Now that we have a “mid-sized” car, every time we see a car that looks to her to be similar to the Purple Whale Donna will ask, “Is that car bigger (smaller) than we are?” A couple of times in the last few weeks we have come across a Lexus ES350 and when she asks about tone my response has always been that it is a bit larger that the Sonata. Today I checked, and you know what, it is slightly smaller in everything but 2″ longer in length. The big difference between the two automobiles is towards the bottom of the following chart, horsepower, torque and price. All that extra HP is needed to move the 300 extra pounds in weight. I have ridden in a ES350 and the extra weight is in the bigger engine, a smoother suspension and sound deadening. Is it worth 50% more than the Hyundai? Maybe to some.
| Sonata SE | Lexus ES350 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Dims | Dims | Diff | |
| Wheel Base | 110 | 109.3 | -0.7 |
| Length | 189.8 | 191.7 | 1.9 |
| Width | 72.2 | 71.7 | -0.5 |
| Height | 57.9 | 56.3 | -1.6 |
| Interior Volume | 103.8 | 95.4 | -8.4 |
| Front Leg Room | 45.5 | 42.2 | -3.3 |
| Head Room | 40 | 37.4 | -2.6 |
| Shoulder Room | 57.9 | 57.3 | -0.6 |
| Hip Room | 55.2 | 55.9 | 0.7 |
| Turning Radius | 35.8 | 36.7 | 0.9 |
| Weight | 3316 | 3605 | 289 |
| Horsepower | 200 @ 6300 | 268 @ 6200 | 68 |
| Torque | 186 @ 4250 | 248 @ 4700 | 62 |
| Power/Weight | 16.6 | 13.5 | 3.1 |
| Gas Mileage | 22/35 | 19/27 | -3/-8 |
| MSRP | $24,027 | $36,025 | $11,998 |
Miata Top Transitions since 10/24/08: 1042