Test drove - Fusion, Sonata, Five Hundred, Accord (used)

[stodge]

I test drove four cars on Saturday, but as one was used I posted this here. I may return and tidy up and complete the text over time.

Test Drives...

2006 Ford Fusion I4 Auto

Positives:

- Comfortable front seat
- Pokey and responsive 4 cylinder engine
- Easy to drive especially around town
- Like the style
- Economical 4cyl engine

Negatives:

- High revving at low acceleration
- Noisy engine
- Larger than expected turning radius
- Low rear headroom
- Rough, noisy idle, car shook
- Bumpy, harsh ride – felt all the bumps
- Poor rear visibility due to tiny rear window

Dealer/Sales staff comments:

Overall:

- Disappointed, especially in the engine
- Probably removed from the list, but may test drive another 4cyl to see if they're all noisy and shake at idle


2006 Hyundai Sonata I4 Auto GL

Positives:

- Comfortable
- Quiet, responsive, pokey engine
- Smooth transmission
- Manual control of gears if required
- Good quality finish
- Good visibility
- Spacious interior
- Like the style
- Good warranty (5 years?)

Negatives:

- Only 4 speed auto transmission
- Confused transmission a few times
- Some flat points in RPM curve
- Steering a little heavy initially, but seemed ok after driving a while
- Dashboard too busy and distracting
- Controls seemed easy to use when driving

Dealer/Sales staff comments:

- Incredibly annoying salesman, will NOT return or buy from there

Overall:

- Good solid car
- Probably not an option due to 4 speed auto on 4cyl
Disappointed due to 4 speed auto, would have considered one otherwise


2005 Ford Five Hundred SEL 8500km (CVT)

Positives:

- Extremely spacious, huge interior, huge trunk
- Very comfortable
- Higher seating gives good visibility
- Easy to drive, forget it's a large car
- Safer due to Volvo platform?
- Volvo's all wheel drive if required

Negatives:

- Lacks power, not noticeably quick
- Expensive to buy
- Interior dash material quality suspect
- Too big?

Dealer/Sales staff comments:

- Somewhat annoying and pushy, won't buy from him

Overall:

- Nice, big car
- Probably a no go as too big and expensive?

2003 Honda Accord I4 Auto 95000km

Positives:

- Handled well – direct and responsive
- Responsive engine, quiet
- Smooth transmission
- Soaked up bumpy road quiet well
- Dash was simple and functional

Negatives:

- Some dead spots when not in sweet spot of RPM curve (but engine had 95000km on it)

Dealer/Sales staff comments:

Overall:

- Accord was probably the best overall package of the bunch, despite the age and miles.

Let me clarify that last statement about the Accord. The Accord would be the best overall if it were a 2003 with less miles on the clock and in better condition. My thoughts were - why drive a brand new Accord if I can only afford a used one.

Also, the Five Hundred wasn't a real contender - I was just curious. :roll:

[woohoo!]

Hehehe I guess your choice was already made before your test drives ;-)

[jww]

You should try the Sonata V6 - it's an excellent engine. We own a 2006 GLS Premium (traded in our 2002 Altima), and it's easily the best car I have ever owned.

jww

[stodge]

You should try the Sonata V6 - it's an excellent engine. We own a 2006 GLS Premium (traded in our 2002 Altima), and it's easily the best car I have ever owned.

jww

I can't afford the V6 though there are some used ones on the market in Smiths Falls.

[Pritch]

JWW

how is the mileage on your V6?

I pointed a friend at one to buy, having only tried the 4 cyl for review myself, and he complains constantly about horrible mileage. Of course its still very much winter where I live...

[jww]

JWW

how is the mileage on your V6?

I pointed a friend at one to buy, having only tried the 4 cyl for review myself, and he complains constantly about horrible mileage. Of course its still very much winter where I live...
It wasn't too good the first couple of thousand kms but getting better. We are at 5000km and getting 12.3l / 100km. Generally as good as the 2002 Altima was believe it or not. I have heard that the mileage others are getting isn't good at all - and I must admit I am a bit surprised that we are getting these figures - I thought it would be worse for me. We got cruddy mileage in our new 1997 and 2000 Caravans until we hit close to 20,000.

jww

[Pritch]

Thats about what im getting with my 06 RL tester this week...and im not really being all that nice to it

its got nearly 300 horspower and weighs 2 tonnes. Still seems high for your car...keep me updated if you would.

[jww]

Thats about what im getting with my 06 RL tester this week...and im not really being all that nice to it

its got nearly 300 horspower and weighs 2 tonnes. Still seems high for your car...keep me updated if you would.
Yeah - but I am doing almost all my driving in the city, start and stop, and rarely over 60km/hr.

