BigRedNole and Midas69:
Yes, I fully agree about all the small issues starting to annoy;
I like your answers and your attitude about spending this kind of money on a new model only to be stuck with all these little compromises for all the years you're driving (and paying for) the car.
I was pretty hot on buying one of these Sonatas (Ltd w/Nav, of course) but after reading threads like this, I think I may wait a bit longer. I don't WANT to, since I'm ready NOW to get a new car, but ........
My current car is a 2003 Cadillac seville, which I bought used a few years ago, PRECISELY for these kind of reasons. I can't afford a NEW luxury car (where these annoyances are often worked out already) but I want something where I'm thinking "****, this is NICE" rather than feeling "uh-oh, yet ANOTHER little design quirk I'll have to learn to live with."
So until now, my solution has been to buy a "state-of-the-art" model from a few years back. My caddy has many features that are just now starting to show up on new mid-priced cars. And it's just a joy to spend time in.
But ..... I really want a NEW car now, and I want at least most of the goodies that already exist with my caddy; but I just don't want to PAY the premium price. That's why I tried to convince myself that this new Sonata might ALMOST be like a luxury car but with a modest price. And that warranty !! Too good to be true on a cheap car like Sonata!
But to read here about all "the little things" that owners are putting up with, I'm starting to back away. Like you, BigRedNole. Especially the failings involving noises & rattles & road-noise: that would drive me nuts after awhile, especially after giving up a refined & silent cruiser like the Seville.
Thanks so much, you guys, who don't just fall in line with all the gushing fan-boys of this new Sonata, and who tell it like it is on forums like this. We need balanced & honest appraisals before (like you said, BigRed) taking on a $400 monthly car payment. The new-car smell & admiring glances do fade after a while and you don't want to be stuck with irritations, annoyances and the thought that maybe you should have waited another year for them to resolve many of the kinks that showed up in the first year of a new model.
It seems that Hyundai truly wants to become a leader, and they're doing most of the right things towards that end; for this I'm quite impressed and applaud them. I'm just wanting to give them a bit more time on this latest introduction.