Hyundai Gets it This Time Around - *New Long Term Update*

General
The brand new Hyundai Sonata was redesigned and released as a 2006 model this past summer/fall. Hyundai are building on a history of giving more for less, while making quantum leaps forward in reliability and quality over the past 5 years. Long gone are the days of the Pony and Stellar – in fact, car journalists don’t even mention these cars any longer when reviewing new Hyundai models. On a course to introduce a raft of new vehicles in the space of 24 months (no less than 7 according to press releases), Hyundai are gong to market with offerings that are leapfrogging the competition with each new release. The Sonata itself came into existence in the 90’s as a mid-size economy option to mainstream Japanese and North American models such as Honda’s Accord, Toyota;s Camry, Chevy’s Malibu, etc. It was initially a very cheap car, that got you from A to B with little fuss and bother but with questionable comfort and reliability. When redesigned in 2001, Hyundai flattered Jaguar by taking major design queues from the X-type sedan. With the new line, Hyundai won their first initial quality award from J.D. Power – which became a portent of things to come. This time out, Hyundai once again is trying to set the standard for the segment borrowing styling queues from the likes of Audi and including a list of standard features that Lexus would be proud to tout.

Styling
When you look at the new Sonata, you can’t help but appreciate the shear size of it. While the 2001 Sonata took its design queues from the Jaguar Type X, the 06 Sonata compliments Audi and Honda. From the side, there is a distinctive look of an Audi A6, while straight on from the rear it resembles the pre-06 Honda Accord. Unlike the odd look of the Honda’s rear deck and light treatment, the Sonata has a more refined and finished look to it. This is due to the gently sloping roof line that is matched with a short high deck with just a slight edge along the top to finish it off. The front end sports what is rapidly becoming the Hyundai trade-mark grill with the ovoid “H” in the middle. It’s sleek and smooth lines don’t look out of place anywhere – including the exec’s parking lot at the office (“Is that a ….?”. “Yes, it’s a Hyundai!”). The big 17” alloy wheels fill the wheel wells nicely without looking out of place – and this without bulbous fender flaring. There is an optional spoiler available as a dealer installed accessory which is very subdued indeed and adds just a touch of indication that the car has a soul – but even without the spoiler, the car looks understated and classy.

Front lighting is a tri-unit horizontal unit with jeweled projector low-beam units and reflector high-beam halogens with indicators framing the ends. This is finished off with a set of very good fog lights below and to each corner of the lower bumper. The fog lights are worth noting as they throw light not just forward but also to the side a-la European style side-lighting found in Vauxhalls and others. This means that you can see the shoulder of the road and curbs more clearly when driving at night if you have the fog lights on. The rear lights traverse onto the lid of the trunk and are large and bright.

Lineup, Features & Options
In Canada the lineup starts with the base GL which comes with 4-cylinder engine mated to a 5 speed manual as standard equipment. While adequate enough to pull the Sonata, it is Hyundai’s brand new all-aluminum 3.3 V6 that gives the car a distinct punch and drivability. Next up on the ladder is the GLS V6 and GLS LX (Premium in Canada). All cars get an excellent list of standard features such as driver’s lumbar support, cruise control, a very good 6 speaker CD stereo with MP3 compatibility, air conditioning, electric windows, fold down rear seats, etc. All models also have a full compliment of airbags – 2 front, 2 front side and 2 side curtains. Also on the list of safety equipment is ABS with brake force distribution to help in emergency braking situations. Hyundai also introduces improved side-crash protection by including not one, but two cross-bar members in each door of the vehicle to mate with the stiffer chassis and more solid body construction.

Move up one step on the ladder to the GLS V6 and you get leather trim on the shifter and steering wheel, 8-way electric adjustable driver’s seat, full leather with heated front seats, tilt/slide sunroof, solar glass, tilt/telescopic steering wheel, etc.. Take one more step up to the GLS V6 LX and you get treated to an auto-dimming chromatic rear view mirror with compass, outside temp gauge, Homelink, electric pedal adjustment, climatronic HVAC controls, 17” wheels, and – most importantly – electronic stability control (ESC) with traction control which uses the engine together with the brake system to safely deal with over/understeer. If you are considering the GLS V6, I strongly recommend the additional $1400 CDN to get the Premium package as I personally think the ESC is worth that on its own.

