2011 Hyundai Sonata anyone?

[xcel]

Hi All:

___I worked most of yesterday morning and afternoon on procuring a 2011 Hyundai Sonata for an Event or simple Review Drive.

___What little I know about the Sonata’s attributes while speaking with other journalists at the MAMA events, is that it is a pretty spectacular large (full) sized sedan vs. mid-sized cars it would normally be compared too. Consider its over the top 24/35 MT – 22/35 AT EPA city/highway ratings, starting weight of just 3161 pounds, a 198 HP DI 2.4L and a Top Safety Pick by the IIHS, it has a lot going for it from the spec sheet. In addition, at just $19,195 to start, it has quite a bit to show for itself against the perennial favorites in the Accord, Camry, Malibu and Fusion (not the Fusion Hybrid) contingent.

___Adding, the interior and exterior are truly new and exciting. Normally we do not look at mainstream mid-sized/full-sized sedans unless they are hybridized or propelled by a diesel but given the Sonata has some truly top rate specs, it appears to be worth more than just a look.

___The Sonata reminds me of the 09 Toyota Corolla XRS review drive in which the 25 mpg combined boy racer pulled a stunning 62.7 mpg during our time with it two years ago. I have a sneaky feeling the Sonata is one of those special cars that we simply have not covered (or discovered) and we need to take a much closer look.

Meet the 2011 Hyundai Sonata

___I was just interested in hearing the memberships point of view with regards to a write-up on the most fuel efficient full-sized sedan in the country before we pursue the 10 Audi A3 TDI, 11 Prius PHEV and 10 VW Golf TDI.

___I am also proposing some short and long drive Fuel Economy Events to Hyundai PR. Most here know that when we run a fuel economy event, the Fuel Economy and Range from a single tank while crossing a few states or when crossing the country can best be described as ridiculous

___Good Luck

___Wayne

[Right Lane Cruiser]

Sounds good to me! It is heavier than my Elantra but at least on paper, more efficient. I wouldn't mind seeing what one of these with a stick is worth.

[PaleMelanesian]

The stick and auto are rated the same for highway mileage? That's excellent news!

I would absolutely LOVE to hear your impressions of Hyundai's latest.

[Ophbalance]

Heck, I'd love to see what the Elantra "blue" could do... it just sorta fell off my priority list to test drive once I picked up a Prius.

[MaxxMPG]

With gas prices heading up for the summer, Hyundai will want to play the FE card since they are currently the best. They have a large five passenger car rated at 35 highway, and anyone who is driving like they want to live to see the next sunrise is going to beat that 35, too. They have that card to play, until the competition catches up. Combine the best EPA numbers with reliability, resale, and low sticker, and it is definitely a car to consider. A review here will tell us how much the Sonata can achieve beyond the ratings, and it might just end up being a "sleeper" as noted above.

[WriConsult]

Wayne, I'd definitely like to see a full review of the Sonata vs. the other vehicles you mentioned. I'm very excited with the direction Hyundai is going these days and this is an extremely noteworthy car, both for the industry in general and from a mileage perspective. (And the Sonata portends possibly even better news from the forthcoming Elantra redesign).

[MaxxMPG]

I had a sidejob to do tonight that didn't run all that long, so I stopped at my local Hyundai dealer to check out the new Sonata. They had a dark blue GLS on the floor. Casual observations:
- Excellent paint job and fit/finish. I think it looks better in person than in photographs. The pictures make it look "busy" on the outer surfaces, but it works when parked in front of you.
- Surprisingly well equipped for the price, with favorite feature being the EPA on the sticker. Cloth seats were pretty comfortable and are more "family" oriented than "sport" oriented. Their tan interior is closer to "butterscotch" in color, and is a nice change from the "dirty diaper" tan I see in some other cars.
- Front seat entry/exit is tight for tall people. Once inside I (6'2") had almost 2 inches clearance above my head, so I wouldn't want the moonroof.
- Rear seat is roomy for average size folks, but leave the NFL-sized relatives at home.
- Trunk is very generous and the split-folding seats don't fold flat but do allow pass-thru of long (and hopefully flexible) cargo.
- The car is very well thought-out. The bulbs for all external lighting can be changed from under the hood or behind access panels in the trunk.
- Tires on the GLS I saw were Kuhmo Solus KH25's (44psi max) on 16" steel wheels. They're touring tires, which tends to mean low noise and low roll resistance.
- The oil cap lists "5w20" for oil grade. Nobody at the dealer knew if the engine was actually 0w20 capable (at least in three season driving).

I asked the sales rep if it was flat towable and he said "I think so". I asked him where the manual was - in the glovebox. So I checked and in chapter 6, it says no towing with the front wheels on the ground. If flat towing, the front wheels have to be on a dolly. While we already knew that "AT Hyundai = no FAS", I wanted to see for myself if the new Sonata follows this trend, since this is the first model with the new 6AT "TurboHyundaimatic" inhouse design instead of the tweaked Mitsubishi transaxles used in all other Hyundai models for the last 25 years.

I told the sales manager and my sales guy that the only thing (in my opinion) that Hyundai is lacking is an Onstar/Sync/SafetyConnect/BMWAssist solution. As the baby boomers age, these "somebody can help me if I drive into the canyon again" safety features will become more attractive to buyers.

I think it is impressive and competitive for a midsize sedan, and well worth a thorough evaluation to see what it can deliver in the right hands.

[xcel]

Hi Chris:

___Thanks for the early heads up and from your description, you should write reviews! Better yet, I did like the fact it has good fit and finish from the exterior. It reminds me of a MB CLS rear end with a Camryesque nose shape and a very unique hood line into three bar grille turning into a fourth on the hood edge itself.

___Interior wise, it reminds me of a 7th gen Accord with the steering wheel controls and even the wheel spokes angled in and up. I have not seen the Sonata up close so I am glad you had the opportunity to stop in and have a look!

___As you speculated and then confirmed, no FAS’ing with the Hyundai 6-speed AT so that means the 6-speed MT is the best way to guarantee the stupid numbers.

___Regarding the ratios, the 6-speed AT is a bit taller than the 6-speed MT but not much. The FE comes from the fact the MT like all MT’s are more efficient w/ out a TC.

MT – 6th: 0.83 and Final 3.25:1
AT – 6th: 0.77 and Final 2.89:1

___Hyundai received both the FE and the power from an 11.3:1 compression ratio with the DI solution which is what the rest in the segment will be using in a few years.

___It’s the stick that will produce the big numbers as I suspect it will produce over 75 HP at 1,700 R’s and that is enough to get the Sonnata's light weight rolling briskly to the next upshift.

___Good Luck

___Wayne

[ALS]

Good looking car for the price. Hyundai may have a pretty large market share ahead of them with his car.

[MaxxMPG]

The local dealer I visited has 50 in stock, two of them MT and the rest automatics. Earlier today, I received an email from them with an advertised $99/mo 3 year lease (with a $4100 cap&loan fee that will empty almost any mattress). I mentioned it to the sales manager and said he should get ready to sell a bunch of these cars. I told him he should whip up a spread sheet to show prospects how much they can save in fuel costs vs. what they drove in with. They're next to a gas station, so you can see the sign with the price per gallon. I said the best way to get somebody into a $99/mo Sonata is to show them they will save that much or more in gas costs. I told him fueleconomy.gov will provide the numbers he needs for comparison, and to use the calculation as a tool to help people move into more fuel efficient transportation.