2009 Hyundai Sonata Car Review

The midsize from Hyundai has grown up somewhat in ten years. It also comes with some interesting engineering. Bumper2Bumpertv traveled to Montgomery Alabama to see what this transplant brings to the table

THIS IS BUMPER 2 BUMPER TV Greg Morrison: It has been Ten years since Hyundai decided to get into the mid-size segment with the Sonata. To mark the occasion the company has done a major refresh on the existing model. In a break with tradition, the revamping was done in the US instead of Korea where the company is based. They did that inside and out, starting with enough scale looking exterior, that comes with more chrome and a new luxury appearance. While the visual elements are being reconfigured, there is also recognition of a harsh reality of driving these days. Michael Dietz: Few time we stop of mind for most consumers out there today. Greg Morrison: Usually the company would expect consumers to embrace the 3.3 liter V6 engine which delivers 249 horsepower with an EPA reading of 29 miles to the gallon in highway. But instead the market is changing that equation. Michael Dietz: So, slowly the mix has been shifting and recently the mix has really shifted quite -- flipped its side around. Previously we were at 80, 20 six cylinder , we are moving towards almost an 80%, possibly by the end of the year four cylinder mix. Greg Morrison: The 2.4 is rated at 32 miles per gallon on the open road, would made it to a five manual or automatic gearbox. The redesign included in upgrade expansion on this mid-size sedan, which now delivers a large car ride out of rally road surfaces. The design team also attacked the interior of the Sonata, which offers as much space as some full size sedans. They focused a lot of attention on the dashboard and instrument panels. Michael Dietz: If you look at the IP cluster its not that stripped out model, this is a really stated they're high level cluster that's in here. The signature blue illumination in here that says, you know what I'm a modeling car that has a nice modeling upscaled appeal. Greg Morrison: We found in a day of driving that the Sonata can compete with anything in it's class. The management team in Hyundai hopes that message will get out to a market, that who wants efficiency and value in whatever ends up in their garage. This is Greg Morrison. Male Speaker: We want to know what you think, so email us. The address is bumper2bumpertv@cs.com