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Bark Buckle UP's Paw Blogger Daisy Mae is digging into the 2011 Hyundai Sonata Limited with a little help from Jim Hamel her owner. Just because something is popular doesn’t mean that it is any good. If you go to any dog park anywhere in the country you will find at least a few dogs that are less interested in playing and more interested in sniffing their own excrement. I was brought up to be a lady so such endeavors are, to my eyes, nothing short of reprehensible.
I have a similar level of distaste for the admittedly hyper-successful 2011 Hyundai Sonata. It is so popular that it has rocketed past the Nissan Altima to become the 3rd best-selling family car in the United States. But is that to say it’s any good? Not if my previous notion about popularity is any guide.
I will admit that the Sonata marked the beginning of Hyundai’s new design language which I think looks terrific on the 2011 Tucson and upcoming 2011 Elantra. Here it just makes the Sonata look like a big banana. Perhaps the gross pearl white exterior color of my Limited tester did it no favors there. This car looks much better in dark metallic or black.
Speaking of bad color choices the interior of my test model featured the “wine” (also known by others with eyes as purple) leather trim. I was amazed at how much this leather felt like vinyl especially when I compared it to the terrific leather in the 2011 Kia Optima EX I tested a week later. Kia is owned by Hyundai and both of these family sedans are similarly priced so I don’t understand how the quality in evidence could be that much different.
I had an easy enough time hopping into the admittedly roomy back seat but my daddy always hit his head trying to latch me into the car seat buckle. I can only imagine it would be just as difficult for parents securing their children into the car seat.
One ace up the Sonata’s sleeve is trunk space—it has an overabundance of it with a class leading 16.4 cubic feet of room. Although our tester only managed a little over 22 miles per gallon over the week (well shy of the 22 city/35 highway EPA ratings), the gas tank is 18.5 gallons so there is a decent cruising range.Lastly, my daddy really disliked the way the Sonata Limited we tested steered and handled. The steering was overly light, according to him, and one time when we went over a large bump the car bucked so hard that I flew off the back seat into the rear footwell. Thank goodness I was wearing my harness.
So I don’t really recommend the 2011 Hyundai Sonata. If you are looking for a terrific Korean family sedan with a 10 year warranty go check out the 2011 Kia Optima. You will be much happier. And safer too, I think.
Vehicle Tested: 2011 Hyundai Sonata Limited
Base Price: $25,295
Price as Tested: $28,415 (including destination)
Options on Test Vehicle: Navigation Package--$2,100 (includes touchscreen navigation, XM traffic/sports, 400-watt Infinity audio system, back-up camera), floormats--$100, pearl white paint--$200
Engine: 2.4 liter direct injected 4-cylinder
Power: 200 horsepower/186 lb. feet of torque
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
0-60: 6.9 seconds (estimated)
EPA Fuel Economy: 22 city/35 highway
Economy as Tested: 22.6 miles per gallon
Runs on: Regular Unleaded
Fuel Tank Size: 18.5 gallons
Trunk Size: 16.4 cubic feet
Curb Weight: 3,300 lbs. (estimated)
Crash Test Ratings: IIHS “Top Safety Pick”
Warranty: 5 years/60,000 mile bumper to bumper
10 year/100,000 mile powertrain
Assembled in: Montgomery Alabama
North American Parts Content: 41%
Vehicle Provided by: Hyundai
About: Bark Buckle UP® founder Christina Selter “Pet Safety Lady” works with first responders nationwide teaching pet safety and has buckled UP more then 10,000 pets. Education is the first step to show that pet safety is connected to human safety, which helps to save lives. Christina has been featured in more then 1200 TV, radio, segments including print and online takes it over tens of thousands, Bark Buckle UP received more then 100 MILLION in circulations/impressions in 2008 and she has directed, produced several pet safety PSA’s and created Be Smart Ride Safe-take the pledge Buckle Up the whole family.
About: Daisy Mae, she is the new PAW investigative automotive writer for Bark Buckle UP. She is an 8 year old Boxer who, until recently, called Boxer Rescue Los Angeles her only home. As a senior citizen among many adorable Boxer pups, her chances of being adopted seemed pretty dim. But James Hamel, a freelance auto journalist who works from home, adopted little Miss Daisy Mae and has put her to work helping him write reviews. She now travels with him in every vehicle that he tests and offers up her unique take on what makes a vehicle or product truly “Pet Safe.”
Bark Buckle UP's Paw Blogger Daisy Mae is digging into the Kia Optima EX (with a little help from Jim Hamel). I am used to getting a lot of attention wherever I go. Most of the time it is because I am so adorable but there are other times I cannot take credit for causing a stir. Since I road test new cars for a living sometimes people are attracted by the vehicles I am riding in.
