Good looking, good driving

Revamped Hyundai Sonata has large-car dimensions

The first time I heard of a "sonata" was in a music appreciation class. That was in the '60s when the music I appreciated was made with three guitars, a set of drums, and longhaired hippies yelling, "I wanna hold your hand." Today there are Hyundai Sonatas everywhere.

Did you know that J.D. Power named the midsize 2005 Sonata No. 1 in initial quality? Did you know that Hyundai has better than average customer loyalty (58 percent of Hyundai customers buy another Hyundai, as opposed to 48 percent for the industry average)? Did you know that Hyundai sold more cars (nearly half a million) in the United States than Lexus (287,927), Kia (270,055), Mazda (263,882), BMW (260,079), Volkswagen (256,111) and Mercedes (221,366)? Did you know that, with the launch of its $1.1 billion U.S. assembly plant in Montgomery, Ala., its best-selling nameplate, Sonata, will have a V6 engine and will be built in the good ole U.S. of A.? I didn't think so.

Now consider this: The new 2006 Sonata is the best-looking, best-driving Hyundai I've ever seen! If you're in the market for a midsize sedan -- or even a full-size (more on that in a minute), and you don't give the Sonata a look, you're doing yourself an injustice. One walk-around, one test-drive, and I'll bet you'll be thinking Hyundai makes a good-looking, good-driving, relatively inexpensive car.

There are three trim levels for the Sonata. The base model, not built in Alabama but in Korea, comes with a new 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine making 162 hp at 5,800 rpm and 164 lb.-ft. at 4,250 rpm. A five-speed manual transmission is standard, plus there's an available four-speed automatic with Shiftronic, a feature that allows you to decide, within limits, which gear the transmission will use. This is the car I tested for this review. The 3.3-liter V6 Sonatas rolling out of the Montgomery assembly plant develop 235 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 226 lb.-ft of torque at 3,500 rpm. It is only equipped with the five-speed automatic.

Even the base Sonata comes standard with six air bags, including side curtain air bags that protect all outboard passengers, as well as electronic stability control with traction control and antilock brakes. In comparison, vehicle stability control and side air bags on the Camry LE, Sonata's primary competitor, adds $1,300 to the bottom line. And although the Honda Accord added standard front side air bags and side curtain air bags to its base DX and LX models for 2005, traction control is only available on the top-end LX V-6 and EX V-6 models.

But the big Sonata news is not about safety -- it's about size. In the 2006 redesign, it's been transformed from one of the smallest midsize sedans on the market to one of the largest, inside and out. With 121.7 cubic feet of interior space, it fits into the government's "large car" category! Sonata's interior is larger than both the Accord and Camry, even the Chevrolet Malibu. The trunk is also larger than the old Sonata, increased by 16 percent to 16.3 cubic feet, and optimized by funky hinges and dual support struts that don't impinge on your trunk cargo.

Roominess and cargo capacity in my test vehicle were impressive, but how did it perform? With about 100 miles of test driving behind me, I'm impressed. Other than front seat bottoms that are too short to support my thighs, I don't have any gripes. Oh, I wished for the new V6 engine, which will add a level of excitement while burning more gas, because the four-cylinder engine lacks torque down at low RPM. Jackrabbit departures from red lights are a non-event in the four-cylinder Sonata. But by and large, the standard engine is adequate for normal driving, and the typical driver shopping for a car of this type is going to appreciate its excellent fuel mileage rating of 24/33. In the end, quietness, roominess, a supple ride, convenience features and reliability are what give long-term satisfaction in a family vehicle.

And the new Sonata does not disappoint in any of these areas. I think the Sonata was about as quiet at the new four-cylinder Camry I drove recently. And I think it rode as well, which is excellent by most folks' standards. The engine was smooth, and the transmission worked admirably. The power accessories had the latest features, such as a power moonroof that opens or closes with one touch of the control button, and front windows with auto up and down features. Nobody is going to complain about the famous Hyundai warranty, which offers 100,000 miles of protection on the powertrain. And if Beethoven were here to pop a CD into the AM/FM/CD/ MP3 sound system, I think he'd be pleased with how his classic sonatas sound in the new Hyundai Sonata.

Steve Robertson of Robertson's Creative Photography is a car enthusiast and former staff writer/photographer for the Southeast Missourian. Contact him at sjr1@robertsonsphotography.com.