In addition, all Sonatas come standard with Michelin Pilot rubber – which shocked the heck out of me. I certainly didn’t expect to see this level of tire standard fare on a Hyundai (my 2002 Altima came with crummy Continental tires which wore out after 35,000km).

The US Premium also gets an engine immobilizer, but the Canadian version does not. This is not the only case where Hyundai ship a different level of trim north of the border, and it is a bit annoying - especially when one realizes that the same plant builds cars for the US and Canadian markets.

Interior
In the past, Hyundai interiors were made from substandard materials which tended to be fitted very poorly at best. To say that Hyundai have improved their interiors in the past few years would be an understatement. Sit in the Sonata, and other than the Hyundai markings, you would be hard pressed to not think you were in a Toyota or Honda. Soft surfaces are subtle and classy to the touch, while hard surfaces are substantial without looking or feeling cheap. Just about anywhere your lay your hand, it feels like something from Toyota or Honda – or VW for that matter (the somewhat disputed leader in interior quality) – it simply has a feeling of quality.

It is very easy to find a comfortable drivers position if you have the optional adjustable pedals of the GLS V6 Premium. Otherwise, it does take a bit of working the seat and steering wheel to find the right sitting position. The driver’s seat is very comfortable, although admittedly a tad short on thigh support. This can be fixed by fiddling a bit with the angle of the seat cushion though. The leather is a quality installation – with puckers up and down the main seating areas to allow for give when getting in or out. There is plenty of legroom for even the tallest of rear passengers and three adults will fit across without any real trouble, although I wouldn’t want to be in the middle on a long trip as there is no headrest there.

I did notice one really nifty little detail that my wife cottoned on to immediately. Just at the side of the controls console, there is a small flip-out hook for hanging a purse of grocery bag on. I first saw this feature on a Kia Sportage and thought it was neat – and think it interesting that Hyundai have taken this queue from their sister company. This is a fine example of how Hyundai got all the details right – and then some.

The trunk is nothing short of huge. I swear you could have a party in there! Again – showing attention to detail, Hyundai uses gas struts on both the hood and trunk meaning that Sonata owners don’t have to deal with annoying prop-bars when refilling the windshield washer fluid. Nor will they be worrying about crushed groceries when packing the trunk with the supplies for Sunday’s big dinner. Oh, and one more thing – by installing quality full-range speaker drivers in the rear doors, you don’t loose cargo capacity to 6X9 speakers hanging off the rear deck into the trunk. This also means you don’t have to be concerned about over packing and accidentally poking a hole in the speakers themselves (not a common accident, but is has been known to happen).

Standard interior colour coding is grey with faux carbon or beige with simulated wood grain. Both trims are actually pretty nice on the eye and would be easy to live with even though I do think that I would personally prefer a black leather interior with trim of charcoal and/or grey.

They say that first impressions are important – and this is no more true than when you sit inside a new car. As soon as you sit in the Sonata the first thing you notice is that there is no sound from the engine at all. Even as you rev the engine into higher speeds, there is only a hint of engine noise – in fact, just enough to remind you that you are in a car. One look under the hood explains a lot – there is a very large and thick piece of Volvo-esque sound deadening material mounted directly under the hood. This is not some cheap piece of fire-retardant felt – but a thick, solid piece of material. Likewise the firewall cloth seems thick and robust as well. Entry and exit from both the front and rear is very easy, thanks to the long wheelbase and wide doors. Oh – and one other thing – the rear windows roll all the way down into the door.

Driving Impressions & Performance
We took out a GLS Premium to test drive but before I actually sat behind the wheel the salesman insisted that he take us on an icy patch of road to demonstrate the ESC. What we went on was not a patch by any stretch of the imagination. It was an access road for the local hydro service and it was totally covered in a thick, solid sheet of ice. As much as he tried to throw the car off-track, the ESC kicked in and simply wouldn’t allow him to mess up. I was really impressed, but it was my wife’s face that told the whole story here. Later in the dealership, she quietly told me that she wouldn’t want a lower trim model at the cost of losing this feature.

