For a moment, just close your eyes and wind the clock back a mere five years. Could you possibly have imagined something this fluid and tantalizing, to the point that you actually caught yourself thinking “Hey sexay”, rolling out of a Hyundai assembly line?
The formbook would have usually called for the insertion of some joke along the lines of, ‘Q: How do you increase the value of a Hyundai? A: Fill the tank with petrol,’ but even just by laying eyes on the new Sonata it’s pretty clear that the joke’s on the Japanese now.
First impressions are always based on physical appearance, that’s precisely the reason you get those scientific research papers confirming that the ravishing among us are always headed for better things and leaving Captain Obvious face-palming himself.
The all-new Sonata gives a strong first impression, just like a handshake that’s firm but not overly tight to still put you at ease. On first glance, the tranquility of the fluid motion just grabs you and makes you take notice.
It doesn’t execute excessive curvature to the silhouette that it takes away the boldness a car in this segment should possess. The lines weave, flow and interconnect with a fluidity that even some of its Japanese rivals couldn’t hold a headlight to.
Those big and imposing headlights flow onto the shoulder line that ultimately ends up attaching to the wraparound LED tail lights for a strong shoulder line.
While the unit we drove was the 2-liter high-spec that although didn’t come with HID headlights, was pretty well equipped on the exterior. Fog lamps, LED repeaters on the side view mirrors and a high mounted third brake light are all standard, something that the Japs have been known to reserve for their highest spec only.
The fluidic design language continues onto the inside with a flowing dash that blends well into the doors. Occupying center stage on the dash is the audio head unit and air-conditioning controls.
The head unit is MP3-capable and comes with iPod connectivity and an AUX jack for you to plug in your MP3 player. Though simple in layout and function, the flowing lines of the dash give it a very premium feel and the plastics used definitely reflect that.
From the driver’s seat, you get double-circular gauges that offer an uncluttered view of the speedo and tacho with a digital display sandwiched by the two that shows the usual array of mileage, distance traveled and such.
For the high-spec 2-liter model, you get an engine start-stop button for an added touch of sportinesss. The parking brake is foot-mounted to clear up the center console that houses the gated-shifter and a sizeable storage compartment.
Without a doubt, the best feature of the interior has to be the panoramic sunroof. The Sonata is the only model in it’s class to offer a full panoramic sunroof and while it may be purely cosmetic it does score plenty of brownie points. Only the 2-liter high-spec and the 2.4-liter models get the sunroof though, which is perfectly justifiable of course.
Another convenient feature would be the rear-mounted air-conditioning vents that are standard issue for all the variants. This would be a welcome comfort for the rear passengers that also benefit from some very generous legroom and headroom, even with the sloping roofline that almost gives the Sonata a four-door coupe look on first glance.
The next bit of business was to see if the Sonata was a complete package and delivered on all fronts. Getting into the plush leather driver’s seat and grabbing the steering, it felt like a snug fit. Pressing on the organ-type go-pedal would also be easier on your joints.
Motivation comes from a 2-liter aluminium alloy four banger that, on paper at least, boasts some impressive one-upmanship over its two main Jap counterparts, including a timing-chain instead of the regular grade belt.
Power stands at a 163hp with torque at 198Nm. That’s a double-whammy right there over the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry as those two only push out 154hp and 148hp while their torque ratings are lower as well with 189Nm for both respectively.
Furthermore, the Sonata’s Theta II engine boasts a DOHC setup with Dual-CVVT over the Accord’s SOHC i-VTEC and Camry’s DOHC but single VVT-i engine layouts.
Going the full mile, the Sonata transfers its power to the front wheels through a six-speed autobox that is maintenance-free ‘under normal driving conditions’ for the lifetime of the gearbox.
It has to be said that the test units we drove weren’t really run in yet and had barely grazed the 1,000km mark so we’re expecting the cars to be more eager with a few more kilometers on the odo but nonetheless, the performance did reflect the figures on paper.
Prodding the accelerator brought about smooth pick-up and the gear changes were seamless. The high-spec that we got to drive comes with ESP and Hill-start Assist Control over the standard spec 2-liter.
Cruising down the highway, cabin noise was very impressive as long as kept within the speed limits. Although steering feedback wasn’t as lively as we’d like, it suits the car’s purpose to a ‘T,’ which is to be a comfortable people-hauler.
On the twisty bits of the drive, we did push the Sonata around the corners and the handling did indeed leave us with a slight smirk on our faces. Employing MacPherson struts on the business end and a multilink setup for the rear, they do an excellent job of keeping the car planted on the ground with some help from the ESP that did intervene once during the drive.
The ride and handling further complements the Sonata over its Jap peers. Pushing it like we did and also exercising immense restraint to not hoon it on the parts of the drive, you really do get the impression that the car is perfectly balanced between the stately ride of the Camry and the sporty handling of the Accord.
Add to the mix the 6-speed slushbox that made overtaking decent, although sometimes requiring a fraction too much before reacting but not something to taint the superior overall effort that went into producing the car.
While we wait on a full-on review of the Sonata, from this brief preview, the Sonata is asking the Japs a lot of questions that they just might stutter in answering. Plus, for RM143,888 it’s definitely more than just value for money now.
