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Hyundai Sonata 2006: The Weekly Driver Review

The television commercial touting the 2006 Hyundai Sonata matches it confidently against the Honda Accord. That's a brash move, considering the immense popularity of the country's best-selling midsize car.

But after the driving the redesigned Hyundai for a week, the Sonata represents itself well. The Accord and other well-established vehicles in the class Toyota Camry and Chevrolet Malibu have long histories and well-proven resale values. Yet, the Sonata is worthy of a carefeul look, particularly considering its price point, manufacturer's warranty, standard features and attractive new interior and exterior designs.

My weekly drive was the top-of-the line LX V6 model. The Sonata is also available in a 4-cylinder model with both automatic and manual transmission options. But with its bigger engine, the 3.3-liter 235- horsepower edition, the Sonata is only available in an automatic, and it's quite impressive. The five-speed automatic is surprisingly quick and powerful. It zips around slow-moving vehicles and accelerates with confidence while negotiating freeway entrances or powering up to interstate cruising mode.

The Sonata maneuvers well and its steering and handling capabilities, while not exemplary, are certainly above average, particularly since 17- inch wheels are included. While not extraordinarily quiet, the new Sonata has improved, lower levels of engine noise and wind rush from previous editions.

Another reason to consider the Sonata is its laundry list of standard features: Power windows, locks and mirrors, cruise control, AM/FM MP3 audio system, leather seats and leather-wrapped steering wheel, heated front seats, keyless entry with alarm, fog lights, and automatic temperature control, among other items.

Further, the newly designed Sonata is exceedingly comfortable. Its nicely appointment interior is basic, but spacious. And like the car's increased horsepower and improved new design, the interior room has been improved from the 2005 edition with expanded room in several areas. The trunk, for example, is cavernous, with additional space available for skis or other long cargo with split back seats are down.

Another nice interior design touch is the teardrop shaped dials on the instrumentation panel. It gives Sonata a touch of elegance which is hardly expected in a vehicle with an out-the-door price of under $23,000.

The Sonata exterior design update also gives the car a refined look. Its lines are smartly contoured, resulting in a presence on the road that's again more dignified than expected from its price category.

And there's one last new item about the much-improved Sonata. Hyundai will build only the V6 models in the South Korean manufacturer's new and first U.S. plant in Alabama. The U.S.-based Hyundai plant is also the manufacturing location for the all-new Santa Fe, the brand's SUV, which is scheduled for debut in the fall of 2006.

Honda will likely remain the leader of the midsize class and with of plenty of good reasons. But it's likely the Honda brethren has taken a look at the Hyundai Sonata. It's a worthy opponent to the longtime midsize class ruler.

2006 Hyundai Sonata

Safety features Dual front, front-seat mounted side impact and roof-mounted side curtain airbags. Antilock brakes.

Fuel Mileage (estimates) 20 (city), 30 (highway).

Warranty Bumper to bumper, 5 years/50,000 miles; Powertrain 10 years/100,000 miles; Corrosion, 5 years/100,000 miles; Roadside assistance, 5 years/unlimited mileage

Base price $22,895.00

James Raia is a Sacramento, Calif., journalist who writes about sports, travel and lifestyle topics as well as the automotive column, The Weekly Driver. To read his articles, visit the web site: http://www.ByJamesRaia.com

posted by ujzboi @ 7:08 PM 0 comments

Historic Monaco Grand Prix - Grand Prix de Monaco Historique

The first Monaco Grand Prix was held in 1929 and it is now an important part of the Formula One calendar. The race covers many of the streets Principality of Monaco.

It is probably one of the most spectacular on the Formula One season being set a few metres from the Mediterranean Sea and at the foothills of the Alps. It is also very expensive and restaurant and hotel prices are adjusted accordingly for the long weekend event that is normally held in May. This is the same time as the Cannes Film Festival.

In 1997 the first Historic Monaco Grand Prix (Grand Prix de Monaco Historique) was held. The idea was to hold the race the week before the main Formula One event on the same circuit, particularly as all the infrastructure is in place.

It was then held in 2000 and since then every two years in May. Unlike the Formula One event that is 78 laps the races are only 10 to 15 laps depending on the category of cars racing. The event that is organised by the Automobile Club de Monaco is held over Saturday and Sunday with qualifying on the Saturday. Cars that are racing date back to pre- 1947, but there cannot be any post 1978 cars.

