By Derek Price
Automotive Writer
Hyundai could easily take home a trophy for “best turnaround of a car brand” over the past 10 years.
Heck, it might even be a contender for the best corporate turnaround in the history of the automobile. Other than those car companies that survived their factories being bombed to smithereens in World War II, I can’t think of a greater resurgence than Hyundai’s leap from building cheap “throwaway” economy cars to making some of the world’s best vehicles in the space of a decade.
Much of Hyundai’s improved reputation rests on the shoulders of this car, the Sonata. It’s been enhanced so much with each generation, especially the curvy sixth-generation design that bowed in 2009, that it’s quickly become the benchmark family sedan that all the American and Japanese car companies are trying to keep up with.
Well, there’s an all-new generation of the Sonata out for 2015, and I just spent a week driving it.
The new-generation Hyundai Sonata has a body that is more mature and toned down than the swoopy, dramatic looking design that was unveiled in 2009.
First, the good news.
In terms of its driving feel and cabin quality, this fresh take on the Sonata is as big a leap forward as its much-vaunted 2009 iteration. It’s so refined, so well-built and so supple feeling in every way — both driving down the road and running your hand along the soft, luxuriously smooth materials in the cabin — that it’s putting other cars on the defensive once again.
It certainly seems more expensive than its base price of roughly $21,000 would suggest. Its steering, braking and suspension sensations, along with the way its cabin and chassis seem so tightly screwed together, all leave the impression of a car that would have cost more than $35,000 a few years ago.
Power is more than adequate from the 185-horsepower, 2.4-liter base engine that was fitted in my test car. I’d normally hope for a little more power than that, but perhaps it was the nice shifts from the six-speed automatic transmission and the silky smoothness at all RPMs that made me like it so much.
The fact that Hyundai still uses a “real” automatic transmission is a huge plus. Too many of today’s sedans are switching to continuously variable transmission, or CVTs, that I detest because they sap a lot of the fun and feedback out of the driving experience. This new Sonata accelerates beautifully, though, and should be even sweeter with the optional 245-horsepower turbocharged engine.
The 2015 Sonata’s cabin remains a class leader with spacious seating and extensive use of soft-touch materials. It leaves the impression of a more expensive vehicle.
The only bad news is that the body isn’t as striking as the last generation Sonata, at least to my eyes. The swoopy, curvy, dramatic body on the 2009 generation has been toned down some, giving it less standout presence on the road.
I see that as a sign that this car is maturing. The simpler but still pretty lines on the new generation make it seem like a fully grown-up car, one that draws attention more for its refinement than for its visual ostentation.
It does grab attention in one big way, though: from car companies that are trying to beat it. It remains the latest in a long string of home runs from Hyundai that are putting the world’s car executives on notice.
At a Glance
What was tested?
2015 Hyundai Sonata Limited ($26,525). Options: Tech package ($3,500), ultimate package ($1,550), carpeted floor mats ($125). Price as tested (including $810 destination charge): $32,510
Wheelbase: 110.4 in.
Length: 191.1 in.
Width: 73.4 in.
Height: 58.1 in.
Engine: 2.4-liter four cylinder (185 horsepower, 178 lbs.-ft.)
Transmission: Six-speed electronic automatic
Estimated Mileage: 25 city, 37 highway
RATINGS
Style: 6
Performance: 8
Price: 9
Handling: 7
Ride: 9
Comfort: 10
Quality: 10
Overall: 9
Video Review:
2015 Hyundai Sonata
http://bit.ly/15sonata
Why buy it?
It builds on Hyundai’s impressive success with this all-new generation. It drives with the poise and sophistication of a more expensive vehicle.