Topic: First Drive: 2011 Hyundai Sonata

[Autos_Editor]

With its dramatic new ‘fluidic’ styling, and the most powerful standard engine and the roomiest interior in its class, the redesigned Hyundai Sonata is ready to shake up the normally staid mid-size family sedan class, says Contributing Editor, Chris Chase.

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[Slow_lane]

First off I think having a 2011 model being sold in Feb 2010 isfrigging nuts.  This should have be launched as a 2010 model. I find the way they launch model years so early is ridiculous. Soon when you buy a used car you will have to concern yourself with purchase date more than model year to determine how old it really is.

That aside, this car looks like a winner. I particularly love the fact that only a 4 cylinder is offered. This way I can be assured I can dress car up with all the bells and whistles and still get the 4 cyl I want. Too many cars have top of line options tied to larger engine.

I hope it proves to be more of a driver's car than current model.

Bravo!!!! 

[Benhaze]

Alleluia Hyundai for not putting a CVT in that car. Design seems as astonishing in pictures; the only thing I don't like is the dual pod instrument cluster: I feel like looking though a pair of binoculars...

It seems they will be a lot of options on the Limited model; not sure how well that will play out for Hyundai.

Slybry, the practice of introducing new model year early in the previous calender year is an old practice from certain manufacturers... And I stand at the other end of the spectrum: I wish there would be a V6 engine offered.  4 cylinder engines from Hyundai have never been fabulous and as displacement and horsepower increase, so does their NVH characteristics...

[sailor723]

I have to concur with Benhaze on the CVT issue. I've never driven one that felt "right" and think Hyundai has made the right choice not to rush down that path. Admittedly I've only sampled the Nissan and Sub CVT's but they left me with an aversion to that type of tranny.

I too am not so sure about the "no V6" route they chose. If 25% of your sales were V6's it seems a bit of a risky move to assume those customers will all be willing to settle for the turbo 4. I know some people who equate turbocharging with stress on the engine and expensive repairs down the road.

[Wilson]

Wow...what a step up from the prevoius model, not that that one was horrible either.  The materials look amazing.  I love the center console.  Maybe it's just the pictures, but outside, the car looks a bit squashed...I'll have to wait and see  one in person.  Now this is the car that will give the Fusion a run for it's money.

[Wheelboy]

This car will certainly be on my "must see, must drive" list for the spring.  I had my eye on the old Sonata (test drove a 4 & 6) and they were a bit too plain in their styling.  To be honest, this 2011 is a bit over the top!  Arrgghh.  Front fender chrome strip?  That one I gotta see in person.
Then I read it had heated REAR seats too but then I came back down to earth when I read that they were just on the leather seat version.  No more leather seats for my cold frozen arse thank ya very much.

As usual - no car is perfect (for me) so I'm looking for the one that's most perfect.  Maybe this is it.  Maybe I'll try a VW CC (their looks are quite similar).  Thanks for the report C/D Editor.

[Thinking Out Loud]

I have to concur with Benhaze on the CVT issue. I've never driven one that felt "right" and think Hyundai has made the right choice not to rush down that path. Admittedly I've only sampled the Nissan and Sub CVT's but they left me with an aversion to that type of tranny.

I too am not so sure about the "no V6" route they chose. If 25% of your sales were V6's it seems a bit of a risky move to assume those customers will all be willing to settle for the turbo 4. I know some people who equate turbocharging with stress on the engine and expensive repairs down the road.

Alhough I still have to admit my CVT drives 'differently' from normal automatics, personally I find it works fine in my application once I 'reprogramed' my a$$ to stop waiting for surges as the car shifts gears as an indicator of velocity, which was disconcerting at first. Now when I get in normal automatics, even subtle shifting is very obvious to me.  My perspective on CVT, anyway.   