The day will attract many visitors who will also go to the annual Goodwood" Revival meeting in England in September. Unlike the Formula One race the tickets are not expensive (about 10% of the cost Approximately 15 euros) and restaurant prices are still normal unlike when the Formula One event is on. You can have a most enjoyable day's entertainment.

If you are visiting Monaco for the day, as many of the roads are closed off, parking can be very difficult. An excellent alternative to trying to come in by car is to take a train. There is a great service running along the coast from Ventimigla in Italy (plus Italian connections) on one side to Marseille on the other.

The noise from the track is not so loud as it would be for a modern Formula One race, unless they hold a parade of Ferraris as they did in 2004 and many of these were Formula One models. There is plenty of atmosphere to absorb including people watching the race from the yachts in the harbour or just people watching!

The Historic Grand Prix meeting is not over expensive to organise, as the stands, safety barriers, and the other essential infrastructure parts are already in place for the following week's F1 World Championship Grand Prix. Because many of the races are for cars from an age when drivers could be seen at work.

Today's F1 cars have high cockpit surrounds so it's difficult to see anything except the driver's head/safety helmet - with the cars in the Historic Grand Prix you can enjoy watching these racers with arms steering their beasts, often on opposite lock as they defy physics whilst treading that invisible line between total control and spinning off into the barriers.

Of course, it's only the bravest and most talented who drive these beasts at 10/10ths - some others are content to lap the circuit much more sedately, not wishing to take huge risks with their irreplaceable historic cars. But the heroes and heroines are those that have their cars sliding on the edge and giving spectators images that will last forever. 2006

The 5th Historic Grand Prix was no exception. Memorable. It took place on Sunday 21st May 2006, with practice sessions on Saturday 20th May.

The day's racing included a 10 lap event for sports cars built before 1953. In 1952, the Monaco event had been run for sports cars, as this was a period in F1 when the regulations were being changed from one engine to another and there was not an abundance of single-seater racing cars. How different to 1974, when 32 cars vied for 25 places on the grid..... The 2006 sports-car race featured cars that had competed in the '52 event or were competing in similar races at that time.

Amongst a gaggle of well driven 3.4 litre Jaguar C types, a brace of Ferrari 2-litre spyders, an Aston Martin DB3, a magnificent Gordini and two pre-2nd World War BMWs were a trio of Frazer-Nash cars. Much less powerful than many of the other runners, one of them, in the masterly hands of John Ure, dominated the event in early 2000 Schumacher style. Every lap, right on the limit, every lap like poetry in motion. That's why so many enthusiasts show up from around Europe and beyond.

Martin Stretton, in one of two 6-wheel Tyrrell-Cosworth 'bolides' in the 1975-78, was another on the edge throughout the penultimate race, perhaps the most exciting event of the day. Stretton, who prepares historic cars for a living, certainly knows how to make 'em slither and slide but somehow manages to keep them out of the barriers. He is the only driver to have won here at each Historic meeting to date.

Another sparkler, American Duncan Dayton came away from the meeting with two fine victories, one in the beautiful 1959 Lotus 16 and another in a 1970 Brabham. In both races he and his great rival, Spaniard Joaquin Folch, locked horns for the umpteenth time. Folch, a previous multi-winner here, had to settle for 2nd in one event and retired early in the other, mechanical gremlins spoiling what should have been a battle royal between the two Lotus 16 matadors.

Further information about Monaco: It is located on the Mediterranean Sea, tucked into the Maritimes Alps, it is only minutes from Nice International Airport ( bus, train and helicopter connections) and the French and Italian Rivieras. It has a population of 32,020 and is 2 sq km in size. The currency is the euro as in the neighbouring countries. Most of the people who dwell here come from somewhere else, drawn by the sun, glamorous lifestyle and most importantly tax-free income and more police per head of population than in any other European country.

If you are in the area for the Historic Grand Prix or the Formula One Grand Prix and are staying for a few days an enjoyable pastime is a visit to the annual Cannes Film Festival. Like in Monaco if you enjoy watching people, there are certainly plenty to watch at Cannes.

Philip Suter is a Director of jml Property Services; http://www.jmlproperty.co.uk a UK based company offering Insurance products on line at http://www.jml-property-insurance.co.uk and a holiday home advertising service http://www.jmlvillas.com and management training within the UK. He a travel writer and is a very experienced property consultant with over 30 years work in the Residential letting business in the UK and served on the National Council of ARLA. He is a Fellow of the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA) and a Member of The association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA)

posted by ujzboi @ 3:06 PM 0 comments