Used 2016 Hyundai Sonata Eco 4dr Sedan w/Prod. End 9/30 (1.6L 4cyl Turbo 7AM) Consumer Reviews

Overlooked gem

Awesome value. Bought it for one of my kids. I am comparing it to my Mercedes CLA-250 ( eco vs cla) : Similar, small turbo engine 1.6L vs 2.0L. Similar torque and torque curve. 198 foot/lbs available from 1500 RPM and up. Both cars are pleasant to drive, esp. compared to the screaming high rev downshifts of the 2.4l Sonata baseline engine. Both cars have a dual clutch 7 speed tranny. The eco's tranny seems to work better, and faster. Update: Hesitates at low speeds. Tranny had to be replaced under warranty once. The dealer had to do some rework on the replace. Price paid: 18.5 K vs 35K. Neither has a spare tire. Tires: 16 inch Michelin Energy vs. 17" low profile Pirelli run-flats. Handling, road feel: Hyundai cannot beat a German car as of yet. The Benz wins here. Fit and finish, rattles:Hyundai wins. Example: 2x hydraulic hood supports on the Hyundai, cheap metal stick for the Benz. Seriously? Brakes: Hyundai wins so far. The benz had the front rotors replaced at 20K and now needs new rotors again at 38K. (Uneven wear, thickness variation) Warranty: Hyundai wins, (6/64 vs 4/48) although the turbo is not part of the power train, so not 10/100 only 6/64. Seriously? Actual highway mileage ( as measured at the pump) 33 mpg. Benz: 42+ on highway. Gasoline: Hyundai runs fine w normal vs Benz needs Super (runs noticeably worse on anything less). Looks: the benz wins hands down. Back seat comfort: The Benz back seats are for 2 small adults or children. The eco has OK back seats. Gripes: the Benz windshield sucks. I am on my 2nd one, it seems to crack easily. Both brands are going to an overpriced "bundled service" model, invented by some marketing genius. Benz A service is $200 , B service is $400. The former is a glorified oil change, witness my service invoices. Way overpriced. Hyundai is attempting to go to a similar model, with a long list of "check this and inspect that" and trying to charge similar insane amount of money. Check out the service brochure and you will see what I mean. They try to present this travesty as a fantastic deal, as in, if you opt in, they give you some token money off the insanely over-inflated service cost. Update: Our Eco had a transmission and battery replaced so far. (Transmission had escalating problems with jerky shifting). Hyundai currently has a significant engine problem, they are replacing lots of engines in these cars. Dealer service is mediocre at best, they always try to tack on something I have to pay for whenever I need a warranty repair. E.g.: last time charged me $120 to "recalibrate the tire pressure sensors" (Pure BS) . I had not have an engine issue yet, but this sounds scary. Dealer recommends 5W20 (thin) non-synthetic oil for these engines, which is kind of ridiculous for a turbo. Super-thin oils maybe improve fuel economy but are not the best for engine wear. The dealers are pushing the rather mediocre OEM oil filters... I typically use 5w30 fully synthetic oil, and Fram UG synthetic media filters instead, with good results. For the last 2 oil changes I used Mobil Euro-spec 0w40 synthetic left over from my ( now dead) Benz, and the car runs fine on that. Given the short 5K mile OCI, I only replace the filter every other time. .