But I'm getting ahead of myself. The Sonata isn't about to dissuade any Lexus ES 330 buyers away from their trusted
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| The Hyundai Sonata was awarded top Entry Midsize Car in the 2004 J. D. Power and Associates 2004 Initial Quality Study. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
brand, but it no doubt will continue to shake up the Japanese status quo as its predecessor did. This last point was made crystal clear when the brand's Hyundai Sonata was awarded top Entry Midsize Car in the 2004 J. D. Power and Associates 2004 Initial Quality Study (IQS), which came out last year. In the same U.S.-based survey, the Hyundai nameplate ranked 7th out of 37 brands with 102 problems per 100 vehicles, which was second among entry-level brands behind 4th place Honda, with 99 problems per 100 vehicles, and 9th place Toyota, with 104 problems per 100.
While J. D. Power and Associate's 2004 Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS) showed Hyundai near the bottom of the barrel, ranked in 32nd of 37 nameplates, with
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| Consumer Reports has dubbed the 2004 Sonata the "single most reliable vehicle" available in the U.S. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
375 problems per 100 vehicles, the study surveys owners of three year old vehicles, and doesn't necessarily reflect the ownership experience a new 2005 model year buyer can expect. Rather, the brand's rise in J.D. Power's IQS, placing it ahead of Toyota, is a sign that its VDS scores are about to dramatically improve as well. Driving this point home is a new survey by another independent and highly influential organization, Consumer Reports magazine, which rates the Sonata highly to say the least. With only 2 problems for every 100 vehicles sold, Consumer Reports has dubbed the 2004 Sonata the "single most reliable vehicle" available in the U.S.
