New Prius or Sonata

The build quality between the Prius and the Sonata would be similar if not better for the Sonata. Hyundai is an up and coming car company and Toyota is a large company that many, including myself, feel has lost its way and quality has suffered. A previous poster stated how uncomfortable a Sonata was to sit in. News flash, the Prius is not providing anyone with much more than a mediocre "Corolla" ride with a much higher sticker price. If you enjoy the driving experience and have had luck with Hyundai in the past I would have bought that. If gas mileage is your determining factor, the roads in your area are as smooth as glass, and driving in your mind is nothing more than a means to an end than the Prius is the ride for you.

 

Graig, I was in the same boat as you, back and forth, back and forth...did I say back and forth... Oh I so wanted to take them home each for a week and make up my mind. On the way to work kept seeing priuses, and and said must be a sign. Then on the way home kept seeing sonatas.. ok scratch that sign. My wife said sonata. I then said I will go to the toyota dealer one last time. All cards on the table. they meet my price i'm buying. I came out with a prius. I'm so glad I did. I love the car. Both are different beast. If you want to put gas every 2-3 weeks like I do, then you got a winner.
good luck with it.

 

The Prius and Sonata are two very different cars...what you would buy depends on your need.

But for instance, I'd be hard pressed to justify buying a Camry over a Sonata...The new Sonata is a great car.

 

Hybrid Sonata is the only Sonata worth buying. The HSH has a different front bumper and rear body lines. When a Hybrid Sonata drive pass you, there's no second guessing or "look for that Hybrid badge". You'll know it's a hybrid. I wish they would do this for the THC and all other hybrid brothers.

 

Sorry but it would be better to make the hybrid look better than its brothers and/or sisters. I like my Prius over the catfish front-end on the HSH. Of course, beauty is a matter of taste...

 

Have you ever driven a Corolla? The Corolla was my first car. The second car was a Camry....and this Prius is the third for me. The Prius drives more like a Camry, though a slightly tighter turning radius. I'm also close to a Lexus ES 300 and IS 250. IMO, the Prius handles better then the IS because it is bigger (the IS might have a bigger engine, but it blows in the wind like any other compact car).

 

That's true but I'm sure someone will come out with a front end replacement to replace that catfish bumper. I do like the rear end of HSH.

 

Prius vs. Corolla, no comparison

How has its quality suffered? Can you provide data from a statistically significant sample size to prove it?

I've driven a rental Corolla in the last 2 years and boy, sorry, between my 2nd gen Prius and the Corolla, there's no comparison, partly due to the lack of so many features on the Corolla besides the ICE (like all non-hybrids w/o auto start/stop) wasteful runs at stoplights.

The Prius also gets ~37% better overall mileage than the Corolla in CR's testing per Most fuel-efficient cars.

 

Re: Prius vs. Corolla, no comparison

Toyota is good about keeping each car relevant and up to date. But there are laws of physics that one can never change. The Corolla is good for a compact car, but I can never see how one can compare a Prius to a Corolla or a Ford Focus. Both the Corolla and Focus are good cars for an entry level car, but the Prius should be compared to any mid sized car. When I was looking at cars, I was contemplating the Prius or the Fusion hybrid. I sided with the Prius because it had adequate acceleration plus cargo space (something most hybrid sedans can't compete with).

 

Hyundai is transforming itself. I would consider a new sonata. Not only do they look better than all the other soviet-era hyundais we're used to (not including new hyundais and kias, their design department mostly deserves top grades) but the car is cheap, powerful, good with gas, etc. I really like the new Sonata. I have not driven one, though. In the past I would have mocked the entire brand.

The cars are different. Luggage-wise the Prius is going to be superior. It cannot tow anything. I imagine the sonata can tow 1000-1500. Prius will depreciate slower and WILL have a lower cost of ownership. And be much less fun to drive. And probably more likely to generate laughs from neighbors (if you care).

Cross shopping a banal utilitarian vehicle like the prius with a turbo sonata seems strange.

A turbo sonata is a treat (are you sure they are available this soon?), the Prius is something you do if you want to pay total homage to the gods of responsibility and pragmatism.