But then, I didn't buy it for the mileage.

jww

[Pritch]

yes true, good point

theyre a fantastic car for the money indeed

Im hearing rumours that theyre making a RWD platform soon too, which should be interesting

[stodge]

Pathway has some nice looking V6 Sonatas for sale as ex-demos. Is buying an ex-demo dangerous or worth considering?

[Pritch]

I would tend to think its worth considering- youll still be covered by the warranty and save some money.

[stodge]

I'm just wondering how hard they've been driven as demos. Is it worth the savings?

[Pritch]

Sure, theyre probably beaten on a little. But again, warranty coverage is the same.

A little wheelspin and some stabbing at the brake pedal never hurt anyone, anyways.

[GoldStone]

Pathway has some nice looking V6 Sonatas for sale as ex-demos.
Autotrader shows four used 2006 Sonatas for sale at Pathway. Three are clearly marked as 4cyl. The fourth is quoted as "2.4, 6cyl". This is most likely a typo. 2.4L is a 4 cylinder engine. V6 is 3.3L.

[jww]

Pathway has some nice looking V6 Sonatas for sale as ex-demos.
Autotrader shows four used 2006 Sonatas for sale at Pathway. Three are clearly marked as 4cyl. The fourth is quoted as "2.4, 6cyl". This is most likely a typo. 2.4L is a 4 cylinder engine. V6 is 3.3L.
Personally, I didn't like the feel of the 4 cyl as it really was only adequate on the highway,. I also wanted the much higher level of kit with the GLS Premium so it became a total no-brainer for me.

Pathway have a supply of 4 cylinders as they have been selling more of the 3.3 6 with it's better power and higher torque. However there is a mileage cost that comes with it - so if economy is more important to the buyer, then the 4 is a good choice.

jww

[stodge]

I didn't drive the 4cyl Sonata a whole lot, but I drove the 4cyl Mazda6 and Fusion. I ended up deciding I wasn't overly keen on them. They weren't as flexible as the Accord 4cyl, and they were too noisy.

[jww]

I didn't drive the 4cyl Sonata a whole lot, but I drove the 4cyl Mazda6 and Fusion. I ended up deciding I wasn't overly keen on them. They weren't as flexible as the Accord 4cyl, and they were too noisy.
The Accord 4cyl is pretty responsive, but very buzzy - which is typical for Honda.

jww

[stodge]

I didn't drive the 4cyl Sonata a whole lot, but I drove the 4cyl Mazda6 and Fusion. I ended up deciding I wasn't overly keen on them. They weren't as flexible as the Accord 4cyl, and they were too noisy.
The Accord 4cyl is pretty responsive, but very buzzy - which is typical for Honda.

jww

That's odd - I found the opposite - I thought the Accord 4cyl was quieter. I thought it was definitely quieter than the Fusion and Sonata 4cyls.

[jww]

I didn't drive the 4cyl Sonata a whole lot, but I drove the 4cyl Mazda6 and Fusion. I ended up deciding I wasn't overly keen on them. They weren't as flexible as the Accord 4cyl, and they were too noisy.
The Accord 4cyl is pretty responsive, but very buzzy - which is typical for Honda.

jww

That's odd - I found the opposite - I thought the Accord 4cyl was quieter. I thought it was definitely quieter than the Fusion and Sonata 4cyls.
Most all 4 cylinders are buzzy engines to some degree. You have to expect that when they are revving at 600RPM or more above their 6 cyl cousins. I didn't mean to say that buzzy engines are bad - just that they are, well, buzzy.

In terms of power, the Honda probably has the better feel - at least to me it does. Is the Accord lighter than the Sonata? If so, that would explain it - although the Hyundai has more hp. Funny how different dynamics can play with the overall feel of how a car drives.

jww

[GoldStone]

I only tried 4cyl Sonata, so I can't compare it to V6 first-hand.

That said, I did raise this subject with my Hyundai saleseman. According to him:
- 4cyl is noisier than V6 during fast acceleration.
- once you reach the cruising speed, there is no difference between the two.

Was he telling the truth or did he figure out that I had little interest in V6? I dunno. But even if he is right, 4cyl is bound to become noisier with time. Sound insulation tends to deteriorate as the car ages.

[jww]

The difference at speed for a brand new 4cyl might not be noticeable. However, my experience is that even though over time all engines become noisier, the 4cyls which I have owned have always been noisier than comparable models with a larger 6cyl engine.

On the other hand, the 4 gives added economy, and if it's a well proven engine with decent power and torque (remember that you need both, not just hp for decent performance) then I wouldn't worry as much.

Everyone's different. We were OK with the larger engine with a lower economy because we wanted feature set that wasn't available in the 4cyl level trim for our car.

jww

[philmcneal]

should have tried 5 spd versions of all the cars you drove (well the sonata, fusion and accord for one) i bet you would have fallen in love!

and with the ability to start the engine with the clutch (so you can shut it down while coasting) its a huge gas saver over an automatic tranmission (assuming you know how to do it like me ;)