In our ultra-luxurious Hogback Road offices-featuring gray outdoor carpeting from Home Depot-there's a big sign-out board that identifies the test cars in our custody and shows which staffers are driving them. When our long-term Hyundai arrived, an "r" somehow got inserted into its model name. Why should automotive journalists know how to spell, right? After that, we referred to our "Sonatra" as Frank, who went on to spend 16 months with us.

During that spell, the silver Sonata LX V-6 averaged 23 mpg (versus EPA ratings of 20 mpg city and 30 mpg highway) and even after 40,000 miles was capable of galloping to 60 mph in 6.7 seconds, making it as quick as the last Honda Civic Si we tested. Frank wasn't as flashy as most of his other long-term stablemates and thus made fewer major treks, although he did wind up in Patrick Bedard's Arizona garage for a few months, made three trips to Wisconsin, and was twice in Florida, including spring break in Daytona. After that, the cockpit smelled as if it had pulled an all-nighter with the Rat Pack-we were afraid to ask for details-and a thorough disinfecting was ordered.

Download the initial test sheet and the final test sheet.

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What's hugely endearing about the Sonata is that it's such an honest product-no electronic gimcrackery, controls that are straightforward and easy to understand, a low cowl that engenders visibility, a cushy ride, and that old Hyundai fallback: a whole lot of stuff for not much money.

CarAndDriver.com

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Spied: 2009 Hyundai Genesis
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Car News: The 147-mph Hyundai Sonata
Feature: The Quickest Cars of 2007: $20,000 to $25,000
Exposed: 2008 Honda Accord

View 2006 Hyundai Sonata LX Photo Gallery We ordered our LX V-6 with exactly zero options, because its standard equipment included stability control, a five-speed automatic with manumatic, a CD/MP3 player, cruise control, fog lights, electric seat adjustments for the driver, heated front seats, 17-inch alloys, a tilting-and-telescoping wheel, and a five-year/60,000-mile warranty buttressed by a 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty.

Then there's that aluminum 235-horse, 3.3-liter V-6, which is as quiet at 70 mph and at wide-open throttle as a BMW 335i's and is way, way quieter at idle. It performs other BMW-ish feats, too, such as pulling the Sonata all the way to 144 mph or, if you're caught on photo radar in Scottsdale, 147 mph [Car News, C/D, April 2007]. All of that for a paltry $23,495 in 2006 or $23,645 today.

CarAndDriver.com After 40,000 miles, everything still operated as advertised, zero repairs required. The turn-signal and wiper stalks still moved with silky ease. The leather looked fine-even the leather on the steering wheel hadn't become shiny. And the vinyl and plastic trim pieces, previously a Hyundai weakness, showed few scars or scuffs.

View 2006 Hyundai Sonata LX Photo Gallery Most of our logbook complaints focused on the Sonata's suspension, which always felt like it had too little travel. It was easy to fully compress an outside front spring during cornering, and if that corner then encountered even minor pavement irregularities, various gronks and groans would filter up through the floorboard. Several drivers construed those noises as loose bits in the cockpit. Not true. The cockpit remained virtually as tight and rattle-free as on the day it was assembled. It was the suspension that was loose, a little too uncontrolled, and somewhat unrefined. Combine that with excessive understeer, and the Sonata proved to be more adept as a commuter than as a back-woods barnstormer.

Otherwise, our complaints included a driver's-side wiper that was tapping the top of the A-pillar. Everyone bitched about an overly sensitive sensor in the passenger seat that triggered a seatbelt warning light even if something as insubstantial as a briefcase was resting on the cushion. There were several gripes that the transmission was slow to shift. The steering was a tad too quick just off-center. And the AM-radio reception was mysteriously subpar.