I know that Toyota is the only brand right now with soul-sold-to-devil incentives.

I wasn't _in love_ with the Prius. I'm still not, but when people ask how I like it I honestly say no regrets. It is exactly what I bargained for and has upheld its end of the agreement The last car I was in love with when I got it was a Maxima. I wanted one for years, test drove it it felt like everything I had ever wanted, and years later I still enjoyed driving it.

I Had a 2010 Corolla recently. I would stronly recommend a person considering purchase of one to get a Prius II. The Prius has far more stuff, stock, and with its better gas mileage would cost similar overall cost. Much more vehicle for the money.

 

Hi Graig. Mine is almost a month old. I must have made like 3 official and like 5 non official (when they were closed) visits to the hyundai..looking for something to justify prius all the way. I don't regret it at all. For my purpose and my driving style prius fit the bill. Now after about a month and really exploring the prius you will find here and there for all that money they could have done maybe this and that. My pet pee is no plastic caps covering the front seat anchor. Come on toyota that is not going to add any weight. But, love that tucket away under shifter storage area, and sunglass holder storage above.
carl

 

Heh heh, no. The IS is a perfectly balanced RWD sport sedan, and the Prius is front heavy and FWD. Theres no comparison from a handling standpoint between the two. Thats like saying the Prius handles better than a 3 series BMW, it doesn't.

You may like the way the Prius tracks down a highway at 60MPH better, but thats not what the IS is for.

Why? Have you driven a Sonata? Its a great car for the money. An incredible car for the money actually.

The only downside to Hyundai vs the Japanese competition is resale, thats still an unknown quality and if you're going to buy and sell in 5 years it can make the Hyundai more expensive than a comparable Honda or Toyota even though it starts out cheaper.

I almost got a Hyundai Genesis 4.6 V8 instead of my ES350, its bigger, RWD, more powerful (has a V8), better equipped for the same money, but when you factor in resale...its a question. People will buy a 5 year old Lexus with 100,000 miles on it because its a Lexus....but a 5 year old Hyundai with 100,000 miles? Remains to be seen.

 

The Prius is like the iPhone. Get any other phone and it's just any other phone

 

I know cars are not investments, per se. But... until Hyundai beats it's rep of being like the Bic lighter of cars as far as being toss-away when over 60K, warranty or no warranty... no Hyundai will hold its own against a Toyota for resale.

And, you just have to check the true resale values in a program like V Auto or a true market scan to know that.

Even a 100K + Toyota's got good enough value for a dealership to keep these days. Kia, Hyundai, these are wholesale to the auction cars for a reputable dealer.

So.. if you plan to lease, check the residuals for the short term and specifically check the 24 month vs the 36 month. I bet there is a big spread between them in a Hyundai lease.. where in Prius, not too much difference. That will also answer the questions of dropping value worse as time advances vs. the Prius not so bad. Just some advice on a $$$ front folks may not know.

Dianne

 

Oh for sure, the lease payments on the Genesis were going to be $180 a month more than the Lexus for the exact same price out the door pretty much because the residual was so much lower. The lease and finance payments were almost the same on the Genesis.

Over time it will improve though. Toyota once had a reputation for being a company that made cheap throw away cars and look at them now.

I love Toyota, but when you drive the cars back to back...its just no contest. The Sonata blows the doors off the Camry...the Tuscon blows the doors off the Rav4. But, from a financial perspective theres more to value than just the quality of the product...

 

I've driven my co-worker's 2010 Sonata. It's a good car, put a hybrid system in it and it's a great car. When I see a Civic, I often had to look at the rims or look for the badge to see of its a hybrid. Same with the TCH.

 

The other day I was in a Camry SE, must have been a 2009 model ... not to be such a grouch, but I was surprised at how dull the dash and console design was. Seen them a thousand times outside with the sporty trim. Haven't seen the 2011 Camry interiors though. I do not know, I keep an eye out for any small-midsize Honda with a hatchback, but that pretty much boils down to a CR-V which I don't want. Need more and better hatchbacks on the market.