Hyundai bolsters size, performance of 2010 Sonata
Before being replaced, 2010 Sonata was very good.
Pretty sly, those folks at Hyundai. When they entered the automotive scene, they were cautious and conservative, and they stamped out copies of proven cars from other manufacturers. A lot of serious car-fans paid little attention, and maybe a lot of us were looking the other way when the midsize Sonata came out and developed into a competent car, and therefore we can use that for an alibi for not noticing that the Sonata has become an outstanding car.
Saying that a car is “competent” sounds like a rip, because it implies it’s not noteworthy enough to describe beyond just meeting established criteria for various assigned tasks. Toyota has led the way in the automotive world by making cars that are infinitely competent. For people who have bought flashy cars, or gimmick-filled cars, or cars that wind up with countless quality or maintenance issues, getting a car that is competent is a big deal.
The Sonata, however, sneaks up on us by being competent even while finding its way to the upper echelon of other important factors, including style, size, convenience, roominess, comfort, and even sportiness.
OK, so sportiness is a bit of a stretch. But after driving various models of the Sonata, including the luxury leading Limited, and the sportiest SE, it occurs to me that with just a few tweaks to the suspension, and maybe a slight alteration in aspect ratio to bigger wheels with more performance-oriented tires, and toss in steering wheel paddle shifters, and the Sonata could indeed match up well with the sportier midsize sedans.
Before the newest wave of new midsize models, that intermediate length made for the most impressive style, performance and handling in the industry. Then the new BMW 3-Series grew, and along came the Altima and Camry, both significantly larger, then the new Accord, which was largest of them all. Virtually unnoticed, the Sonata also had been restyled, and while still looking compact enough to be truly midsize, the Sonata’s interior dimensions for headroom, legroom and spaciousness was good enough to qualify for the EPA’s standard for large cars. The Accord did the same thing, with much fanfare. The Sonata also has an enormous trunk.
Space and styling are both significant features of a successful automobile, but performance — particularly in this age of $4 gallons of gasoline — might be even more important. That, to me, had been one of Hyundai’s previous shortcomings. I often drove Hyundai models and was disappointed that the fuel economy was just so-so. Hyundai always could counter that its 10-year, 100,000-mile powertrain warranty was the best in the industry.
But while filling virtually every niche with competent (that word, again) vehicles ranging from SUVs (Santa Fe, Veracruz and compact Tucson) to a new Endeavor minivan, to large and luxurious sedans like the Azera, and on down to the compact Elantra and on to entry-level commuter subcompact runabouts, plus the Tiburon sports car, Hyundai didn’t neglect the Sonata. Despite a wider range of size, the midsize market remains the most competitive, and the Sonata is there, amid everything from the BMW 3-Series, Audi A4, Mercedes C-Class, Volvo S60, and the usual suspects such as the Honda Accord, Toyota Camry, Mazda6, Nissan Altima, Chevrolet Malibu, Pontiac G6, Volkswagen Jetta, Ford Fusion, Mitsubishi Galant, Subaru Legacy, and maybe even the Dodge Charger.
The Sonata, meanwhile, has subtly been improved and refined. It lacks the sometimes quirky appearance or trim items of many competitors, and has an almost generic appeal, somewhat like a Camry, and even can be mistaken for one of Toyota’s ubiquitous standard-bearers at a glance. Closer scrutiny shows refinement to the grille, headlights and taillights, which tweak the styling enough to make the Sonata unobtrusively attractive.
Hyundai builds the Sonatas at a plant in Montgomery, Alabama, with the engine parts coming from the U.S., and the transmission from Korea. So the whole thing proves how worldly the entire auto industry has become – when you can buy a Chevy Aveo built in South Korea, or a Hyundai Sonata assembled and built in the U.S.
All Sonatas have five-star crash tests front and rear, which makes them a definite bargain, when you consider the room and the driveability, and style. And, of course, there’s that 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty. Which proves that if Hyundai has converted some of its recent liabilities into assets, it hasn’t let its traditional assets to slip.
I like the style, the feel, the driveability, the features – and I must bow most deeply to the fuel economy. The Sonata with the 2.4-liter, 4-cylinder engine showed 25 miles per gallon, but hadn’t been reset for many miles of city as well as highway driving before I got it. When I zeroed everything, the Sonata delivered 33 miles per gallon on a specific freeway drive from Minneapolis to Duluth, and it stayed above 30 even after a couple of days of city driving blended in.
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More impressive, to the point of being startling, I got a follow-up model with the 3.3-liter V6, which had much more power, and went from an unsurprising 24 mpg in city congestion — to a whopping 31.5 when reset for our combined freeway and combined city driving. Another welcome feature of the new Sonata is that you can get the sporty SE model without all the options that boost the sticker to the sky. And you can get the luxury Limited model without having to get the V6.
The Sonata Limited I drove, in fact, had the 2.4-liter four-cylinder which Hyundai designed for joint use by Chrysler and Mitsubishi. It has continuously variable valve timing on the dual overhead camshafts, and a five-speed automatic transmission with a Shiftronic manual override function. While a four in such a large car may not always run with the swiftest, this one is good enough to supply adequate performance, and excellent fuel economy, at a reasonable sticker price of $24,735. The Limited comes loaded up, with alloy wheels, foglights, power sunroof, Infinity audio with satellite radio and USB and iPod connections to play through the sound system, leather seats with power and heated front buckets, and fancier light wood-grain trim on the dash and console. Plastic or not, it looks good. The price includes optional XM satellite radio activation.
The combination of a price under $25,000, for a loaded sedan with great room that tops the EPA estimated fuel economy of 22 city and 32 highway, made it seem like even more of a bargain.
The extra punch of the 3.3 V6 in the SE was no surprise, nor were the trim items such as a small trunklid spoiler and twin chrome tailpipes, and the SE sporty interior was more of a basic two-tone grey dash, no woodgrain, and more flat black and satin brushed silver trim. It may have been more austere and less luxurious, but I preferred it, and so did my wife, Joan.
The more potent 3.3 V6, also with variable valve timing, delivered almost as good fuel economy as the four, with its 31.5 combined city-highway achievement against EPA estimates of 19 city and 29 highway. With the V6, and the same five-speed Shiftronic automatic, keyless entry, and audio upgrade with XM satellite radio as the Limited, the SE came in with a base sticker of $23,170 and an as-tested price of $23,935 – a V6 sporty model at a full $800 less than the 4-cylinder Limited with all its luxury touches and upgrades.
The presence of $4 per gallon means anything with less than 30 miles per gallon might get scratched off anyone’s list of alternatives. The Sonata’s assets should leave it on any midsize sedan shopping list.
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About the Author
John Gilbert is a lifetime Minnesotan and career journalist, specializing in cars and sports during and since spending 30 years at the Minneapolis Tribune, now the Star Tribune. More recently, he has continued translating the high-tech world of autos and sharing his passionate insights as a freelance writer/photographer/broadcaster. A member of the prestigious North American Car and Truck of the Year jury since 1993. John can be heard Monday-Friday from 9-11am on 610 KDAL(www.kdal610.com) on the "John Gilbert Show," and writes a column in the Duluth Reader.
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