Still, what's most important is that the Sonata evinced no mechanical treachery, requiring scheduled maintenance only. Two items in that schedule, however-a fuel filter and "fuel-tank air filter" (whatever that is)-set us back $336. Notes in the logbook indicated that our local Hyundai dealer was thorough, pleasant, quick, and "actually made all the inspections that were promised." In total, this sedan was well-behaved and inexpensive to operate.

CarAndDriver.com Related Content:
Comparo: Honda Accord v Ford Fusion v Hyundai Sonata v Toyota Camry
Spied: 2009 Hyundai Genesis
Comparo: Sebring v Accord v Optima v Altima v Aura v Camry
Car News: The 147-mph Hyundai Sonata
Feature: The Quickest Cars of 2007: $20,000 to $25,000
Exposed: 2008 Honda Accord

View 2006 Hyundai Sonata LX Photo Gallery Over and over, editors said of our Seoul train, "It reminds me of the previous-generation Accord." Like the Accord, this most-recent Sonata succeeds because it is quiet, dignified, practical, comfortable, and reliable. That it goes unnoticed on America's highways is perhaps its most obvious peccadillo, but there are plenty of over-40-somethings who take great satisfaction in going unnoticed.

As is true with all Hyundais, the Sonata still carries some of that old built-in-Korea baggage, even though it is assembled in Alabama. Automotive Lease Guide projects that Honda's vehicles, after 36 months, will hold 53.7 percent of their original value, whereas Hyundai's will hold only 42.6 percent. If we apply those projections to the Sonata versus an Accord, you'll experience $2500 more depreciation over three years with the Hyundai. It also proves that stigmas, like Samsonite, are hard to break.

It hasn't been until this latest Sonata that Honda and Toyota engineers have likely paid much attention to it. We guarantee it's now a thorn in their sides and that they're losing sleep over how good the next-generation Sonata might be.

CarAndDriver.com You know that "H" on the grille of every Accord? The Honda guys must hate seeing a flying "H" on the grille of every Sonata.

RANTS AND RAVES

CarAndDriver.com MARK GILLIES
If the interior of a mid-size U.S. sedan looked this good, the Detroit Free Press would hail it as a worldbeater. Fit and finish and materials are terrific.

PATRICK BEDARD
Has a eunuch-like smooth-faceness about it. A good entry in the commodity-car class, a top choice for your teenagers. I give it high marks on the efficient-use-of-cash rating.

JARED GALL
The shifter feels solid and slots into gear firmly, giving an impression of quality unmatched by many of the most-popular domestics.

CarAndDriver.com DAN WINTER
Most of my neighbors and friends mistook it for a Honda.

CSABA CSERE
The manumatic could serve as a model for such devices. In manual mode, the tranny doesn't kick down out of the gear you've selected, which is useful on slippery pavement, where using a higher-than-normal gear helps maintain traction.

DAVE VANDERWERP
Transmission needs to quicken its reflexes. But a fabulous deal for $23,495.

CarAndDriver.com

BAUBLES AND BOLT-ONS

ANTI-BLIND-SPOT ADJUSTERS: We installed a device called LaneFX by Drivaware of Ann Arbor, Michigan (866-452-6339; www.lanefx.com). It automatically moved both side-view mirrors a few degrees outward every time the turn signal was triggered. The mirrors would thus sweep to the Sonata's blind spots, briefly remain stationary, then return to their original positions. In fact, the system saved some head turning, at least once you learned to trust it. But after about an hour of use, the mirrors, millimeter by millimeter, would creep out of their original positions, and repositioning was necessary. What's more, the motors that operated the mirrors-at least on our Sonata-made a raspy whir, and listening to that whir 50 or so times an hour became annoying. This may not have been a problem on, say, a luxury car, whose motors are quieter and better isolated. Those who piloted the Sonata around town mostly disliked the LaneFX adjusters; those who cruised long distances on freeways mostly liked them. All of us agreed there should have been some sort of handy switch to disable the system entirely. But we also agreed the adjusters hold more potential than, say, Volvo's blind-spot system, which consists merely of red warning lights that can't actually show you what's lurking unseen. We could envision a more refined version of the LaneFX winding up as a manufacturer-installed option. The hardware comprises a control box about the size of two cigarette packs, mounted in the glove box.

