Help Choosing Brand New Primary Car with 1.5-2.3Mn budget

[sm2by]

Sonata Premium is the one i'd choose, rear leg room is capacious plus that panoramic glass roof. You also get airbags all around 6 or 7, plus the Huge LCD Touchscreen Media Center and NAV with Ipod/AUX connectivity. I also think the premium also has the back-up cameras installed already.

[Starex_Gold]

Sonata Premium is the one i'd choose, rear leg room is capacious plus that panoramic glass roof. You also get airbags all around 6 or 7, plus the Huge LCD Touchscreen Media Center and NAV with Ipod/AUX connectivity. I also think the premium also has the back-up cameras installed already.

Wala nyan sa local Sonata.

[sachiel]

You can try Xtrail CVT and Teana 3.5L as well. Nissan's suspension is tuned more for comfort than sport so the ride won't be firm.

[jhnkvn]

Get the Sonata Premium and have spare change to buy a 100 inch TV for the kids. LOL!

Teana's not bad until you factor it's been on the US market since 2006 and is going to be refreshed soon after. Beige isn't my cup of tea either.

Sonata's like a Honda Accord. Accord still drives better on a personal opinion but it's advantage is very slight. Went with the Sonata at the end. Iba talaga looks, you WILL get stares and turn heads. Remove the badges (not the H logo) and you'll have a clean look (like mine) and have random motorists scratching their heads trying to figure if it's an import or not.

CX7... nah, didn't like the butt. Beauty should be complete, not just the front.

CX9, actually like it! Haven't drove one but people say it's a real treat to drive.

Before buying my unit, I test drove most of the midsize sedans out in the market (save for the Teana). Actually took the leap of faith by buying the Sonata and NOT test driving it (ganun na ako ka-atat), I'd say I'm not disappointed.

[GTi]

Wow, that's a big budget you have there. Coming from a Santa Fe? Do you mean the old one or the new one? For an SUV You may want the Sorento TLX Premium which you can have Hancars import, or if you really want to buy a local unit, get the Sorento Deluxe from Kia Philippines. The Sorento, being launched later than the Santa Fe should have any possible kinks ironed out already. It also passes all your criteria. Are big gasoline SUVs your type? If so, then the CX9 it is. Just make sure to remove the ratty 180km/h speed governor. But be prepared for Expedition-like gas bills. For sedan, I'd suggest the Accord V6 still, for the huge amount of power available and better fuel mileage especially in the highway courtesy of VCM. Or if you don't need that much power, the Sonata Premium is an excellent choice with lots of luxury amenities and is more of a head turner than cars twice its price.

[111prez]

chevrolet tahoe ....... in black

just checked the prices but its out of your budget pala

sayang

[jhnkvn]

Oh yeah, the Sonata is also quite low. So if you have humps on the village (large ones) better keep an eye on them. I'm dreading having 5 people inside my car.. last time I did it, dalawang humps sa BF sumayad (can't use the "8" maneuver kasi). If you came from the Santa Fe, the comfort level inside the Santa Fe and the Sonata is very similar. Of course, the Camry muffles out more noise (in fact, our 1995 Camry stays dead silent on the highways still) but it's an utter bore if you're in the driver's seat.

Using your metrics: As an owner, I'd comment of it as follows.

Looks -- Nobody can deny its greatness -- MotorTrend 10Best

Prestige/Executive-look/Image/Chick-factor -- Hyundai doesn't have the same prestige as a Beemer. But I've gotten comments it looks more expensive than how much it is. Clueless people (aka mga guard sa bank, etc.) normally price it at Php3million just on looks much to my amusement. Most compared brand would be.. a Mercedes-Benz.

Comfort -- better seats versus the Santa Fe. But ride comfort is essentially the same. Less body roll (obviously). Rear seats are recessed and the sloping roof line makes anybody the size of 6'3 hit the roof. Accord's rear seats are better and leather quality still needs a bit more refinement.

Roominess -- I wouldn't worry about this. The rear seats can also fold down 60/40. Not completely flat but acceptable. Trunk's cavernous. I could sleep inside there.

