Topic: First Drive: 2011 Hyundai Sonata

[flowave]

I really like how it's dressed up.

youtube.com/watch?v=DX7rRHqj7Sc

youtube.com/watch?v=O8ebvnLKmpQ

WORTH Watching!!!

I would so buy it if it looks like that. lol  looks like a CLS

[John MacDonald]

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.

Wheelboy - I have test drove a number of mid size cars in the past year to try and find one that I loved and couldn't.  I will say the one that came the closest was the VW CC.  I do with I have a chance to try this Sonata out before I made a decision but given I need performance out of my car (to keep me and my wife happy) I probably would have to wait for the 2.0 L turbo which is supposed to have 250+ HP.  I suggest you take out the VW CC as it's a truly fantastic car and if it was a bit cheaper with better interest rates I probably would be driving one right now.

[Shnak]

Even though there are many people who like to jump on the bandwagon and call the Camry "bland", the Camry is distinctive and the design has aged well. The Camry doesn't look like any other sedan, it just looks like a Camry.

Are you kidding? The Camry looks like a bloated Yaris! Yeah, real original.

[John MacDonald]

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.

I think what you missed was the price and the looks of this vehicle.  Both are top notch and that will make up for a little harsher (not what I've heard from other articles) and lack of V6.  What people don't get is that a lot of V6's had about the same power as this vehicle 8-10 years ago so some people who are looking for a similarly powerful vehicle will be pleasantly surprised.  Also this vehicle is one of the lightest in it's class so that helps in all areas.  I fully expect this vehicle to get the 12,000 units Hyundai would like.  I'm thinking it might be like the Chrysler 300 when it first came out and they couldn't keep them on the lots because people liked them so much.  

[CatsEye68]

Here's a vid of the Camry 4 banger vs. the new Sonata in a "race".  I was quite surprised that the Camry pulled so hard out of the hole compared to the Sonata.  I honestly thought the Sonata (with 25 extra horseys) would do a bit better from a stop.  Bear in my the "out of the hole" power is what you use day in day out squirting through traffic.  Still...that Sonata is a beautiful car!!  Best in class styling by a long shot!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INBnV2kZx34 

Wow, Toyota's uncontrollable acceleration issue finally has a positive side...

[libraman]

With the Camry as long as you accelerate in a straight line it would be OK. As soon as you hit the slaloms, watch out. 

[Rupert]

 What's wrong, does it not quite make it to the next lights faster than the Camry.

Have there not been enough recalls lately to satisfy...keep it simple and enjoy satisfaction.

[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.

Wheelboy - I have test drove a number of mid size cars in the past year to try and find one that I loved and couldn't.  I will say the one that came the closest was the VW CC.  I do with I have a chance to try this Sonata out before I made a decision but given I need performance out of my car (to keep me and my wife happy) I probably would have to wait for the 2.0 L turbo which is supposed to have 250+ HP.  I suggest you take out the VW CC as it's a truly fantastic car and if it was a bit cheaper with better interest rates I probably would be driving one right now.

Yep the CC is on my shortlist.  I've seen two of them in showrooms and they look awesome.  I like the back seat that is solely two seats instead of the 2.5 seats of most other cars.  If those seats just came on cloth.  As I said before, no car is perfect.
The 4 cyl of the new Sonata (and the turbo 4 of the CC) will be a bit of a come-down from the addictive torque of my current V6 Acura (3.2TL-S).  I drove a Jetta TDI with its 230lb ft of torque and that made driving a pleasure.  Revs get tiring.

The Jetta with its TDI (fuel cost and mileage), torque, cloth is almost perfect.  If it just wasn't styled after a suppository..............

I think I'll start a "What's your idea of a perfect car?" thread.

[Ben1004]

This Sonata looks sharp!  No wonder this brand is doing so well compared to the other makes.   I am seriously considering the Tucson or the new Sorento.   If Hyundai keeps up this type of offering, I might just wait a little longer to take a look at the new Santa Fe.   I just wish they would put a diesel into the CUV lineup.

[Jaeger]

No doubt. IF the Camry doesn't have a V6 in it.