Once our ESC demo was through, it was my turn at the wheel. As we drove around, he kept on urging me to push the car harder in corners or faster on the highway, etc. I found the car to be totally and competently obedient to everything I wanted it to do. To be fair, this is no BMW, Lexus or Infiniti sports sedan, yet the Sonata certainly can easily hold its own and then some against the competition from the US or Japan. The best way to describe the experience is to say that I felt a bit like I was driving a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

The performance of the engine was very pleasing. Hyundai has mated a 5-speed automatic transmission with Sportronic to the 3.3 V6 and the combination works very well indeed. Admittedly the transmission is a bit slow in responding at times, but for the most part it is an excellent match. I even found the Sportronic to work really well – and this is coming from a died-in-the wool manual transmission fan who would much rather mix his own than wait for a slush-box to do it for me.

The fully independent double-wishbone suspension up front works well with the rear suspension and anti-sway bars to keep the nose pointed and the tires firmly planted to the road – even when I did a couple of high speed lane changes on the highway portion of our run without incident. The fact that the car tracks true and straight is another testament to the excellent job Hyundai have done with the suspension and ride.

The mileage of the V6 engine is rated by Natural Resources Canada at 25 city and 39 highway. I have seen posts to various forums where owners are getting a combined 25 mpg, with many of them getting more than 30mpg on the highway in real life driving. I really don’t think that is bad at all considering the power and displacement of the engine.

The Downside
Having praised the Sonata, I don’t want you to think that I am so star-struck that there is nothing wrong with this car. Like everything – you can always find something that isn’t quite right – and though I had to look more deeply at the Sonata to do so – I did find a couple of what I will call annoyances.
1. Lower Dash Trim: I think that Hyundai should consider rethinking both the colour and apparent quality of the material of this piece of trim. It’s a large sweeping thing that had a few mold seams showing in the showroom car (but not in our demo). Insofar as the colour is concerned, it is simply too light I think – lower dash areas are often subject to dirt from shoes, and a slightly dully or darker colour would have helped to camouflage this.

2. Unfinished Steering Wheel Audio Controls: For some silly reason, the steering wheel controls don’t have a channel up/down switch. This means, you can go from band to band to CD/MP3, but you can’t change the station presets or CD/MP3 tracks without going to the dash. Also – the arrangement seems a bit odd – the mode button is on top with a volume up beneath it and volume down beneath that. Why not go with the mode button in the middle flanked by the volume controls? That just seems kinda wonky to me.

3. Seat Heaters Are Single Stage: Another thing that I don’t understand. Surely it wouldn’t have been that much more expensive to have dual stage heaters like everybody else rather than the HOT bun warmers that Hyundai have installed in this car? I am not asking for the Subaru or VW multi-stage settings, just a simple rocker switch for high and low.

4. Missing Luxury Items: In my opinion, Hyundai could have added a few more ‘nice-to-have’ features on this car which would have helped give the GLS Premium a more complete feel of luxury. These would be fully automatic headlights, rear window shade, and trunk organizers/cubby holes.

OK – so maybe I am scraping the barrel here. To be fair, the Sonata isn’t claiming to be a luxury car – Hyundai has reserved that role for the new Azera. However, I think that the Sonata is such a good package that if they had beefed up the Premium package just a bit they could have a bona-fide budget luxo-sedan on their hands.

Would I Buy One?
Well – in a word, YES. In fact, we like this car so much, that we inked a purchase deal within three days of our initial test drive of this car. Even though the vehicle does have its share of errors and omissions, it really does represent a very near to complete package providing luxury and performance without the price tag of a luxury name plate. It is very interesting to see how far Hyundai has come over recent years and I for one heartily applaud them. Well done boys!


Long-Term Update
After a month, and 3500 km later, we have had this car on a longer trip from Ottawa to Toronto Canada. Our 5 hours of driving was filled with wind, cold and snow as well as some icey conditions. The Sonata performed wonderfully in all respects. Cars beside us on a stretch of road beside Lake Ontario were all hindered by the lake-effect wind, while we simply cruised along at 110km/hr with no trouble at all.

City driving is wonderful and easy as well. One thing needs attention - the outside temp gauge which isn't working properly. This is a known problem and will get sorted with an upcoming oil change.