Auto News 5

Five years ago this month, I wrote about the 2006 Hyundai Sonata, saying, "It isn't beautiful, elegant, or at all innovative, but neither is it ugly, clumsy, inelegant, or embarrassing," and I concluded that, "One more generation of Sonatas, if the designers continue in this trajectory, should see Hyundai becoming downright desirable."inline_mediumwraptextright28498504/features/by_design/1005_2011_hyundai_sonata_design_analysis1005_03_z+2011_hyundai_sonata+front_and_rear_three_quarter_view.jpgTrue

Well, now I understand what all the fuss is about: With one stroke, Hyundai has transformed the Sonata from rental-car, bottom-of-the-heap status to a legitimate threat to the kings of the lucrative and all-important mid-size-sedan segment, the Honda Accord, Toyota Camry, and Nissan Altima. The four-cylinder engine and the six-speed transmission work very well together and should indeed meet the needs of many people who thought they wanted or needed a V-6 engine, and the bonus is an amazing 35-mpg highway fuel economy rating. With 198 hp on tap and a relatively modest curb weight of 3200 pounds, the Sonata had plenty of power for my brief stint on the freeway, where I easily merged into the traffic stream and accelerated to 90 mph.inline_mediumwraptextright28740268/reviews/editors_notebook/1004_2011_hyundai_sonata_limited1004_07+2011_hyundai_sonata_limited+front_three_quarter_view.jpgTrue

Hyundai's Korean-market Equus flagship first landed at the New York auto show in 2009, allowing the automaker to "test reaction" to a premium sedan above the Genesis. It seems reaction was plenty positive, as Hyundai is gunning for the likes of Lexus with the new U.S-spec 2011 Equus.inline_mediumwraptextright32833389/features/news/1003_2011_hyundai_equus2011-hyundai-equus-front.JPG.jpgTrue

By ditching V-6 engines in favor of improved four-cylinder engines, Hyundai's clearly making fuel economy a chief priority with its 2011 Sonata -- but customers who want the utmost in fuel savings will likely look past the standard sedans and shop the new 2011 Sonata Hybrid, which makes its debut at the 2010 New York auto show.inline_mediumwraptextright32800896/green/news/1003_2011_hyundai_sonata_hybrid2011-hyundai-sonata-hybrid-front-three-quarter-motion.jpgTrue

Tradition holds that there's no replacement for displacement, but Hyundai's challenging that logic with its latest Sonata sedan. By strapping a turbocharger onto a four-cylinder, Hyundai can offer greater fuel economy, horsepower, and torque than most competitive midsize V-6 sedans -- but will customers buy into the logic that the buying less will, in fact, get you more?inline_mediumwraptextright27388667/features/news/1003_2011_hyundai_sonata_20t2011-hyundai-sonata-turbo-rear-three-quarter.jpgTrue