The V6 Camry will surprise / embarrass a lot pricier iron than the Sonata.  It's the poster child on this forum for bland aplliance-like transportation but it is seriously quick, and in SE trim, at least capable in handling.

Jaeger

[Jaeger]

This might look "new and flashy" now, but this design is going to age poorly. There is no elegance or subtlety to it, nor does it look distinctive.

So which sedan in this segment hits the elegant / subtle / distinctive triple-play in your opinion?

Jaeger

[89 Camry Wagon owner]

Hyundai's Canadian website is showing 5 colours available for the Sonata.  Hyundai's US site is showing 10 colours available.  I hope that's a mistake.  If not, then it's a solid WTF I have to ask Hyundai Canada.   

Won't be the last time Canada gets the middle finger from an auto manufacturer...

Not to mention that the U.S. gets a warranty that is twice as long as Canada...10 yrs vs our 5!  Wouldn't it save the company money by NOT going to the trouble of making different versions of the same car for our two close countries??!!  Silly and not cost effective.  Afterall, how hard would it be to just ship the same SE the few inches across the border.  Why 'dumb it down'?

[sacrat]

This might look "new and flashy" now, but this design is going to age poorly. There is no elegance or subtlety to it, nor does it look distinctive.

"new and flashy" but not "distinctive" . Contradictory much...?

[John MacDonald]

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.

Wheelboy - I have test drove a number of mid size cars in the past year to try and find one that I loved and couldn't.  I will say the one that came the closest was the VW CC.  I do with I have a chance to try this Sonata out before I made a decision but given I need performance out of my car (to keep me and my wife happy) I probably would have to wait for the 2.0 L turbo which is supposed to have 250+ HP.  I suggest you take out the VW CC as it's a truly fantastic car and if it was a bit cheaper with better interest rates I probably would be driving one right now.

Yep the CC is on my shortlist.  I've seen two of them in showrooms and they look awesome.  I like the back seat that is solely two seats instead of the 2.5 seats of most other cars.  If those seats just came on cloth.  As I said before, no car is perfect.
The 4 cyl of the new Sonata (and the turbo 4 of the CC) will be a bit of a come-down from the addictive torque of my current V6 Acura (3.2TL-S).  I drove a Jetta TDI with its 230lb ft of torque and that made driving a pleasure.  Revs get tiring.

The Jetta with its TDI (fuel cost and mileage), torque, cloth is almost perfect.  If it just wasn't styled after a suppository..............

I think I'll start a "What's your idea of a perfect car?" thread.

Don't compare the VW CC's engine with Hyundai.  The 2.0L Turbo in the CC (also in the GTI, A4, Tiguan, etc) is a fantastic engine, actually the best engine I've ever had the pleasure of experiencing.  Other midsized vehicles that we tried are the Nissan Maxima, Mazda 6 GT V6, 2007 Infiniti G35, 2006 Audi A4 Quattro 2.0T, and the 2010 Subaru Legacy 3.6R.  Of all of them the Audi A4 and CC were the best of the bunch I thought.  The absolute worst is the Mazda, that was a crap bucket.  It's a very pretty vehicle but that's all it has.  I think you'll be very surprised with the CC and won't be feeling any real lack of performance.

[CanuckS2K]

Like I mentioned earlier, I think this is going to be a HUGE hit for Hyundai.  IMO, it's miles better looking that a Camry or an Accord.  Just look how much attention this thread has gotten since yesterday.  The last thread that I recall to get this much attention so quickly was the CrossTour.......and it wasn't the positive kid either.   

Kudos to Hyundai, they are making some great strides in the auto industry lately. 

[Jaeger]

Don't compare the VW CC's engine with Hyundai.  The 2.0L Turbo in the CC (also in the GTI, A4, Tiguan, etc) is a fantastic engine, actually the best engine I've ever had the pleasure of experiencing.  Other midsized vehicles that we tried are the Nissan Maxima, Mazda 6 GT V6, 2007 Infiniti G35, 2006 Audi A4 Quattro 2.0T, and the 2010 Subaru Legacy 3.6R.  Of all of them the Audi A4 and CC were the best of the bunch I thought.  The absolute worst is the Mazda, that was a crap bucket.  It's a very pretty vehicle but that's all it has.  I think you'll be very surprised with the CC and won't be feeling any real lack of performance.

