Bought this car used from Mahindra first choice since it was the cheapest automatic around that was certified and we were able to pay with our cards for airline miles instead of taking a high interest loan with fees and penalties [we pay our balances in full so its better then writing cheques].
let’s compare the 7 year old sonata to our 5 yr old toyota with LPG fitted and score some points.
since we bought the corolla new, the sonata gets a head start on pricing [at 1/5th the on road price]
Sonata = 5 ; Corolla = 0
from a driver’s perspective our 06 corolla feels more confident on mumbai roads and less boat like maybe due to a stiffer suspension but the toyota is also more jarring over mumbai potholes.
Sonata = 5 ; Corolla = 1
this softness is a major benefit for back seaters so the sonata has better ride comfort for passengers.
the gas & brake pedals felt mushy but that could be due to its age and we’ll get those looked at to see if they can be made more responsive / ’sharper’ since one does not feel like pushing the car into overtaking on crowded roads.
Sonata = 6 ; Corolla = 1
we were used to lpg for so many years that it was a shocker to pay over rs. 4, 200 to fill the tank with petrol!
Sonata = 6 ; Corolla = 2
being a bigger car than our corolla we expected it to have more legroom but surprisingly it actually has about over an inch less [88cm vs 93 cm] - I would have gladly given up some boot space for more legroom
Sonata = 6 ; Corolla = 3
the only other flaws I noticed were that the side mirrors don’t have electrical folding when 2 wheelers zip past and knock them out at traffic lights which the corolla does.
in india ALL cars over a million rupees should have this button since its a common problem in most metros for a decade now
Sonata = 6 ; Corolla = 4
also the central armrest cupholders seems to be 1-2 mm too small for regular 1 litre water bottles which is again not an issue in the corolla
Sonata = 6 ; Corolla = 5
the cover on the armrest also does not have any way of being secured upright when you do put any bottle in the holder so it keep falling over whenever you brake which is quite annoying - I guess we’ll have some kind of strap put in but its still bad design
Sonata = 6 ; Corolla = 6
the front headrests are much smaller than the corolla so we don’t need to remove them when seated at the back for better visibility or more AC so that’s a plus
Sonata = 7 ; Corolla = 6
since any v6 would have lower mileage we plan on adding LPG to this car also to reduce fuel costs
better performance goes to hyundai
Sonata = 8 ; Corolla = 6
the automatic also has much smoother shifts than the corolla which is more ’jerky’ when accelerating [virtually no auto jerks when slowing down of course]
Sonata = 9 ; Corolla = 6
the digital odometer is also better than the corolla since it shows the trip meter while you have to press the button to flip between the 2 readings in the toyota
Sonata = 10 ; Corolla = 6
this is a good buy only as a used car when someone else has paid for the huge depreciation - our 7 year old model was 82% below its original on road price and even 1/3rd below the online valuation at carwale after adjusting for age / km
the corolla has better resale value
Sonata = 10 ; Corolla = 7
it was a little surprising to see that the alloy wheels had caps / covers on them which is hardly required since even if they don’t fall off, they get stolen [and once removed the wheels look worse]
our corolla just has normal alloys without anything to be lost which is always better design
Sonata = 10 ; Corolla = 8
the air circulation switches are very annoying - they keep defaulting to ’external’ each time the car is started so we have to constantly keep clicking on ’internal’.
what’s the point of electronic switches if they can’t even replicate the functionality of manual?
in a maruti zen the circulation once set to internal stays that way until you change it!
too much technology and very little common sense
it would have been cheaper to provide more functionality like a memory setting via manual switches
Sonata = 10 ; Corolla = 9
the doors automatically lock in the corolla when it crosses 30km/h
there is no such auto lock in the sonata which is a good safety feature to have on all cars
Sonata = 10 ; Corolla = 10
the horn only has a single sensor in the centre of the steering wheel which is very strange and not ergonomically designed - you don’t want to move your entire hand just to beep each time
the corolla has them on the sides / spokes of the wheel so you only move your thumb which is what i’m used to and faster
Sonata = 10 ; Corolla = 11
the sonata has an air purifier for the rear seats [behind the headrests] which is a great idea for indian road conditions while the corolla like 99% of cars does not
Sonata = 11 ; Corolla = 11
small parts are expensive and take long times to order
the silver plastic slotted cover for the gear ’stalk’ [where PRND is printed] was badly scratched and was one of the 1st things you notice as you get seated
we found out at the ASC that it would take over 2 weeks to order a replacement
but that was not bad enough - it would cost rs. 5, 000 + 12% taxes + 550 in labor for a total of rs. 6.1 k!
it was so outrageous that we decided to just get it painted over for rs. 100-200 instead
but do note that i’m not giving any points for this since chances are toyota would also charge a bomb for a similar part
Sonata = 11 ; Corolla = 12
the corolla has an in dash cd changer [6 disc capacity] while the sonata does not
Sonata = 12 ; Corolla = 12
in stop and go traffic / jams the sonata seems to drive better than the corolla due to its better ability to soak up bumps / potholes
Sonata = 12 ; Corolla = 13
there is no outside temp display/gauge in the sonata unlike the corolla which is very useful
its only the inside setting displayed
[never mind - we found the button labelled AMB probably for ambient temp which is stupidly designed instead of saying something simpler like OUT for outside so the corolla still get a point for this one]
Sonata = 12 ; Corolla = 14
there are no RTO approved kits for LPG or CNG for the sonata and most other engines over 2.0 L
our corolla has a legal LPG kit on it for the last couple of years
this was the biggest issue for me so far since I did not expect this...
Sonata = 13 ; Corolla = 14
one handy display that all auto sedans should have is the current gear its in
the sonata has this but the corolla does not
Sonata = 14 ; Corolla = 14
remote for the rear passenger is very handy in the sonata
but not present in the corolla auto
Sonata = 14 ; Corolla = 15
the central armrest is poorly designed in the sonata - once you put water bottles in, you can’t close the lid and have to push it back all the way into the rear seat to keep it from falling onto your arm
the corolla just has no lid at the back but provides comfortable support with the 2 bottles inside
Sonata = 15 ; Corolla = 15
the door ’elbow rests’ are much better / softer on the sonata due to the leather covers unlike the corolla which has the fake wood trim so you keep banging your elbow over potholes / bumpy surfaces
Sonata = 15 ; Corolla = 16
the sonata has a wood steering which is silly for hot indian conditions instead of a leather wrapped one like the corolla so your hands son’t get burnt when the car’s been parked in the sun
you need to put a steering cover to be able to use the steering when its hot