Hyundai Sonata

The Hyundai is a mid-size car that is made by Hyundai that you can choose for your Manhattan discount rental car. The car has been in production since 1985 and is a mid-size, four-door sedan. This is a car that was originally made for the Korean domestic market, but sales were expanded after the company began selling other models in North America and established a brand here. Hyundai has made a successful brand in the United States, with the Sonata being one of their most recognized brands with ads during the Superbowl and on Shows such as House MD.

Fifth generation of the car

The fifth generation of the Sonata was released in 2004 and was launched in Korea. It was based on a new platform and was the company's first all-aluminum I4 engine, called Theta. The engine choices are a 2.4 L I4 engine or a 3.3 L V6 engine. In 2005, the launch of the new Sonata coincided with the company's first U.S. assembly plant, located in Montgomery, Alabama. Standard features in the U.S models include anti-lock braking systems, electronic stability control, traction control, and six airbags (driver, front passenger front and side, and side curtain). In 2008, the vehicle was redesigned and launched at the Chicago Auto Show. The redesigned features include revised engines, front fascia and chrome, taillights, jewel-protector headlights, and wheel covers for the Limited models.

Safety

When you choose this as your discount car rental Manhattan, you will find the Hyundai Sonata has received a "Good" overall rating for frontal impact crash tests by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. They also received a "Good" rating for rear crash protection, and an "Acceptable" rating for side impact crash tests. The roof strength for the 09 and 10 models was rated "Marginal".

The latest generation

The Sonata is currently in its sixth generation, which was released in 2009. For the US market, the Sonata uses a direct injection 2.4 L four cylinder engine. This has improved gas mileage over previous models and produces 197 hp. All engines are offered with a six-speed automatic transmission. This generation received a "Top Safety Pick" from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. It received "Good" ratings in the tests for frontal impact, side impact, rear crash protection, rollover, and roof strength. Hyundai released a hybrid version in 2008 at the Los Angeles Auto Show, which uses lithium polymer battery technology and has a fuel consumption of 37 miles per gallon in the city and 29 miler per gallon on the highway when you choose this as your discount rental car Manhattan.

Awards

The Hyundai Sonata has won a number of awards that you may be interested in when this is your Manhattan discount car rental. Some of them include:
* Interior of the Year, 2009, Ward's Auto World
* Best Vehicle for 25K or less, 2008, Consumer Reports
* Top Picks 2008, 2008, Consumer Reports
* Best Deal for Small Families, 2007, cars.com
* Consumers Digest Best Buy, 2006, Consumers Digest

These are just a few of the awards recently won. Check out their website for more.

Looking for something a little smaller?

If you would like a smaller car for your discount car rental Manhattan, the Hyundai Elantra may be a good choice. This is a smaller car with good fuel consumption, also made by Hyundai.

When you choose this as your Manhattan discount rental car, you will find that the Hyundai Sonata is a great choice for a small family or couple to travel around the city and surrounding area when you are exploring New York.