The Passat CC is actually the current front-runner to replace my Altima.  Test drove the 2.0t with autobox and was very impressed.  Still waiting to drive a stick shift version, but aparently they are hard to find.  As for the engine being "fantastic!" and the suggestion that one won't feel "any real lack of performance" compared to the V6 competition, I would dispute both.  The blown 4-banger does a perfectly adequate job of pulling the CC around and is commendably quite while doing so.  What about it might be described as "fantastic!" certainly eluded me on my very extended test drive.  And I say this in the context of a vehicle I liked well enough to seriosuly consider purchasing ( and may yet do if I can get past the reliability question).

But what really made me fall out of my chair laughing is the notion that the power difference between it and a V6 is not noticeable.  I stepped out of an Altima 3.5SE V6, into the Passat CC 2.0T and back into the Alti.  I am here to tell you that the power difference is VERY noticeable.  The extra 70 ponies that the Altima packs aren't asleep in the pasture.  Now, examined on it's own terms, the Passat certainly doesn't feel underpowered - again - "capable" and "competent" are the phrases that come to mind - but in comparative terms, I can think of no circumstance where the Altima wouldn't absolutely leave it for dead.  Yes, you CAN feel the difference.

Jaeger

[John MacDonald]

Don't compare the VW CC's engine with Hyundai.  The 2.0L Turbo in the CC (also in the GTI, A4, Tiguan, etc) is a fantastic engine, actually the best engine I've ever had the pleasure of experiencing.  Other midsized vehicles that we tried are the Nissan Maxima, Mazda 6 GT V6, 2007 Infiniti G35, 2006 Audi A4 Quattro 2.0T, and the 2010 Subaru Legacy 3.6R.  Of all of them the Audi A4 and CC were the best of the bunch I thought.  The absolute worst is the Mazda, that was a crap bucket.  It's a very pretty vehicle but that's all it has.  I think you'll be very surprised with the CC and won't be feeling any real lack of performance.

The Passat CC is actually the current front-runner to replace my Altima.  Test drove the 2.0t with autobox and was very impressed.  Still waiting to drive a stick shift version, but aparently they are hard to find.  As for the engine being "fantastic!" and the suggestion that one won't feel "any real lack of performance" compared to the V6 competition, I would dispute both.  The blown 4-banger does a perfectly adequate job of pulling the CC around and is commendably quite while doing so.  What about it might be described as "fantastic!" certainly eluded me on my very extended test drive.  And I say this in the context of a vehicle I liked well enough to seriosuly consider purchasing ( and may yet do if I can get past the reliability question).

But what really made me fall out of my chair laughing is the notion that the power difference between it and a V6 is not noticeable.  I stepped out of an Altima 3.5SE V6, into the Passat CC 2.0T and back into the Alti.  I am here to tell you that the power difference is VERY noticeable.  The extra 70 ponies that the Altima packs aren't asleep in the pasture.  Now, examined on it's own terms, the Passat certainly doesn't feel underpowered - again - "capable" and "competent" are the phrases that come to mind - but in comparative terms, I can think of no circumstance where the Altima wouldn't absolutely leave it for dead.  Yes, you CAN feel the difference.

Jaeger

I disagree.  The 2.0T engine that I had (put the CC in sport mode auto) and it did the 30-90 merging test better than the Mazda 6 GT V6 that has over a 70HP difference.  If you timed it the Mazda might be a tick quicker but there is a hesitation in the engine where the CC had no hesitation, it was instant performance.  I haven't test drove the Altima but I have done the Maxima and it has basically the same engine just retuned for 290 HP and even though it is faster I would pick the CC as it was truly surprising just how well that engine uses it's 200HP.  I'm positive if you took it out back to back with Sonata with 200Hp, Acura TSX with 200 HP, and even the Honda Civic SI with 200 HP the CC would feel the quickest of the bunch.