CarAndDriver.com We paid $197 for our Basic Edition LaneFX (Highway and Commuter editions are more expensive and offer more features) and then $100 to have it installed at a local car-stereo joint.

STEERING-WHEEL LOCK: The Wrap, by Blockit & Lockit Systems of Billings, Montana, is a variation on the ubiquitous steering-wheel lock, although it includes flashing LEDs in case the thief didn't already notice the device's fluorescent-yellow covering. Once the Wrap is clamped in place, you lock it with a key, which also arms it. Or you can arm it via remote control using a bulky black fob. Then if anyone messes with the wheel, a motion detector instructs the red LEDs to pulse more rapidly, suggesting to the perp that he should try to find employment at the nearest Pizza Hut. But if he persists, an alarm sounds, making the noise of 200 robins chirping simultaneously. The Wrap is powered by four AA batteries, or you can plug it into your car's 12-volt outlet. Of course, even if the LEDs and alarms are dead or disarmed, the device remains attached lamprey-like and would probably require construction equipment to dislodge.

We paid $69.95 for our Wrap (888-656-6156; www.wrap1.com), which included two remote fobs and keys. It was simple to use and at least looked like it meant business, although we were annoyed that the green button on the fob armed the device and the red button disarmed it. That's backward.

2006 Hyundai Sonata LX

VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, front-wheel-drive, 5-passenger, 4-door sedan

PRICE AS TESTED: $23,495 (base price: $23,495)

ENGINE TYPE: DOHC 24-valve V-6, aluminum block and heads, port fuel injection
Displacement: 204 cu in, 3342cc
Power (SAE net): 235 bhp @ 6000 rpm
Torque (SAE net): 226 lb-ft @ 3500 rpm

TRANSMISSION: 5-speed automatic with manumatic shifting

DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 107.4 in
Length: 188.9 in
Width: 72.1 in
Height: 58.0 in
Curb weight: 3540 lb

PERFORMANCE:

NEW:

40,000

Zero to 60 mph:

6.6 sec

6.7 sec

Zero to 100 mph:

17.9 sec

18.0 sec

Zero to 120 mph:

29.2 sec

Street start, 5-60 mph:

7.1 sec

Standing ¼ mile:

15.2 sec @93 mph

Braking, 70-0 mph:

173 ft

182 ft

Roadholding, 300-ft-dia skidpad:

0.81g

0.79g

Top speed (governor limited):

144 mph

EPA fuel economy, city driving: 20 mpg
C/D-observed fuel economy: 23 mpg
Unscheduled oil additions: 0 qt

WARRANTY:
5 years/60,000 miles bumper-to-bumper;
10 years/100,000 miles powertrain;
7 years/unlimited miles corrosion protection;
5 years/unlimited miles roadside assistance

OPERATING COSTS (FOR 40,000 MILES):
Service: (5 scheduled, 0 unscheduled) $608
Normal wear: $0
Repair: $0
Gasoline: (@ $3.19 per gallon) $5548

LIFE EXPECTANCIES (ESTIMATED FROM 40,000-MILE TEST):
Tires: 50,000 miles
Front brake pads: 90,000 miles
Rear brake pads: more than 100,000 miles

WHAT BITS AND PIECES COST:
Headlamp: $279
Engine air filter: $16
Oil filter: $7
Wheel: $288
Tire: $155
Wiper blades: $44
Front brake pads: $78

MODEL-YEAR CHANGES:
2007: trim-level changes, new exterior colors, XM satellite radio standard, improved steering-wheel audio controls

Tips And Works

Hyundai Sonata LX

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RANTS AND RAVES

BAUBLES AND BOLT-ONS

2006 Hyundai Sonata LX

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