Yes, my harness makes me look precious but this 2011 Kia Optima EX I recently tested had people asking my owner about it wherever he went. And why shouldn’t they? This is one terrific looking car that, like me, has beauty that runs far deeper than its good looks.
No car in either my daddy or my experience has gotten more attention than this. Well, the experimental Honda FCX Clarity hydrogen sedan got more attention but I was never allowed to ride in that because apparently two cast members from the TV show “Glee” rode to a White House dinner in the back. My daddy loves that show almost as much as he loves me and that’s a whole heck of a lot! That isn’t to say that I am not still bitter about never getting a ride.
I, along with most everyone who saw the 2011 Kia Optima, was hugely impressed with how it looked and the level of quality in evidence in the interior. The plastics, leather, wood and metal used were all of near-Audi levels of quality. I have been in an Audi or two and I know they are the best at interiors.
It’s amazing that Kia has been able to create an interior of this quality and charge so little for it. My tester may have had an MSRP of over $27,000 but it felt like a $35,000 car so that price is okay in my eyes. The trunk is also positively cave-like at 15.4 cubic feet. That means this is the perfect car for hauling 80 lb. bags of kibble!
How does it compare with the 2011 Hyundai Sonata?
Kia is owned by Hyundai and the 2011 Optima is based on the same platform as the 2011 Sonata. As it so happens I tested a Sonata back to back with the Optima and was floored at how different they were. My daddy and I felt the Optima outclassed the Sonata in both styling and quality of interior materials.
Not only did my daddy also think the Optima handled and steered with more precision and control but he also had an easier time latching me into the belt buckle in the backseat of the Optima. The Sonata’s rear roofline dips low and it was easy for him to hit his head.
The Optima is also less expensive than the Sonata Limited we tested but came with more features like rear seat heaters, a panoramic full length sunroof, a steering wheel heater and cooled front seats. Less expensive, more stuff, better built and better looking? It sounds like the 2011 Kia Optima EX is the obvious choice here.
Vehicle Tested: 2011 Kia Optima EX
Base Price: $22,495
Price as Tested: $27,555 (including destination)
Options on Test Model: Premium Package--$2,250 (includes panoramic sunroof, power passenger seat, heated/cooled front seats, heated rear seats, heated steering wheel, wood/metal trim), EX Technology Package--$2,000 (includes navigation with back-up camera, 8-speaker Infinity audio system), Floormats--$115
Engine: 2.4 liter direct injected 4-cylinder
Power: 200 horsepower/186 lb. feet of torque
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
0-60: 6.9 seconds (estimated)
EPA Fuel Economy: 22 city/35 highway
Economy as Tested: 25.8 miles per gallon
Runs on: Regular Unleaded
Fuel Tank Size: 18.5 gallons
Trunk Size: 15.4 cubic feet
Curb Weight: 3,223 lbs.
Crash Test Ratings: Not yet tested at time of writing
Warranty: 5 years/60,000 mile bumper to bumper
10 years/100,000 mile powertrain
Vehicle Assembled in: Korea
Vehicle Provided by: Kia Motors America
Photos Provided by: Todd M. Allen of TacAir Photography
Link to TacAir Photography webpage— http://tacair.zenfolio.com/
About:
Who is Daisy Mae, she is the new PAW investigative automotive writer for Bark Buckle UP. She is an 8 year old Boxer who, until recently, called Boxer Rescue Los Angeles her only home. As a senior citizen among many adorable Boxer pups, her chances of being adopted seemed pretty dim. But James Hamel, a freelance auto journalist who works from home, adopted little Miss Daisy Mae and has put her to work helping him write reviews. She now travels with him in every vehicle that he tests and offers up her unique take on what makes a vehicle or product truly “Pet Safe.”
About: Bark Buckle UP® founder Christina Selter “Pet Safety Lady” works with first responders nationwide teaching pet safety and has buckled UP more then 10,000 pets. Education is the first step to show that pet safety is connected to human safety, which helps to save lives. Christina has been featured in more then 1200 TV, radio, segments including print and online takes it over tens of thousands, Bark Buckle UP received more then 100 MILLION in circulations/impressions in 2008 and she has directed, produced several pet safety PSA’s and created Be Smart Ride Safe-take the pledge Buckle Up the whole family.
Bark Buckle UP's Paw Blogger Daisy Mae is digging into the 2011 Hyundai Sonata Limited with a little help from Jim Hamel her owner. Just because something is popular doesn’t mean that it is any good. If you go to any dog park anywhere in the country you will find at least a few dogs that are less interested in playing and more interested in sniffing their own excrement. I was brought up to be a lady so such endeavors are, to my eyes, nothing short of reprehensible.
