Slick looks, jerky power delivery!
The design of this car - inside and out - drew me in. Add to this the comfortable front seats and the pleasant dealer experience, and is was a great start. Like many turbo engine cars, the Sonata is difficult to drive smoothly. Upshifts and downshifts are inconsistent and usually NOT intuitive. Step on the gas pedal...lag, lag, then suddenly power is abruptly present. In normal traffic conditions, when you must continually vary speeds, the 1.6L turbo lag is aggravating. When lifting off the throttle and coasting toward a stoplight, (30 down to approx 18 MPH) the sensation of "drag" or engine braking is annoying, as it scrubs off natural momentum. If you are not sensitive to certain mechanical and momentum-related quirks, the car is great.
2021 Rear doors already rusting.
The rear doors have a drainage problem. They hold water, after a rainstorm. Rust has already begun to form. You open the back doors and several ounces of water run out. Every time. This was an engineering mistake.
Overall, a comfortable vehicle.
My only complaint is the GPS system is not very user friendly. Most of the input is counter-intuitive when trying to enter a destination. Aside from that, the car runs great, handles well and has excellent overall gas mileage. I wish it came with a shift handle rather than the push-buttons on the transmission, but it eventually has sunk in what to reach for. A shift handle can be used without taking one's eyes off the road, but push-buttons can't.
