[bigron]

Also stick to normal diesel and avoid premium. I have been using the racechip piggyback ecu for last 20,000 kms and it does give a boost in performance. Also , am running k/n filter. If nothing else , atleast it pays itself over in 2 services and then just clean and re charge it on your own whenever you think fit. I am also running 225 mm tyres instead of the usual 215. Good grip and does not foul with anything. None of this will void warranty. Also , Keep a tab on the aircon particulate filter . It tends to get absolutely useless over a period of time.

[cars_crazy]

Thanks bigron! I fuel at shell all the time. I don't go anywhere else for fear of sulphur adulteration. Shell works very well for me although I pay higher than normal price.

Like I said in my first post am truly disappointed with my stock hankook tyres. When it's time to change them am looking at a bridgestone g3 potenza. May be I will take the 215 after all. As for air filters and engine oil am waiting to finish one year before I go k&n and switch to semi synthetic oil.

[arvi86]

Originally Posted by cars_crazy

Hyundai Sonata Transform Diesel M/T

First of all, hearty congratulations for owning one of the most under-rated cars in India. The Sonata is a brilliant car, specifically designed and engineered for comfort rather than sheer driving pleasure. And considering that you started looking out for the Verna, the Sonata is a better car in every aspect. Being a Hyundai, you can expect top-notch reliability and good after-sales service. To quote a popular word, the Sonata is a good overall package.

Don't think you are alone, even I quite like the understated looks of the Sonata (though I prefer the pre-facelift version).

And, thanks for starting an ownership review. For all its worth, its surprising that there are absolutely no Sonata ownership threads in Team-BHP. I think yours is one of the first, if not the first.

Originally Posted by bigron

Finally , I have someone who has the same car i drive. I have a 2009 transform crdi AT. Bought it after selling the old superb. I am in love with this car. The car has done around 70,000 kms and is performing well.

That's surprising. Do you find the Sonata better than the old Superb? As much as I like the Sonata, I thought the Superb trounced it in almost all aspects.

Originally Posted by bigron

I had the old sonata gold and we clocked over 3,00,000 kms in it.

Would you mind starting a thread on the "Long-term ownership" section? Many including me are of the opinion that Hyundais don't hold up well after about 70,000 to 80,000 km and you have owned the Sonata Gold for 300,000 km. Would love to hear more of that.

[cars_crazy]

Originally Posted by arvi86

That's surprising. Do you find the Sonata better than the old Superb? As much as I like the Sonata, I thought the Superb trounced it in almost all aspects.

Many including me are of the opinion that Hyundais don't hold up well after about 70,000 to 80,000 km and you have owned the Sonata Gold for 300,000 km. Would love to hear more of that.

Hi arvi86 - thanks for your wishes mate.

I have tried the new superb (not the old one) and found it to be a bit more unnerving in handling than the sonata. And on the ownership thing with Hyundai and the cars holding up beyond eighty k kms I would request you to read my other thread about the Verna I owned and sold in "Bidding adieu to my Verna diesel" thread. She was fantastic till I sold her and I did about 116k kms before I sold her.

[arvi86]

Originally Posted by cars_crazy

I have tried the new superb (not the old one) and found it to be a bit more unnerving in handling than the sonata.

Surprising, but it could well be true because of Superb's lengthy proportions.

Originally Posted by cars_crazy

And on the ownership thing with Hyundai and the cars holding up beyond eighty k kms I would request you to read my other thread about the Verna I owned and sold in "Bidding adieu to my Verna diesel" thread. She was fantastic till I sold her and I did about 116k kms before I sold her.

I am a fan of Hyundai cars, with their design, feature-loaded interiors, reliability and after-sales support being second to none. Though short, my one and half years of owning a Santro was truly enjoyable and the car didn't let me down once. But, the service and maintenance costs were prohibitvely expensive for a small car and that's when I realized that quite a few Hyundais had the same attributes once they cross 70,000/80,000 km or 7/8 years of ownership. It's good to note that it is not the case everywhere.

[bigron]

@ ARVI86 - Yea , the superb trounced it on every parameter but only on days it would run or was capable of being used like a car. Let me give you food for though. One fine day the the sun roof motor went for a toss and then the sunroof remianed half open for almost 3 months becasue the crappy skoda fellows could not source one in time. Then one day the speedometer got stuck at 120 and remained there. The other time , the driver seat electronics went kaput and the seat would not adjust. I can go on. Also ,.i know atleast 4 other people whose superbs seized on the gt road coz it sucked the water from the road. Skoda makes such crappy cars its not even funny. And their A.S.S takes the cake. This is despite the fact i had a PSO stationed there 24/7 to escalate the repairs on my car but it took them over 6 months to source various parts. After the experice i picked up the sonata and my father the camry. we couldnt be more happier.
On the old hyundai , we sold it close to 5 years ago so i dont really have any pixtures or data to accompany my ink. But i remeber it had the best rear seat in the business and looked classy in a very korean kinda way. And yes , apart from regualr service and timely engine and suspension overhaul the car did not ask for anything else.

[arvi86]

Originally Posted by bigron

@ ARVI86 - Yea , the superb trounced it on every parameter but only on days it would run or was capable of being used like a car.

That sums it all. Any day, the Japanese and Korean cars are more reliable than their German counterparts.

[cars_crazy]

Originally Posted by arvi86

That sums it all. Any day, the Japanese and Korean cars are more reliable than their German counterparts.

