Almost four years ago, I test drove virtually every car in the Canadian price range of $30,000 to $40,000. Although I was very skeptical about it, I had seen pictures of the then-new Hyundai XG300, and decided to try it out. I was quite pleasantly surprised at how the car's mechanicals felt, and my personal comfort while driving it -- but dismissed the car since I couldn't possibly drive a new Korean-made vehicle with less-than-stellar reliabilty! To make a long story short, I actually test-drove that car five times while driving all the other choices available, and each time I found I liked the "feel" of the XG better than any other choice! I ended up leasing one, and my satisfaction was so great that two years ago we leased a second Hyundai for my wife -- the top of the line Elantra GT-1 (hatchback with rear wiper, heated leather seats, sunroof, etc.) She loves her car too! My XG lease is up in a couple of months -- I have had very few mechanical problems, altough initially some electrical wiring was a nuisance, and I had to replace brakes and battery sooner than expected but still only once in my four years of ownership. If the new Sonata, which I am seriously considering, or the new TG version of my XG were available in Canada now (2006 Sonata comes to Canada in the autumn of 2005) I would probably choose one of these vehicles right now. I may wait until the fall, since I have already driven several other vehicles to replace mine, and did not like any of them as well as my four-year-old XG! While the marketplace is beginning to recognize the remarkable progress Hyundai has made, there are a fair number of media dissidents who still can't find anything really good to say about Hyundai --- they must be on competitors' payrolls! Last comment: Consumer Reports magazine has been bashing the XG ride for years, while extolling its value virtues. I have had several near-collisions where extreme swerving and braking were required, and the car ALWAYS remained controllable. Can't say the same about the old Buicks that Consumer Reports said the XG drove like! Happy motoring, folks.

This post has been edited by richphil: Feb 25 2005, 05:24 PM

Hi,
the 06 Sonata (code name NF) will get to the dealers in April or May. The new XG (code name TG) will most likely have a new name, and will get to Canada in the end of the year.
I have driven the new Sonata (3.3ltr V6) for 250km, and can only say "AMAZING".
ESP & 6 airbag system is standard.

1. Wow! How'd you get to drive the 2006 Sonata??? You must be well-connected! Are the brake & gas pedals adjustable as they are in Korea? If you drove the automatic, did it start smoothly from a standing position or did it "lurch" on startup?
FYI a 'manager' at the Toronto International Auto Show told me the 2006 Sonata is now slated to be delivered in Canada in May/05; not the Fall as they had said earlier. He suggested a top price for the loaded -with-everything model of under $30 grand...seems unlikely but I'm hoping. Any more info to share?

Richard

Well yes, it helps when one has connections to HAC.
The car is "fly by wire". I tried my best to make the car do the "XG behavior" on pull-away, but it was smoooooth. A gentle engine roar on deep throttle pull-away, which ebbs when torque & speed evens out. At 140kmh, one can notice the air rushing by the windows, if one pays attention to it. The adjustable pedals will be on the top trim only.
All I can say, SWEEEEET.