http://cars.ign.com/articles/641/641527p1.html First Drive: 2006 Hyundai Sonata
Hyundai's all-new sedan is bound to turn some heads.
August 12, 2005 - "Turn the wheel all the way to the left. Make sure that it's at full-lock, then gun it. Put the pedal to the floor."
Those were the first words I heard from Tony, my driving instructor. Normally, I'd be stoked to hear such words. But not today. Today I'm driving Hyundai's all-new Sonata, a large and comfortable -- but certainly not "sporty" -- sedan.
How did I get into this situation?
Maybe I should backtrack a bit. Even though Hyundai's all-new-for-2006 Sonata has been out for a couple of months now, (and has been the recipient of many rave reviews already,) Hyundai is still looking to get the word out on it's redesigned flagship sedan. The auto community has been buzzing about the car's more upscale look, and this more "elegant" sedan has already been hitting Hyundai's sales expectations.
But there's a lot more to this new sedan than just a new pretty face. The corporate meeting I had to sit though made sure that I knew every aspect of this car. For instance, I can tell you that the suspension has been redesigned to give the car a more "sporty" ride. Hyundai was aiming for the Sonata's to be more sporty than the Camry, but not as harsh as the Altima.
The 2006 Sonata got itself a new engine, too. A Lambda G6DB, a 235 horsepower V6 with 226 lb.-ft. of torque finds its way under the hood of the new car. This ULEV engine comes mated to a 5-speed auto tranny with SHIFTRONIC -- and that's standard. Hyundai says that this is the fastest car they ever built, as this new Sonata has a 136 mph top speed. Not too shabby, if you ask me. Other standard technical goodies on all Sonatas include 4-wheel disc brakes, ABS, traction control and electronic stability control.
That "electronic stability control" ("ESC") is standard on all Sonatas is very important to Hyundai. In order to win new customers, the company knows that it has to offer more than a quality car at a good price, it needs to have a "hook" in order to lure customers into the showrooms. For Hyundai, that "hook" is safety.
In addition to the ESC, traction control ABS and other safety acronyms, the new Sonata is the only car in its class to offer front, front seat side and side curtain airbags as standard equipment.
The 2006 Sonata has another "hook" as well, namely the price. One can pick up a well-equipped V6-powered Sonata for thousands less than the competition. Damn... I'm starting to sound like a commercial. I guess I spent too much time in that meeting. Well, I guess I should talk about my impressions of the car.
For starters, I do like the look of the car. This is the first Korean car that I've seen that actually looks "classy" instead of "cheap". I think the front end looks pretty cool, as does the rear -- even if it looks like an Accord from the back.
The interior is nice -- it still doesn't seem to be nice as the Accord's, but it's good enough. The materials are nice, though they do seem a bit cheap. Maybe it's the "flat" finish on the plastics, but it just doesn't feel that luxurious. In fairness, I've seen plenty of higher-priced cars equipped with this same plastic. The dash is sparse and functional, but it does look a bit dated -- especially in the vents. I'd like to see Hyundai take some interior styling cues from cars made after 1993.
I was driving the "sportier" GLS, so the interior of my car had some nice metal grain-look and carbon fiber-look trim. I felt that these pieces added a nice touch to the somewhat bland interior. Just as an aside: I'd rather have a bland, yet comfortable interior instead of an over-designed one. The Sonata's cockpit may not be much to look at, but damn is it comfortable.
I got to drive the Sonata up the coast for a couple of hours. The engine feels strong and smooth throughout the power band. I also like the fact that the ride is supple, but it doesn't feel like an old-man's Cadillac (pretty much every Caddy made before the turn of the century.)
Hyundai had a pre-planned route that I had to follow. I would be driving this car up to what was called the "ESC Demonstration Area". You can guess what is coming, but I must first add that in traffic, on the freeway and through surface streets, the Sonata is pretty damn pleasant to drive.
Anyway, I drive the car around and get the the ESC area, which coincidentally is where that intro quote came from. It is here that I am encouraged to experience different driving conditions with the ESC active and then drive in the same conditions with the ESC turned off. But I'm not talking about doing some lazy turns here, Tony tells me to keep the pedal to the floor the whole time.
I did the whole course with the ESC on for the first round. I was doing tight donuts around traffic cones, slaloms, taking sweeping left and right turns -- all at full throttle. It sounds fun, but it didn't seem that eventful to me. It felt like I was doing some "spirited" driving in a sedan. No big whoop, right?
Wrong.
I then did the same course with the ESC turned off. I started off by doing some simple full-throttle donuts around a traffic cone. With the system turned on, I just went around the cone in a perfect circle. With the ESC off, the Sonata swung wide in a huge exhibition of understeer as soon as the gas pedal hit the floor. On the sweepers, the turns that were once no problem soon became a bit hairy as the front of the Sonata began to push like a snowplow. I was turning the wheel, but the car was going straight -- and my foot was still to the floor. It was a bit hair-raising, but fun.
Hyundai brought me out here so that I could experience its "hook" (the safety features) first hand. The company figured that triggering the airbags around the journalists would be a bad idea, but that extreme driving would be both fun and educational. Well, Hyundai was right. I am now a firm believer in its ESC system -- it is not intrusive and it does a damn good job of keeping the driver in line.
I think that if Hyundai could include this little demo in the test drives for consumers, more people may want to pick up a Sonata for themselves. Besides, it actually is a lot of car for the money. My V6-equipped GLS comes in at only $20,895. It's a hell of a deal.
But I can't leave the article here... I was able to pry some juicy details from the Hyundai PR people. They were alluding to the possibility of some tuned Sonatas being shown at this year's SEMA. Can you imagine it? I'm imagining a Korean-style VIP car -- I think that a Sonata can look sick if it's done up right.
With the refined performance, a bold new look, and the possibility of aftermarket support, I think that it's safe to say that the new Sonata is the beginning of a bright new future for Hyundai.
