SE models in road noise isolation (and I tend to like quiet cars). The Accord definitely out handles the Sonata in the steering-response department....most Hyundais are not good slalom cars. The Sonata blows the Accord away in the warranty department, even with Honda's recent switch to a 5/60 drivetrain warranty, something that was long overdue. Both cars are about equal in fit-and-finish, inside and outside.
Currently Hondas depreciate less than Hyundais, but there are signs that that may be changing as Hyundais get more popular.

So, to answer your question, giving the purchasing and driving needs of both myself and most of those I shop with, I think, overall, the Sonata is a better buy. Several of my friends, relatives, and colleagues agree.....and have bought new Sonatas. I did a thread on the most recent one at a Internet-discounted, no-haggle dealership.....V6, 5-speed automatic, multiple air bags, full power package, a nice CD/stereo, ABS, traction control, stability system, and the long Hyundai warranty.....out the door, delivered (everything, including tax and registration), for less than 20K ($19,700). I've never seen a new V6 Accord equal that.


Hyundai pioneered the 10-year drivetrain and 5-year bumper-to-bumper warranties that other manufacturers are copying...or are trying to copy.

I won't comment on those who slap high-performance badges on standard, non-high-performance compact cars. Not only do I think it is silly, but it doesn't have anything to do with the issue at hand. Hyundai developes their own vehicles in-house now ( the days of Excels being rebadged Mitsubishi Precises are long gone).

So what if their designs and features look like some of those of other makes? The whole auto industry these days is so complex that EVERYBODY, to some extent, has features that look like SOMEBODY else's product. You would be hard-pressed to name an auo firm, espcecially a firm making mass-production vehicles, that had a unique look in EVERYTHING.

We're also getting off topic.....the LS460 vs. the Azera. If you want to discuss the Accord and the Sonata, let's open a new thread.

Och

iTrader: (3)

Ok, so basically what you are saying is that Accord vs Sonata are pretty much equal, both having about equal initial fit and finish, with Sonata having an edge in reliability and Accord having an edge in drivetrain and steering. But do you know how these cars hold up over the years? Take a five year old Accord, and most of them still feel solid. Take a three year old Sonata, and it's a rattle/vibration ridden crapbox. The new model hasn't even been around long enough to prove itself.


Again, I ask you which one would you buy given the price was exactly the same. I understand that a V6 accord with decent options will run closer to 25K, but lets say Hyundai decided to jack their prices. Would you still consider that Sonata if it was 25k instead of 20k? Without even considering the resale value.


You know that's not what I meant. Have their pioneered any engine technology, any new designs, anything?

And then correct me if I'm wrong, but from what I heard the 10/100 warranty is for the original owner only, the future owners only gets 5/50?


Of course all manufacturers borrow some styling cues from each other, and thats ok, especially when they take someone else's design cues and improve on them. But blatand rip off are blatant rip offs. And Hyundai/Kia sets the prime examples of blatand rip offs, followed by Chrysler C300.

-J-P-L-

I don't know of any Hyundai's that look like anything else. I've heard some people say the Sonata looks like an Accord. They are completely different. What's the similarity???

bitkahuna

iTrader: (20)

The Sonata and Azera are unique looking, if pretty bland.

LexFather

I will never buy another Hyundai but their have a great lineup and it is cheaper than the competition with a great warrenty.

Car makers go after leaders in ads, it happens all the time. I like the Azera and IMO it looks more luxurious than some of the turds designed by luxury car companies today.

What is SCARY is the Genesis will have a 4.6 V-8, RWD and start BELOW 30k.

That is scary for Acura, SAAB, Volvo, etc.

Och

iTrader: (3)

http://bp0.blogger.com/__FoOrnc0QD8/...-h/genesis.jpg
http://bp3.blogger.com/__FoOrnc0QD8/...00-h/ls460.jpg


http://bp2.blogger.com/__FoOrnc0QD8/...0-h/sonata.jpg
http://bp3.blogger.com/__FoOrnc0QD8/...0-h/accord.jpg


http://bp1.blogger.com/__FoOrnc0QD8/...0-h/sedona.jpg
http://bp3.blogger.com/__FoOrnc0QD8/...-h/odyssey.jpg

http://www.toyota.com/images/vehicle...ge/photo_1.jpg
http://www.hyundaiusa.com/images/veh...e431_15271.jpg

alexulan

LMAOF sure looks like a copy cat to me.

blacksc400

iTrader: (4)

Hmm, Maybe you did read my post right, I should change my wording to:
LEXUS is the best brand among all Asian var makers...

mmarshall

Famous last words.

