Hyundai Sonata LX - Engineers at Hyundai appreciated the difficulty of their task, so they set their sights high, selecting the previous-generation Audi A6 as their aspirational goal for the new Sonata. Not surprisingly, they didn't match the $40,000 Audi. But in the $20,000-to-$25,000 segment, the car they created is very impressive.Take its engine, which is not an area of notable Hyundai achievement in the past. The new G6DB Lambda-family 3.3-liter V-6 in our Sonata LX test car develops 235 horsepower and 226 pound-feet of torque.
What's perhaps even more surprising is that the Lambda V-6 delivers this performance smoothly and silently. Even when revved to its 6000-rpm redline, the V-6 remains composed and happy. The all-new five-speed automatic helps get the most from the V-6 by shifting seamlessly and intelligently, although it's sometimes slow to kick down.
Credit the modern suspension, with control arms in front and a multilink layout in the rear, and gas shocks and anti-roll bars at both ends. Another helpful factor is the standard electronic stability-control system, which gave Hyundai chassis engineers the freedom to calibrate the car for more n
eutral balance, knowing that the electronics would save the ham-handed.This perception of quality is reinforced by the Sonata's clean and tasteful interior styling. The two-tone materials have that expensive, low-gloss look, and the parts that contact your hands and elbows—the upper dashboard, the door panels, and the console covers—are all squishy soft. Although there is nothing novel about the Sonata's control layout, that's not a bad thing in the electronics-happy 21st century.
Although no one will go to bed dreaming of the Sonata's voluptuous styling, this generous interior space is contained in four-door sheetmetal that is slightly shorter and wider than most other cars in the class. Hyundai hasn't forgotten about value in its quest to add sophistication to the new model. All Sonatas—including the entry—level $18,495 GL powered by a 162-hp, 2.4-liter four-cylinder coupled to a five-speed manual gearbox-come standard with an array of safety features, including front side airbags, curtain airbags front and rear, four-wheel disc brakes with ABS, traction control, and the aforementioned stability control.
The top-of-the-line LX model, which stickers for $23,495, adds leather upholstery, heated seats with power adjustment for the driver, automatic climate-control and headlight operation, a trip computer, and many other things along with the V-6 engine and 17-inch wheels.
That's an impressive advantage given that most Sonatas will not be built in South Korea but in Hyundai's brand-new plant in Montgomery, Alabama. The cars will come with Hyundai's trademark long warranty—five years or 60,000 miles on the whole car, 10 years or 100,000 miles on the powertrain.
Although no one will go to bed dreaming of the Sonata's voluptuous styling, this generous interior space is contained in four-door sheetmetal that is slightly shorter and wider than most other cars in the class. Hyundai hasn't forgotten about value in its quest to add sophistication to the new model. All Sonatas—including the entry—level $18,495 GL powered by a 162-hp, 2.4-liter four-cylinder coupled to a five-speed manual gearbox-come standard with an array of safety features, including front side airbags, curtain airbags front and rear, four-wheel disc brakes with ABS, traction control, and the aforementioned stability control.
The top-of-the-line LX model, which stickers for $23,495, adds leather upholstery, heated seats with power adjustment for the driver, automatic climate-control and headlight operation, a trip computer, and many other things along with the V-6 engine and 17-inch wheels.
That's an impressive advantage given that most Sonatas will not be built in South Korea but in Hyundai's brand-new plant in Montgomery, Alabama. The cars will come with Hyundai's trademark long warranty—five years or 60,000 miles on the whole car, 10 years or 100,000 miles on the powertrain.
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