First Drive: 2011 Hyundai Sonata 2.0T brings turbo power to Main Street, America

[frogger]

We've watched with a sense of awe as Hyundai has gone from a discount also-ran brand into a genuine industry powerhouse in startlingly short order. But we've also long suspected that its vehicles have gained so much ground by being among the best values in their respective segments – not because they've necessarily been the best vehicles to drive. The addition of the Genesis Coupe may have served notice that Hyundai isn't content to just be the industry's value leader (see Battle of the Sixes), but the keystone draw of most of the brand's offerings has remained their affordability. Which is not to suggest this is a bad thing – Hyundai's steroidal growth speaks to the inherent soundness of its strategy. But as enthusiasts, we've been waiting for the company to not only out-value, but to categorically outsmart and outplay its rivals. With introduction of the 2011 Sonata, Hyundai appears to have done exactly that.

http://www.autoblog.com/2010/07/12/first-drive-2011-hyundai-sonata-2-0t-brings-turbo-to-main-stree/

22/34 mpg

[pow]

This car laughs in the face of CAFE. It has better fuel economy than a base Cobalt from two years ago, yet it's a largish sedan that makes 274 friggin' horsepower on regular fuel!! And 269 lb-ft @ 1800 rpm!

[siegen]

Those figures strike us as a small penalty for an extra 76 horses, and besides, the normally aspirated Sonatas we've driven have actually served up fuel economy numbers well above EPA estimates, and we wouldn't be surprised if the turbo manages the same trick.

Since when would this be the default assumption to make? This journalist needs to take his rosy-colored glasses off. I would be surprised if the turbo version does achieve its EPA rating, let alone exceed it, in real world conditions.

The constant over-hyping of Hyundai/Kia over the last 10 years has just about sent me over the edge. Every new model that comes out is like "OMG how'd they do it!? This is so amazing! Wowowow!" Give me a break.

[frogger]

I have yet to drive a v6 fwd sedan that did not feel unfortunately heavy.. So I think I may try this car out to see how it feels just to satisfy my curiousity.

I have no idea why they have managed this power and fuel economy combination on regular fuel, is there another car that comes close (like within 5% on both figures)??

[regfootball]

real world FE things i have read on the internet have indeed intimated that the Sonata gets better RWFE than its EPA numbers.......which is another reason i am drawn to the car.

[pow]

I have yet to drive a v6 fwd sedan that did not feel unfortunately heavy.. So I think I may try this car out to see how it feels just to satisfy my curiousity.

I have no idea why they have managed this power and fuel economy combination on regular fuel, is there another car that comes close (like within 5% on both figures)??

The Passat and CC 2.0T need premium fuel, but they perform comparably to the Sonata 2.0T -- in spite of the power deficit (200 vs 274) because of their DSG transmissions and more aggressive gearing. The VWs get 22/31 to the Hyundai's 22/34 MPG.

0-60 video of the old CC with a conventional automatic:

It's really closer to 200 hp at the wheels than at the crank...

Edited July 14, 2010 by pow

[daves87rs]

Nice....

[siegen]

real world FE things i have read on the internet have indeed intimated that the Sonata gets better RWFE than its EPA numbers.......which is another reason i am drawn to the car.

"Things I have read on the Internet" is not the best way to add backing to your statement.

When you say you are drawn to the vehicle, I am going to go out on a limb and assume you haven't seen it or any pictures of it yet. It makes the new TL look good, and very nearly beats the RL in disjointed ugliness.

[pow]

"Things I have read on the Internet" is not the best way to add backing to your statement.

When you say you are drawn to the vehicle, I am going to go out on a limb and assume you haven't seen it or any pictures of it yet. It makes the new TL look good, and very nearly beats the RL in disjointed ugliness.

I think the Sonata looks pretty good, so long as it's in SE spec with the 18" wheels. Looks classy in darker colors... not blobby like a Solara.

Internet MPG claims, though, are never reliable. Your mileage will vary.

[Cory Wolfe]

Since when would this be the default assumption to make? This journalist needs to take his rosy-colored glasses off. I would be surprised if the turbo version does achieve its EPA rating, let alone exceed it, in real world conditions.

The constant over-hyping of Hyundai/Kia over the last 10 years has just about sent me over the edge. Every new model that comes out is like "OMG how'd they do it!? This is so amazing! Wowowow!" Give me a break.

Cynical, much?

[regfootball]

"Things I have read on the Internet" is not the best way to add backing to your statement.

When you say you are drawn to the vehicle, I am going to go out on a limb and assume you haven't seen it or any pictures of it yet. It makes the new TL look good, and very nearly beats the RL in disjointed ugliness.

I've test driven the Sonata twice and came within a whisker of leasing one. The ONLY reason I bought my cobalt instead of leasing the Sonata was because I didn't want to sign a contract for a set time on the lease. With the buy, I had enough equity that if I needed to bail on the car at any time, I could do it. My only real complaint regarding the Sonata is road noise (which many mags and websites have mentioned) and some more fine tuning is needed on the powertrain (not unlike the same behavior my Ford 500 had and I tolerated).

Sonata gives every impression that you get more than you pay in just about any way you check it. At 5 grand more, you cannot say the same thing. For an extra 2 grand and a turbo though, the value still exists.

The TL and TSX by the way, a couple Hondas I am not disagreeable to. The TL and TSX represent really what the Honda brand products ought to be instead of the really cheap Accords and such. The best part about the superHondas now, the meat slicer grille. Comes in handy when guests are over and I need to slice a few off the tenderloin.........it doesn't do veggies real well though........

Honda has to sell the TL and TSX as Acuras because they probably would lose money on them at Accord price points. But they are more Honda to me than Luxury products. I like their interiors but they don't measure up totally to the best in the lux segment to command a superhigh price.

my web site research for mpg is usually fueleconomy.gov and truedelta.com which i trust, as well as edmunds, aol autos, and fan forums of various car sites. for example, saturnfans.com was where i found out how peace poor mpg the most recent gen saturn vue got for mpg. It's what forced me to reconsider getting one. 15 mpg for a small cuv is unacceptable.

besides think about it. the epa combined on one level of the non turbo sonata is like 28 mpg. if the only number you trust is epa, 28 combined is pretty darn good.

Edited July 15, 2010 by regfootball

[siegen]

It's not the non-turbo trim whose real world mileage I am cynical of. It's the turbo. For a journalist to just make the bold assumption that the turbo trim would return better-than-EPA mileage because the non-turbo one they drove did is outright silly.

[Intrepidation]

Cynical, much?

It's because the author was talking about the wrong "H" brand.