Wait for 2011 Hyundai Sonata Limited Turbo?

I am planning on purchasing a 2011 Hyundai Sonata Limited and am debating about waiting for the Turbo that is supposed to come out later this year. We want an affordable car that is comfortable on long trips, handles well, has good safety ratings, is reliable, gets good milage, and has some bells and whistles (leather heated seats, etc.). Any opinions?

The turbo will get less mpg. It will have more power, but you always pay for more power with lower mpg.

Buy the standard Sonata now and don’t worry about the turbo.

The turbo will give the power of a V6 with the mileage of a four-cylinder (I just read that it will give mileage in the low 30s). But do you really need the extra power?

None of your priorities requires a turbo. Regardless of what they say, I’d be amazed if it gets as good mpgs as the regular one. I dislike turbos because of the added complication and stress it puts on engines, but they’re getting better. If you drive and like the current one, get it.

I also recommend not getting the turbo for your family car. For long term reliability turbos are often not a good choice. They operate at high speeds heated by the exhaust, and can cook the oil as it lubes their bearings and blow their seals over time. The base Sonata has good perfeormance for a family buggy without the added doodad. I rented one for a week a few years ago and was quite impressed.

Thanks for all of the great input.

I will go against the grain, and say that you should get whatever car you want.
If you want to wait for the turbo version, that most likely will also sport direct fuel injection, and give both great power, and low emissions, while turning out decent fuel mileage, unlike a turbo car with a normal port fuel injection system.

If you get a first year, there might be some bugs to be worked out, that you might not get if you wait for the second year. You will also pay a premium at the dealer for this car, and pay a premium for services in the future, but I am sure you are already aware of this.

I will HIGHLY recommend you ONLY use fully synthetic oil in this car as long as you own it, as the synthetic oil will be able to cope with the higher amounts of heat and stress that the engine and turbo will put into it.

Good luck, and enjoy the car!

BC.

Contact your insurer and see what the cost of insuring a turbo and non-turbo Sonata is. That might help you make the decision.

Thanks again for all of the input. It has been very helpful.

Don’t wait for the turbo, it means trouble on automotive speak. It means synthetic oil and expensive fuel usually. Then there are all the other things posted by others.