Consider this, Mike: At various stages of my own lifetime, I have said, in public, that I would not own a bright yellow car (too garish), I would not own a Lexus (too expensive), I would not own an AWD product (didn't think it necessary in the DC-area climate), I would not own a small car (not enough comfort), I would not own another 2-door (not versatile enough), and, after switching to Japanese-designed cars in 1984, I would not own another American-designed car.

Since then, I have lived to eat ALL of those statements....and I have learned a LOT in the meantime.


I'll send you a bottle of SCRATCH-OUT when you get your next Hyundai.

LexFather

I had a Hyundai, a Scoupe Turbo, the most unreliable ANYTHING I've ever owned. I've said it before, I'm glad they got better but I'm not supporting them.

My family owned POS FOrds and Pontiacs and we won't be buying those either.

Its too late. They had their chance with me(us) and well the competition was there and I (we) are happy with Lexus (and Mazda).

mmarshall

The 5-year-old Sonatas I have seen (they are the last-generation model, of course) have held up pretty well.




OK.....I'll try and explain again. A 25K Sonata, closer to the price of a 25k Accord, would, of course, not be quite the bargain it is now, but still, for my purposes, would be a better buy.
I prefer the Sonata's softer ride, though both cars have road noise. Even with identical 25K sticker prices, a Sonata would still probably cheaper out the door, because of Honda's long-standing policy of generally not offering incentives. The Sonata does not have the Accord's sharp handling, but I am not terribly "sport" inclined.....I prefer a softer ride even if it means less steering response.

Generally not.....not in the sense you are talking about. Hyundai has chosen to put most of its budget not into new technology but into build quality....and it has really paid off. More people ( at least more of those that I have seen ) would rather have a solidly built vehicle with good fit-and-finish than 7 or 8 speeds in the transmisson or Mercedes-style, electro-hydraulic brakes ( which, incedentally, have been a disaster for Mercedes).

The 10/100 drivetrain does have some restrictions. It is transferrable IF the car is sold to someone in the immediate family (mother, brother, sister, etc...), not to strangers.
It has a $100 deductible if the repair is not made at the original selling dealer (That's what some Hyundai shops have told me but I'm not sure I believe it).
And it applies only to the Hyundai-designed parts in the drivetrain, which, I believe, covers most of them....same with the 5/60 bumper-to-bumper warranty....only Hyundai-designed parts. The other, non-Hyundai-designed parts get the more-or-less-standard 3/36 and 5/60 warranties. The non-Hyundai-designed parts restriction, I believe, is new this year.....I don't remember it being there before.




The Chrysler 300, except for the more-or-less Bentley look of the big grille, does not blantantly copy other designs. In fact, along with the Hemi engine, that is one reason for the car's huge success in the marketplace....by the aero-jelly-bean standards of the 21st century, with its squarish-block lines, it looks DIFFERENT, and people like it despite its typically poor Chrysler build quality and fit-and-finish.

mmarshall

Again, Och.....if you want to go on and on about the Sonata and Accord, let's start a thread for that. We're taking time away from the issue here at hand.....the LS460 and Azera.

spwolf

umph. Why get Azera, when you can get Camry? Or Corolla? Or Yaris sedan?

Or Yamaha chopper?

Or one of the Chevy-Daewoos?

mmarshall

Well, no arguements there. The Excel, Scoupe, and the original Sonatas gave Hyundai the butt-of-jokes reputation they had in the late 80's and early 90's. The Scoupe's poor reputation, deservedly, persisted even after a modified one won the Pikes' Peak Hill Climb (you remember that, don't you?)



Fords, especially the Taurus/Sable, vary enormously in quality, not only from one model line to another, but often from specific car to another IN that model line. The Taurus/Sable were perhaps the best example.....if you picked any 3 cars at random on the assembly line, one would run fine for 200,000 miles, another would have average reliability, and the third one would be a lemon.

Pontiacs, with the exception of the Toyota-designed Vibe and Australian-Holden designed GTO, are for the most part poorly designed and built.........I agree with you there.

Lexus and Mazda products have genenrally been better or much-better-than-average in the reliablity area, with the exception of some Ford-designed Mazda trucks/SUV's and both manual and automatic transmissions in the Mazda 626. The build quality of new Lexus ES350, though, as I have stated in other posts, is, IMO, not impressive at all.

-J-P-L-

I don't understand what you mean. Please explain why this is in response to my post.