Kit -- The center console needs around 10minutes learning curve. You have 2 cupholders on the center, 2 on the rear center console and both the front doors has water bottle pockets too. I'm not sure about the rear (heck, I've rarely sat on the rear) so total cupholders is 6-8. Personally, the best toys is: Dual sunroof, auto-dimming rearview mirror, and one-button folding side mirror (understated option, it's pretty cool if you do it in real life). The dual sunroof was a see-to-believe. I was originally opting for the GLS version but after seeing the sunroof, I'm sold! Dito yun pinaka-madaming pogi points, bar none. And unlike the Tucson (which you need to do manually), all you need is one button to see it unfold.

Interiors -- sleek. 'Nuff said. Bought this on a premise that 5 years from now it's still a looker (think Beemer 3-series, Mercs)

Ease to use -- you got rear-sensors (pretty handy) but taking out the center console might prove a bit problematic if you aren't familiar where to find the dashkits for it (it's on an order-basis lang kasi since konti lang Sonata sa road). Rear visibility is only okay since you'll see the rear headrests poking out while glancing.

Speed -- haven't launched it yet but you wouldn't have a problem overtaking Philippine cars. Even with having 5 passengers on board, all your windows open and the sunroof open (massive air resistance), you could still outrun a CRDi Starex (ewan ko kung ano trip ng driver) on a lonely road . Transmission is very smooth but you won't be buying it for a speedy shifting response on the paddles. Paddle response is only "normal for its class". Don't expect Genesis Coupe-like response times. On the other hand, I used to do 6500RPM while overtaking in Zambales. Pretty impressive! 100km/h is at a safe 2,000RPM on the highways. 80km/h on Roxas Boulevard is 1500RPM on 6th gear.

Handling -- enough feedback on the wheel so you don't feel completely isolated. Among its peers, it's Mazda 6 > Accord/Sonata > Camry. It's very very close to the Accord in steering response (Accord is a tad sharper)

Maintenance cost -- can't comment on this one.

Resale Value -- parts supply haven't stabilized yet. It'll normally take around 1-2years before supply stabilizes so no worries at the moment. If you crashed and need a new door or bumper, that'll prove problematic though. I asked recently what's the turnover for a new door and it'll take you months. Yes, months. But I guess owning a "new" car also has its own drawbacks.

*GTi
Hindi naman Expedition-like gas bills ng CX9. Lower naman kahit papano. With the Expedition, we're getting 2-3km per liter lang kasi (no wonder motioncars has a con of: gas bills will make you file for bankruptcy). On the Sonata, expect 6-7.50km per liter. I'd say a CX9 would be somewhere near 5 naman kahit papano

[Starex_Gold]

Bumida nanaman ang Korean cars kay GTi....

[Flipchip]

Wow, that's a big budget you have there. Coming from a Santa Fe? Do you mean the old one or the new one? For an SUV You may want the Sorento TLX Premium which you can have Hancars import, or if you really want to buy a local unit, get the Sorento Deluxe from Kia Philippines. The Sorento, being launched later than the Santa Fe should have any possible kinks ironed out already. It also passes all your criteria. Are big gasoline SUVs your type? If so, then the CX9 it is. Just make sure to remove the ratty 180km/h speed governor. But be prepared for Expedition-like gas bills. For sedan, I'd suggest the Accord V6 still, for the huge amount of power available and better fuel mileage especially in the highway courtesy of VCM. Or if you don't need that much power, the Sonata Premium is an excellent choice with lots of luxury amenities and is more of a head turner than cars twice its price.

I'm coming from the pre-facelifted Santa Fe. Got my 4x4 CRDI last December 2007. My brother's getting it. I did have second thoughts about giving it away since there a lot better accessories available for it now, but it was my turn to get a new car.

It's too bad that they don't allow test drives for the CX9. Actually, I'm going to Honda today to check out the facelifted Accord. It's near a Hyundai dealer and will drop by also if there's still time.

[Flipchip]

What's the opinion on the Mazda 6?