I'll agree with you on the V6 - it's not like Hyundai doesnt already have great V6's and it's saving money but not designing one - I remember Daewoo's top end models only came with fours and they didn't have one in stock they could insert.  Likely the V6 models had the biggest profit margins to boot too.

[CanuckS2K]

Fantastic looking car, inside and out.  I find the interior design is very similiar to my G35, but that's certainly not a bad thing.  Even though I think they should of offered the V6, I think this car will do extremely well for Hyundai. 

[gord_boyd]

I do think after sitting in one and seeing proportions that it will be a home-run.  There are many who are currently driving the near-luxury
cars who will be impressed.  Unfortunately Hyundai is not attuned to this demand and continue to refuse "SE" into Cdn. Mkt.   We are not interested in turbos
but in style and driving substance.  This means taking corners flatter than your av. fam. sedan.  It means apreciating 18 inch tires
on the design.  Hyundai will lose a lot of us until they smarten up. 
Hyundai, please get to know your potential niche with this new design.  These mistakes are costly in word-of-mouth
for what you are trying to accomplish.  Bad Decision.

[Winterpeg]

I have to concur with Benhaze on the CVT issue. I've never driven one that felt "right" and think Hyundai has made the right choice not to rush down that path. Admittedly I've only sampled the Nissan and Sub CVT's but they left me with an aversion to that type of tranny.

I too am not so sure about the "no V6" route they chose. If 25% of your sales were V6's it seems a bit of a risky move to assume those customers will all be willing to settle for the turbo 4. I know some people who equate turbocharging with stress on the engine and expensive repairs down the road.

Alhough I still have to admit my CVT drives 'differently' from normal automatics, personally I find it works fine in my application once I 'reprogramed' my a$$ to stop waiting for surges as the car shifts gears as an indicator of velocity, which was disconcerting at first. Now when I get in normal automatics, even subtle shifting is very obvious to me.  My perspective on CVT, anyway.   

I'll agree with you on the V6 - it's not like Hyundai doesnt already have great V6's and it's saving money but not designing one - I remember Daewoo's top end models only came with fours and they didn't have one in stock they could insert.  Likely the V6 models had the biggest profit margins to boot too.

It seems that the CVT's work best in smaller vehicles like your Nissan Sentra there TOL....a co-worker drives your generation Sentra with cvt and has no issues with it.
And yes dropping the V6 might be a misstep on Hyundai's part...if anybody plans to keep the car for a few years there might be some mechanical buggaboos with the turbo.   

[Jaeger]

I think their sales estimates are conservative.  If they put ANY effort into marketing, this thing should make a very big splash in its segment.

Jaeger

[CatsEye68]

I think their sales estimates are conservative.  If they put ANY effort into marketing, this thing should make a very big splash in its segment.

Well, that remains to be seen. People who want a V-6 will not consider it, and if the 4-banger is rough as the article suggests, that will likely turn off some potential buyers. The swoopy styling looks good and the interior seems very nice, but the lack of rear headroom might be a deal-breaker for some as well. I think the jury is still out as to whether style can trump substance.

[jacko]

why is it that hyundai always copy the looks of other makes and
blend it into their cars??

the car looks like a blend of camry, lexus ES and a touch of bmw all mixed in together. 
the front end also looks a tiny bit like the new avalon.

nothing wrong or new with car companies selling new models almost one year ahead.
the 2003 corolla came out in feb. of 2002.
the new 2011 sienna will be coming this month i believe. it's all about marketing strategies. 

[Shnak]

The swoopy styling looks good and the interior seems very nice, but the lack of rear headroom might be a deal-breaker for some as well.

Either the rear headroom numbers are misleading or reviews about the Sonata are misrepresenting facts.

Here are the rear headroom numbers for many sedans, in order of highest to lowest:
Passat 38.6"
Old Sonata 38.2"
New Sonata 37.8"
Impala 37.8"
Camry 37.8"
Malibu 37.2"
Mazda6 37.1"
Galant 37.0"
Accord 36.8"
TL 36.7"
3-Series 36.1"
Altima 35.6"

So... by only looking at the numbers, the Sonata went from having the most rear headroom to being tied for the most rear headroom with the Impala and Camry.