Yeah. Where the German or European ones lose, IMO, is the after sales service and cost of upkeep in this country. Probably if I lived anywhere else I would never look beyond the v dub. In India? Nah!! Brand only gets so much Brownie points, at least with me. After extensive test drives and comparing feature for feature with various models in this segment I find the sonata meeting my requirements much better as an all round package.

[cars_crazy]

Ok.. so its approx 11500 kms on the Odo now. Details so far:
- got the second free service (@10400 kms) done from Trident Hyundai at Hosur road. The misaligned dash has been re-fitted to my satisfaction and no rattling from that part of the car. However, there is still this glass squeaking / crunching noise that I hear from the front windscreen when maneuvering slowly over uneven road surfaces. Any ideas why? Do I need to remove and re-fit the front glass?
- still staying with the regular air filters and Hyundai recommended engine oil. I wanted to change to Shell Helix but decided to that after I allow 20k kms for the car. Not changing the air filter too at this stage. Going with the OE air filter
- Mileage seems to be improved marginally. I am now getting close to 10.6 kmpl in city drives. Yet to do a highway cruise after my second free service. Pickup is marginally better too.
- Sadly, I have been advised that my audio HU does not have additional pre-outs for me to hook up an amp / sub. I may have to go for aftermarket fitment to achieve this. I am thinking of just changing the speakers from the original HMC made ones to a Polk or JBL speakers. Audio Gurus on the forum, please assist with any valuable information
- got a 5 wheel tyre rotation done. Hopefully all 5 will wear out evenly and I can go in for my fav Potenza G3 very soon. As said in my previous post, the OE fitted Hankook tyres are not very nice. They are grippy but too much road noise that can be heard in the cabin.
- I have been using Shell Diesel and nothing else in this car and so far the performance is very good. I also checked for emission levels, its all under control, so no problems there
- the second free service bill, including all the other work I had wanted them to do set me back by INR 5440, which I think is reasonable.
- Planning to switch the head lamp bulbs. Would the pros in the forum recommend anything? Will a 100/90 bulb damage the reflectors in the HL assembly? The 55/60 ones that came with the car are not that bright at night. Or would you recommend Xenon? Although the low beam is a projector headlamp, am not getting that good a throw.
- I am very keen to see if there is a OE Bluetooth kit that I can attach to the Sonata Transform. Any recommendations there will be of great help. Would be a bliss if I can just hook up my phone to the audio unit through this.
- I am interested to know from existing owners, what is the frequency in which they have had to replace the brake pads on front / rear wheels. I know that it largely depends on the individual’s driving style, but still on an average, am expecting the set to last me atleast till 45k kms. On a related note, can anyone please confirm if the Sonata Transform CRDi MT comes with EBD as well?

I have clicked some photos of the interior, will be uploading them soon.

[cars_crazy]

A view of the front passenger area. I love the wood finish on the steering and across the dashboard and door pads. Vertical vents look cool to me though some have said its not that aesthetically appealing. Lots of cubby holes in the car to store things and the space in front of the gear lever is very useful.


And from the rear passenger side. I am simply stumped with the legroom.. Space, Space and more space. Although I have not been driven around sitting in them, I have been told by passengers that its supremely comfortable


This is my area... the cockpit. Neatly arranged buttons on the door pad and the dash, easy access to everything, good quality switch gear and electrically adjustable driver seats.


Another view with the boot-lid up and with the Nilgiri hills in the background


and finally, with the car and the serene backdrop.

[krish3]

Nice pics. The interiors looks very clean and classy. If not for the badge, this car would have sold quite well.

[Ford5]

This car outsold the Honda Accord month on month in america during 2010-2012. Except for the toyota camry which is loved by all in america, this was a good contender. Fine tuned actually to outbeat the accord and camry.

[cars_crazy]

Originally Posted by krish3

Nice pics. The interiors looks very clean and classy. If not for the badge, this car would have sold quite well.

Thanks mate. Yes very functional and very classy feel. Like I said earlier in the post and many others, my expectations were being met by this so I pushed the brand value out of list of priorities. In India, I strongly believe Hyundai has a name for itself.

[cars_crazy]

Took the car out on a highway drive yesterday. At about 120 kmph I felt the steering vobble. Not that I cross 100 most of the times but am sure this wasn't there before. Knew or guessed it to be a balancing issue. Promptly called my mechanic and he said my hunch is right and admitted Hyundai balancing machines are results upto 110kmph. Is that possible? Can such machines have a threshold after which they get inaccurate? If Yes why on earth would they keep ones that have such a low threshold value? Surely there are other people who zip thru faster than me.
Any suggestions for good wheel alignment and balancing places in Bangalore?

[aboveallkaran]

Originally Posted by cars_crazy

Thanks bigron! I fuel at shell all the time. I don't go anywhere else for fear of sulphur adulteration. Shell works very well for me although I pay higher than normal price.

Like I said in my first post am truly disappointed with my stock hankook tyres. When it's time to change them am looking at a bridgestone g3 potenza. May be I will take the 215 after all. As for air filters and engine oil am waiting to finish one year before I go k&n and switch to semi synthetic oil.

Hello cars_crazy, I just now went through your post. I have the same car in auto transmission. Earlier I had sonata embera crdi manual.
First of all I would like to tell you the tyres are not that bad. My hankook lasted for 60000 kms. And I still replaced them with hankook optimo me02. These tyres are amazing. Have least road noise because they are directional. Sound from dashboard is obvious as I face the same issue. I have clocked 60000 kms. Still running excellent except few noise