From ugly duckling to elegant swan

The Sonata will certainly give the opposition a good run for their money.

The all-new Sonata (the sixth generation of the perennial best-sellers in Korea) has taken four years and many million USA greenbacks from drawing board to Hyundai showroom floors.

The result is a really elegant and sophisticated mid-sized sedan that could shake the cages of the likes of Mercedes-Benz, Audi, BMW and Honda Accord - particularly on price, as the Korean brand is renowned for. (The final sums haven't been made yet, but expect it to be round the R320 000-mark).

Conservatively classy

The new Sonata was introduced to a group of foreign journalists in Cape Town recently (conveniently timed to coincide with a couple of World Cup games, of which Hyundai is a major sponsor) - and I was fortunate to be one of only three South African journalists to be invited on the local media drive.

The route was scenic (from central Cape Town to Simon's Town and then back to the city via Chapman's Peak and Hout Bay), but not long or demanding enough to form much more than initial impressions of the Sonata.

It looks conservatively classy in a Lexus sort of way with enough eye appeal to warrant a second glance. Hyundai is particularly proud of the car's design which the Koreans call
Fluidic Sculpture.

The suspension has been optimized to keep the vehicle low and steady during corning and to provide quick turn-in response.

This, it says in marketing speak, is based on the "interplay of natural, fluid elements with more rigid surfaces and structures to create the illusion of constant motion". Ja, well, no fine....probably best translated into English as "really smart".

The new sedan is longer, wider and lower than all previous models but without feeling its size on the hop or shrinking head and leg space in the living quarters.

In fact, the cabin is big, spacious and extremely comfortable with a decidedly upmarket aura, right down to the heated back seats.

Very trim use of trim

Hyundai has made eye-catching use of chrome trim, not only around the windows but also along the length of the car. The Sonata's new "face" is also much bolder and along with snazzy multi-spoke alloys it gives the car quite an imposing presence.

Locally the Sonata will only be available with a 2.4-litre, eco-friendly petrol engine for which Hyundai claims an emission figure of just 190g/km

Hyundai's commitment to making the Sonata fuel efficient is boosted by a high-tech a six-speed automatic transmission.

The shifts are smooth and fairly quick and drivers have the option of driving the car manually my moving the gear selector into Shiftronic mode or by playing with the wheel-mounted paddles.

Hyundai claims the clever design of the gearbox helps to make the car almost nine percent more fuel efficient. (8.2litres/100km in the combined cycle).

The cunning Korean fuel-saving device helps keep consumption down – and you don’t even know it’s happening.

Interestingly, the gearbox has no dipstick because it is filled with automatic transmission fluid that is good for the life of the vehicle, thereby reducing maintenance costs.

The gearing of the new six-speed is well-balanced between performance and fuel economy throughout the engine's rev range.

In addition to the new fuel-efficient engine and transmission, the Sonata also features a number of other innovations which contribute to lower operational costs.

Nestled between the speedometer and tachometer, a prominent "ECO" warning finger light is a new feature designed to promote fuel-saving driving habits.

The "ECO" icon lights up either in red or green in accordance with driving behaviour and the carmakers says if drivers stay with the green, fuel savings of between seven and nine percent are attainable.

A cunning Korean fuel-saving device

I must confess, the electronic nurse-maid made me feel a little guilty the few times I did stomp down on the loud pedal with the light turning from green to RED!

Another interesting feature of the new car is what Hyundai calls an Alternator Management System (AMS).

In brief, the system monitors electrical loads and the state of battery charge. During periods of low electrical loads and a full charge in the battery, a clutch automatically disengages the alternator thus reducing the load on the engine and lowering fuel consumption.

The beauty of this system is that goes completely unnoticed by the driver and passengers.

The cabin is big, spacious and extremely comfortable with a decidedly upmarket aura, right down to the heated back seats.click to enlarge

For a rather large family sedan the Sonata handles well under normal speed limit conditions. The steering is fairly precise and not light enough to feel wrapped in cotton wool.

The Sonata's four-wheel independent suspension system is made up of Macpherson strut front and multi-link rear suspension systems with increased travel for improved wheel control and a smoother ride. All four wheels are controlled by coil springs, fade-resistant gas-charged dampers and stabilizer bars. The suspension has been optimized to keep the vehicle low and steady during corning and to provide quick turn-in response.

Little to mutter about

I didn't have the opportunity to test the car's cling at pace, but what was a little too obviously noticeable was the rather intrusive thumping suspension noises, even at relatively low speeds.

Unfortunately this also creates the impression that the cabin is not all that well sealed against wind, engine and road noises.

But other than that I found nothing else to mutter about.

The Sonata feels well built. It looks stylishly elegant, the ride is comfortable, it has a number of admirable special features and it will no doubt come with Hyundai's confidence-boosting set of warranties and guarantees.

It might not be quite up the three iconic Germans in terms of overall performance, dynamic driving, precision finish and badge appeal, but it will certainly give the opposition a good run for their money, particularly in these tough economic times in which purchase price, warranties and service plans have become major deciding factors.

Specifications