Just okay. Review on Hyundai Sonata

The Sonata has been around here for quite a lot of time. Its styling consisting of cues from various manufacturers did catch the fancy of the Indians for a while. In fact, the Sonata was the class leader in sales in its initial few months. This was basically because the plain Jane old generation Honda Accord wasn’t very popular. But as soon as the new Accord was launched, it was a success, thus the demise of the Sonata. Moreover, the people also felt that the Honda brand name was more prestigious compared to the ‘economy car’ brand name of Hyundai. So these factors combined with many other factors including the fact that the Sonata wasn’t as good as its competitors sent its sales spiralling down. Now of course, Hyundai is offering many discounts, thus further harming its image. In a few months, the new Sonata will be launched, but anyway, here is a comprehensive review of the present Sonata.

Aesthetics- As I already mentioned, the Sonata is styled using styling elements from many manufacturers. Having said that, I must say that it doesn’t mean it looks ugly. It is in fact quite good to look at though not as much so as the Accord. The front has Mercedes E-class inspired headlamps. The grille is nice, especially on the 2.7 V6. It is stylish enough. The side is also neat and elegant (ish). The alloys are nice, but the problem with the Sonata is that it is a little small compared to its competitors. The rear looks ditto like the Jaguar S-type’s rear when looked at from far away. So overall I would conclude that it is good, but not exactly that excusive look which one expects from a car at this price. The quality has been improving steadily in Hyundai cars in recent times. The Sonata is built quite well, and its fit and finish is very good. So Korean cars are no longer flimsy and cheap as before.

Comfort- Since the Sonata isn’t very large; the space is adversely affected a bit. More on that later. The front seats are very comfy, and space is decent. The leather used is seemingly of rather good quality. The speedometer and tachometer dials look classy. Legroom can’t be called excellent, but it is sufficient. The dashboard looks quite stylish, but the quality of wood used on it isn’t up to scratch. There is no shortage of features, and you get everything that you will expect. There is a CD changer, wood inserts on the dash and steering, leather seats standard, power seat adjustment, auto air con and lots more. Ergonomics are good enough at the front. The rear is not hugely spacious. Legroom isn’t great, and headroom is at best okay. I don’t think more than two adults will sit without grumbling at the rear. The seats are comfy, but they are a little low. The Sonata is not really bad on comfort, but considering the amount of comfort the competition provides, Hyundai will have to up its game. I guess the new Sonata will solve this problem.

Engine and performance- There are two engine options, a 2-liter petrol and 2.7 litre V6 petrol. We will go into details about the V6 engine. Power is 166 bhp, which is relatively good according to me. The engine is refined to an extent, and is quite silent. The H-matic transmission is something new, which is just a tiptronic.

Initial acceleration is good and 60 km/h comes in 4 seconds or so. Power is more than sufficient and overtaking won’t be a problem. In city conditions, where you will have to experience stop-go conditions, the driveability of the Sonata is decent, but there is scope for improvement. If you want high-end performance also, the Sonata won’t disappoint. 100 km/h comes in 10 seconds approximately. Refinement is not very good at high speeds. The top speed is 200 km/h+, which is good enough. No probs in the performance department, but there is still more scope for improvement.

Ride and handling- The chassis is one of the weak points of the Sonata. The ride is stiff and uncomfortable at lower speeds, but it improves to an extent at higher speeds. Body roll is not much. With a stiff ride, you would expect spot on accurate handling, but that isn’t the case. Handling is just average, and nothing special. High-speed manoeuvres around corners wouldn’t be advisable. So in this area, Hyundai needs to improve.

Running costs, service backup-The 2.7 liter engine and H-matic transmission doesn’t help fuel economy. It is nevertheless on par with the class. In the city, it returns a best mileage of 7 km/l. On the highway it improves to 11 km/l, which is rather good. The overall mileage is close to 8-9 km/l makes it good enough. The service network of the Hyundai is extensive, and it is supposedly very efficient too. Spare parts be easily available and will be cheap too. You won’t find any problems with the service, except maybe in a few cases.

Competition- Here comes the problem. The Sonata by itself is quite a good car, but the likes of the Honda Accord and also some SUVs, is making life tough for the Sonata. Earlier even the Camry was its competitor, but now the price of the Sonata has gone down. Even the Octavia RS and Automatic also give competition to the lower variants of the Sonata. The competition beats the Sonata in almost all areas. But there is one big advantage for the Sonata; it is tremendous value for money. The V6 costs just 14-15 lakhs, making it an excellent deal. You might also be able to squeeze a free stereo. The lower variants like S20 cost just 12-13 lakhs. So if you want a car at the range of 10-12 lakhs, then you can pay a little more to get the Sonata, or if you want a car at 14-15 lakhs, then you can save your money and get an excellent deal on a V6 2.7.

VERDICT- A good car, but not good enough.

LOOKS- 9/10

BUILD QUALITY- 9/10

FIT AND FINISH- 9/10

INTERIOR- 8.5/10

ENGINE- 8.5/10

PERFORMANCE- 9/10

RIDE- 7.5/10

HANDLING- 8/10

FUEL ECONOMY- 8.5/10

VALUE FOR MONEY- 9.5/10

THE GRAND TOTAL- 87/100