2006 Hyundai Sonata First Drive

SAN FRANCISCO – Known primarily for its stellar warranty, Hyundai is out to prove its cars offer more than peace of mind.

In addition to that 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty, the Alabama-built 2006 Hyundai Sonata comes to the ring with a long list of standard features, plenty of safety-oriented components, a serious boost in power and a fully-loaded price in the mid $20,000 range.

Salespeople dealing Honda Accords and Toyota Camrys shouldn’t sweat quite yet, as Hyundai hopes to sell 150,000 new Sonatas annually, a lot for Hyundai but a fraction of what the class leaders move into American driveways. Even so, those dependent on Accord and Camry sales commissions would be ill-advised to disregard this new Sonata. More likely threatened will be wannabes like the Mitsubishi Galant and Mazda 6, both of which might see fewer scraps from the family sedan table.

The redesigned 2006 Hyundai Sonata spells bad news for competitive car makers, and that’s great news for consumers.