Road Test: Hyundai Sonata
Review by Gerry Frechette
Every once in a while, a car comes along that makes you think, ‘wow, they really got this right.’ Those cars are not typically mainstream family sedans, but in this case, it is. The Hyundai Sonata is an impressive new car, on many levels.
It certainly looks stylish at first glance. It may be a little derivative, with that high character line evoking a couple of German sport sedans, but overall, Hyundai has kicked the Sonata up into the realm of emotion, as in, it is a mainstream car that someone might really desire. It certainly looks more expensive than it actually is.
The same impression is given inside the Sonata. It looks rich, and a level or two above what one might picture as a basic mid-size sedan. A couple of comments on behalf of taller occupants, though. We’d like to see the driver’s seat adjustable an inch or two lower, and a longer lower seat cushion. And, that fastback roofline doesn’t do anything good for rear headroom, but we recognize that is just the way it is.
Mechanically, one might think it doesn’t have the equipment to back up that rich impression. The Sonata is available only with a four-cylinder engine. Now, in a segment where all others have an optional V6, Hyundai has decided that its all-new 2.4-litre direct-injection four is perfectly adequate with 198 horsepower and 184 lb-ft of torque, and you know what? We have to agree. We didn’t have the car full of people and luggage, and/or on mountain roads, but in “normal” sort of driving conditions, city and highway, this smooth and willing four is plenty powerful enough. And you’ll be smiling at the 5.7L/100 km highway fuel consumption, too.
Making the most of the engine are two six-speed transmissions. A manual is standard on the base GL model, while the GLS and Limited get the new automatic that has Shiftronic manual gear selection. The steering, brakes and suspension all contribute to a nice combination of ride and handling.
The Sonata’s style and its mechanical sophistication will draw you in for more of a look, and what you’ll find is an extraordinary level of equipment for the price, or value if you like. Here is a list of standard equipment on the GL. Air conditioning, power windows, heated mirrors and door locks, tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel, cruise control, AM/FM/XM/CD/MP3 audio system with six speakers, trip computer, iPod and USB/Aux audio input, Bluetooth, Electronic Stability Control and all the other expected safety gear. The price? $22,649. That’s with manual transmission, mind you; the automatic adds $1,600 for $24,249. Still, you can get less sedan, in size or equipment, for that price.
From there, the climb up through GLS (add heated power seats, sunroof, alloy wheels) and Limited (add premium audio, dual-zone A/C, bigger alloy wheels) ends with the Limited with Navigation at $30,999, the most you can spend on a Sonata, and several thousand dollars less than the top end of most competitors.
The quality and value equations have been well-addressed by Hyundai, and now, with the Sonata, high style arrives in this mainstream mid-size sedan segment. There isn’t much left to address; the Sonata has vaulted from being a merely competent family sedan into a stylish, high-value one that people looking at this segment just will not be able to ignore. It is that good.
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