[Jaeger]

I disagree.  The 2.0T engine that I had (put the CC in sport mode auto) and it did the 30-90 merging test better than the Mazda 6 GT V6 that has over a 70HP difference.  If you timed it the Mazda might be a tick quicker but there is a hesitation in the engine where the CC had no hesitation, it was instant performance.  I haven't test drove the Altima but I have done the Maxima and it has basically the same engine just retuned for 290 HP and even though it is faster I would pick the CC as it was truly surprising just how well that engine uses it's 200HP.  I'm positive if you took it out back to back with Sonata with 200Hp, Acura TSX with 200 HP, and even the Honda Civic SI with 200 HP the CC would feel the quickest of the bunch.

Well, yeah - if you compare the BLOWN 4 in the Passat to the NORMALLY ASPIRATED 4-pot alternatives, it will feel the quickest.  It has more torque and down low.  You notice that.  Just as you WILL notice the extra 70 or more ponies in the Nissan V6 alternatives.  And I'm still at a loss as to what makes this motor "fantastic!".  I mean, it does what it should and does it well, but nothing about the drive made me want to exhaust my supply of exclamation points.  It's a solid mill, but it doesn't make me want to do cartwheels.  I suspect my ultimate impression of the Sonata will be the same, but will reserve judgment until I have had some seat time.

I haven't driven the Mazda - they clearly took a BIG step off the zoom-zoom path with that car - but the power difference between my VQ Altima and the CC was QUITE evident. 

Jaeger

[DriverJeff]

Don't compare the VW CC's engine with Hyundai.  The 2.0L Turbo in the CC (also in the GTI, A4, Tiguan, etc) is a fantastic engine, actually the best engine I've ever had the pleasure of experiencing.  Other midsized vehicles that we tried are the Nissan Maxima, Mazda 6 GT V6, 2007 Infiniti G35, 2006 Audi A4 Quattro 2.0T, and the 2010 Subaru Legacy 3.6R.  Of all of them the Audi A4 and CC were the best of the bunch I thought.  The absolute worst is the Mazda, that was a crap bucket.  It's a very pretty vehicle but that's all it has.  I think you'll be very surprised with the CC and won't be feeling any real lack of performance.

The Passat CC is actually the current front-runner to replace my Altima.  Test drove the 2.0t with autobox and was very impressed.  Still waiting to drive a stick shift version, but aparently they are hard to find.  As for the engine being "fantastic!" and the suggestion that one won't feel "any real lack of performance" compared to the V6 competition, I would dispute both.  The blown 4-banger does a perfectly adequate job of pulling the CC around and is commendably quite while doing so.  What about it might be described as "fantastic!" certainly eluded me on my very extended test drive.  And I say this in the context of a vehicle I liked well enough to seriosuly consider purchasing ( and may yet do if I can get past the reliability question).

But what really made me fall out of my chair laughing is the notion that the power difference between it and a V6 is not noticeable.  I stepped out of an Altima 3.5SE V6, into the Passat CC 2.0T and back into the Alti.  I am here to tell you that the power difference is VERY noticeable.  The extra 70 ponies that the Altima packs aren't asleep in the pasture.  Now, examined on it's own terms, the Passat certainly doesn't feel underpowered - again - "capable" and "competent" are the phrases that come to mind - but in comparative terms, I can think of no circumstance where the Altima wouldn't absolutely leave it for dead.  Yes, you CAN feel the difference.

Jaeger

I wonder how much of that perceived power deficit is felt more as a result of having the automatic versus stick-shift?  Not having to wait for a the torque-converter-muffled shifts to kick down might contribute to the feeling?

[Jaeger]

I wonder how much of that perceived power deficit is felt more as a result of having the automatic versus stick-shift?  Not having to wait for a the torque-converter-muffled shifts to kick down might contribute to the feeling?

Valid point.  As I said, I am looking forward to driving the manual Passat.  But I also drove the CVT 3.5 Alti when I was shopping mine, and while the stick did feel quicker, it didn't feel a LOT quicker than the CVT.  But the manual Alti sure felt a LOT stronger than the auto / turbo-4 Passat. 

Jaeger