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Word from a back-seat rider

2006 Sonata GLS by Hyundai looks good from the rear

By RUSS DEVAULT

Cox News Service

September 2, 2005

ATLANTA — I'm unable to drive right now, but fortunately it's a temporary situation. But it is one that brings reason to consider cars from a perspective that many of us reviewers give short shrift: the rear seat.

What's out there for folks who need a car with a truly useful back seat for themselves or other adult family members? Maybe you're a baby boomer who wants Mom and Pop to ride comfortably when you're taking them to the grocery, the senior center, the doctor or to visit relatives. Or maybe you'd just like to be driven for a change.

More "Test Drives" 2007 Volvo S80: Quality stays high  Mazdaspeed 3 GT: A powerful, grown-up car  Toyota Tundra: Capable, and comfortable  Full list

Like many reviewers, I've tended to view back seats as useful, vestigial or suitable only for grocery bags or small children. Though the front passenger seat is certainly comfortable, I choose now to be in the back, and currently it's the rear seat of a 2006 Hyundai Sonata GLS. It's a front-drive four-door with four-speed automatic transmission, 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine (162 hp, 164 pounds-feet of torque), and a base price of $19,395.

A previously tested Sonata LX with the 3.3-liter V-6 (235 hp) showed that the Korean manufacturer's big sedan — it's grown from the midsize to large car class — can be a relatively potent performer with room, theoretically, for five.

Like Automobile magazine and Consumer Review, we liked the $24,295 LX version because of the content, the price and the styling (the gang at Automobile even called it "handsome").

But a primary concern with this Sonata GLS, which is generously equipped, is the back seat ? how will it serve us nondrivers who are there by necessity or choice (not everyone who has a chauffeur buys a big-bucks sedan, you know). Will I be comfortable there day in and day out? Would Mom and Pop prefer a taxi to the family car?

For starters, it's easy in, easy out of the Sonata GLS. Step-up to the rear bench seat is 16 inches through a door opening with a maximum width of about 3 feet, making it easy to bring along a briefcase or overnight bag.

The slightly angled seatback is comfortable, but not particularly soft. The seat bottom feels better, and thigh support is satisfactory for average-size folks like me.

Straight-ahead visibility is limited by the large front headrests — gotta peer between them — but rear occupants do have good side visibility.

The driver, meanwhile, has good all-around visibility, plain and simple controls and instrumentation, and the comfort of a 100,000-mile warranty.

As for me and others who will be riding in the rear, the Sonata's beige interior is a bit bland — no way around that — but the overall bottom line is positive and that's a very good thing.

It's good because back seats, and front seats, are going to become even more important in the future.

"Seniors in the future will be even more dependent on the car than today's elderly," states Dr. Sandra Rosenbloom in the Center on Urban and Metropolitan Policy report, "The Mobility Needs of Older Americans."

Most, Rosenbloom is quoted as saying in a Richmond Times-Dispatch story, will be older women who help infirm husbands before living alone in widowhood.

The cars that will serve them best, it seems, will be those offering good fits in terms of price and equipment ? and truly functional rear seats such as those in the 2006 Hyundai Sonata.

SPECS:

•  Test vehicle: the 2006 Hyundai Sonata GLS front-drive sedan

•  Price as tested: $19,395 (base price $19,395; no delivery fee included)

•  Drivetrain: 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine (162 hp) with 16 valves; automatic four-speed transmission

• Safety features: dual front and seat-mounted front side air bags; head-protective side curtain air bags; active front head restraints; switchable electronic stability/traction control systems; power anti-lock brakes

•  Other standard features include: air conditioning; automatic light control; power mirrors, windows and locks with keyless entry system; cruise control; CD/MP3 stereo; tilt steering wheel; power outlet; drink holders; independent suspension; 16-inch alloy wheels with 215/60 Michelin tires with temporary spare

•  Options on test vehicle: none

•  EPA figures: 24 mpg regular unleaded city; 33 mpg highway

ON THE WEB:

Check out other reviews of this vehicle and more:

www.autotrader.com (links to car magazines and Consumers Digest)

www.cars.com

www.consumerreports.org (fee charged)

www.edmunds.com

www.kbb.com

www.nytimes.com