Like I said, unless these numbers are really misrepresentative, I don't understand why people keep saying the new Sonata lacks rear headroom. If it does, then the same is true for every other sedan out there.

EDIT: Just looked it up and the Passat tops them all with 38.6" of rear headroom. Still doesn't change the fact that the new Sonata is at the very least very competitive with the Camry and Accord, it's main competitors.

[Jaeger]

Well, that remains to be seen.

Goes without saying, I would have thought.

People who want a V-6 will not consider it, and if the 4-banger is rough as the article suggests, that will likely turn off some potential buyers.

A somewhat bold strategy, but far from crazy, considering the VAST majority of Camcordima buyers opt for the 4-banger.  If Hyundai can carve a big chunk out of that pie they will be well satisfied.

The swoopy styling looks good and the interior seems very nice, but the lack of rear headroom might be a deal-breaker for some as well.

Who says it lacks rear headroom - I mean, apart from you?  According to Edmunds, the 2011 Sonata offers 37.8 inches of rear headroom.  The competition: Altima - 36.8, Accord 37.2, Camry 37.4.  No matter whose numbers you select, the Sonata will be at or near the top for rear headroom.

I think the jury is still out as to whether style can trump substance.

In what way is this vehicle lacking in substance?

Jaeger

[pigabo]

Went to the hyundai dealership this past weekend, saw the car in the showroom, (the Limited model) and I was quite impressed by both the exterior look and interior quality.  Another attractive factor is the low fuel consumption.  It is really a big leap from the previous model.

Unfortunately, they didn't have the manual transmission model available yet (atleast at the dealership I went to) which is the only model I am interested in.  Neither could I find any review or test drive for the manual one online.  

Anyone test drove one?  Feedback?

[67 Piston Slap]

The folks at Hontoysubsan are by now starting to cringe on their seats.

You can feel the butt cheeks compressing on the executive rooms as the new Sonata becomes available in the US and Canada during tax season...

Many, many sleepless nights lay ahead for this crowd if Hyundai  manages to play its Marketing cards right in the US and Canada.

[Spec5]

Wow! Talk about a stunner! This thing will sell like hot cakes. Not since the latest gen of the Camry have I liked the styling on a car so much.

Guys aside from us here almost everyone else will be fine with 200hp from a 4cyl. I mean seriously, the 95 Maxima had 190hp and I don't think anyone ever complained about the lack of acceleration in that thing. You guys are beyond power hungry. Like many have said the masses buy these things in 4cyl trim.

Very interested to see what the hybrid version will be like. Particularly interested to see if they'll use the same trans or if they'll come out iwth a CVT by then. I only say that because most hybrids (at least those I can think of save the monster Hybrid Yukon) come with a CVT. Lets hope they copy the Nissan one if they do.

Nice job Hyundai! SUV world better look out for the new Santa Fe too - something tells me they'll go for broke on that one too!

[Canada Stig]

I've never given Korean cars much of a look - until recently (too many memories of my 86 Pony 1600).

This is one seriously nice looking car - the old one was a good car but frightfully boring.  This seems to be jazzy enough to be interesting but not sacrifice utility (think BMW X6 or Acura ZDX) in the process.

No V6 required - even Americans are moving away from them.  Really, a good 4 banger with 200 horses should work just fine.

Nice Job Hyundai.  First the Tuscon, now this.  When will the honda and Toyota bankruptcies begin?

[Weels]

No V6 required - even Americans are moving away from them.  Really, a good 4 banger with 200 horses should work just fine.

Agreed, 200 HP is decent enough for a bread 'n butter sedan.  An Acura TSX moves just fine (at least the previous generation did) with 200.

I will definitely be giving this one a look see - especially when they bring the turbo out