NO other car looks so classy and sporty at the same time as a Sonata.
While the rest of the country has slowly assimilated K-Pop and other Korean pop-culture into our daily lives, (particularly Korean bbq, sojou rice wine and ramyun) Korean cars have helped play a pivotal role in changing the way we see Korea and Koreans.
While a generation ago saw Korean cars as goofy, funky and brave alternatives to the raft of Japanese and American brands, Koreans today stand tall as being true innovators of cutting edge yet at the same time, timeless design.
The Hyundai Sonata is a perfect example of such a car.
From its long, sloping a- and c-pillars, the beautifully proportioned tail-end and the bold nose, the Sonata, with is extensive use of chrome pulls off the luxurious look very well, looking very tasteful, very grand and very elegant. The big 18’ wheels with low-profile all-season Kumho performance tires, set against a low ride-height provides an air of sportiness akin to old Jaguar saloons from a different age. No other car looks so classy and sporty at the same time. Your Toyota Camrys, Honda Accords and Nissan Teanas look like executive taxis and your Subaru Legacies look like escaped race-track convicts.
All good, but if you wanted both, no other mid-size luxury sedan offers more of it than the Sonata.
One would think that the sloped window frames from the rear doors would make getting in and out difficult, but surprisingly, not by much compared to other sedans. You sit low, but also secure. My mother commented however that she felt like being inside a small pillbox because of the shape and particularly the position of the windows being slightly higher and smaller relative to SUV’s she’s used to. Nonetheless, once inside, occupants were as comfortable as can be, with decent leg, knee and foot-room for all save for those with shoe sizes bigger than an 11 EE.
WELL-EQUIPPED spec-wise, the Sonata has the style and presence that just completely overshadows the more established brands.
Underneath the gorgeous skin lies a highly advanced and well-equipped powertrain configuration. A transversely mounted 2.4 liter 16-valve DOHC engine equipped with continuously variable valve timing and a variable geometry intake system drives the 6-speed automatic transmission as it powers the front wheels, laying down a class-leading 178hp and 23.3kg/m of torque for all normally aspirated 4-cylinder engines in its class. Codenamed THETA-II, the engine is as responsive, as smooth and even more powerful than the competition. I was able to get it up to about 190km/h before I thought about backing off as the rate of acceleration had slowed down significantly at that point.
The interior though is not as suave as the exterior. While it has a high-tech multi-control layout for the audio and the climate control system, extensive use of cheap feeling and semi-glossy plastics tend to erode the classy, luxurious and high-end feel of the cabin. The leather could also do with some softening as it isn’t as supple and gentle to the touch as the other mid-size luxury sedans.
Behind the wheel, the driving experience is thankfully first-rate for a sedan in this class. Get in, key in hand, foot on the brakes and press the START button and you’re up and away. Turn-in is excellent, the firm suspension ably controlling body roll. Brakes are strong but somewhat mushy, perhaps a quick bleeding session should flush out any errant bubbles from the brake lines. The throttle is crisp as DBW systems go, and in-gear acceleration is impressive, almost belying its modest but adequate 178hp, thanks to well-spaced gear ratios. On tight roads with successive left-right-left-right maneuvers, the Sonata does tend to get a bit flustered but regains composure quickly once the road straightens up. Paddle shifters help get you in the mood, and despite the delay in actual shift times, it is consistent and keeps both hands on the steering wheel rather than rowing through the somewhat awkward shift gate.
Should you lose the plot, the Sonata does have four airbags up front including curtain airbags, plus ABS-EBD brakes to allow for greater leeway of control in slippery conditions and stability control if you really get out of shape on the road.
The panoramic glass sunroof does heat up the cabin rather quickly, but the climate control cools it down just as rapidly. In midday 34 degree Celsius heat it made no difference to the interior’s ambient temperature, staying cooler than the climate control registered 23 degrees Celsius.
At night, the panoramic black roof makes the Sonata ever more stylish, stepping out in a suite with your lady in a gown seems the most normal thing, with the Sonata’s standard HID headlamps and halogen fog lamps casting an eerie glow as you walk past. Everywhere I went, people would look, point and stare at the gorgeous Sonata. In this respect I believe Hyundai has accomplished its mission well.
So the Sonata does things quite well, is well-equipped, spec-wise, has the style and presence that just completely overshadows the more established brands, but is hampered by some quality-perception issues such as the leather, interior plastics and the dash layout. But why do I like it a whole lot? The price at P1,558,000 makes it a winner.