Hyundai Sonata

With a new 2.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine and a performance-focused chassis, the Hyundai Sonata N Line is positioned to make real headway in the fast sedan segment.

You may not always think of cutting-edge tech and Hyundai in the same breath. The Sonata aims to change that perception.

Sporty sedans and inviting stretches of tarmac go together like quiet toddlers and mischief. Is that the case for the Hyundai Sonata N Line?

As Melbourne emerges from lockdown, the last few weeks have been all about getting to know the Sonata N Line is 5km increments.

Hyundai Australia has recalled a total of 8466 vehicles for a gearbox fault that can cause a loss of power.

An updated Hyundai Sonata is in development, quelling reports that plans for a facelift for the current model were scrapped.

Production delays on some components have kept wait times for many Hyundai models beyond six months – and one in excess of 12 months.

Hyundai has lifted prices across all N Line and N models – alongside the Venue and Santa Fe.

Having bought cars for my own personal use since 1965 I believe I have a fair amount of experience in the type of car I prefer.

The year is 2002. Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears had just called it off, Kath & Kim aired, the VY Commodore and BA Falcon were introduced, and Hyundai were regarded as cheap & unexciting ‘Junk’. Now while that may have been the case back then, it didn’t stop the Sonata from being our first brand-new car. So why did we choose it you might ask? We looked at the Vectra, 626, Magna, Camry and a few other medium cars of that era, but all were a bit over our budget for what we wanted. We then came across a Burgundy EF-B Sonata optioned with the Leather & Woodgrain package sitting in the dealer. We took it for a test drive where it performed well and offered the room we needed for a growing family. We also liked the classic curves and chrome beltline, looking reminiscent of a poor man’s Mercedes-Benz crossed with Jaguar styling. We ended up ordering a Solid Black 2.4L Auto with the Leather & Woodgrain pack, a rarely optioned pack, which looked a whole lot better than the standard black/colour patterned cloth seats, all for a little over $28,000 which undercut all our options. Now at a little over fifteen years old how has the Sonata held up? Well to be fair only averagely, but it still provides us with transportation to where ever we want to go. Let’s go over what’s wrong with it first though. Currently with only 237,541km on the clock, it needs a new Thermostat which is stuck open, Oxygen sensor (I believe), and A/C compressor which isn’t working, last summer was a scorcher in it. It's also showing signs of worn Piston Rings, Shock absorbers which creak, Engine mounts, and a worn Head gasket which was originally replaced in 2013. Other things that were replaced was the Alternator at 5 years old, A new coil at about 10 years old, and power steering hose at 13 years old. Yes, that is a lot of expensive problems you may say, but don’t let that fool you, as the car still actually runs perfectly fine even to our surprise and can take a thrashing here and there, which we rarely do anyway. These problems incur a higher than average thirst for Oil. Never the less, the Mitsubishi designed 2.4-litre makes 104Kw and about 205Nm, being sent through a four-speed auto with a ‘manual mode’. Together they work extremely smoothly, with usually decisive gear changes. You can tell that there's a lack of Power every now and then, but the engine pulls really well despite the low torque figure and the current issues it has. It’s not the most economical engine though as 4th gear doesn’t engage until 59km/h, but will cruise in 3rd at 50km/h at about 1700rpm. On the handling front it’s definitely a Hyundai of old. It rolls into corners and understeers if you push it any more than a normal pace, while the steering is somewhat slow but offers some road feel, most being kickback however. In the wet it can lack grip mainly due to the cheap Diamondback 205/65 tires we have on it currently, and is a little scary to drive due to the lack of ABS brakes which were an option. It's obviously not a sports car, and doesn't need to be as it provides a very smooth and quiet ride making it a good town and highway cruiser. The interior is what has surprised us the most though. The seats aren’t the most comfortable up front as they have a short base cushion, but the back seat is wide and spacious with a soft cushion albeit lacking toe room, and all the materials have held up extremely well! The leather is still soft and un-cracked, while the door materials are soft touch and of reasonably good quality, with no rattles, but panel gaps in some areas are uneven. The upper Dashboard is a hard-soft plastic, and is evident of cost cutting. The woodgrain while plastic doesn’t look too horrible in this day & age and suits the otherwise all black interior. It’s a quiet and somewhat comfortable place to be and storage is okay with a spacious boot. Feature wise it was basic as it has (well had) manual Air Conditioning; single CD/AM/FM radio with a Power Antenna and 6 speakers projecting good clarity and respectable bass even despite one of the rear speakers not working; driver Airbag; and the usual mirror/central locking/window electrics that were all standard. Cruise control was reserved for the V6 until late 2003 so we missed out, while front Fog Lights, a Sunroof, 16” Alloy wheels, and the Passenger Airbag & ABS package were all optional extras, none of which we added other than the Leather/Wood to keep the cost down. Is it true that Hyundai’s were junk back then? Mechanically I guess for us at least, although there are some examples that are still running top notch. We have a 2009 Elantra with 211,000km on it and it hasn't exhibited any Mechanical issues at all. But as a product, it's been okay. You can tell where the extra money went in the Japanese competitors, but we have been very happy with it as it continues to soldier on, even if we have stopped bothering with anything more than basic services to it. We don’t find it’s worth to spend so much on it as it’s not worth anything, being hail damaged, having faded headlights and thin paint. It has been a good family car though, and now makes a fine station runner/ A-B appliance.

My Sonata and why I bought it. I have driven Alfa Romeo's for at least the last 10 years and I love them. There is a magical quality about them but they are also flawed in some way. Recently my wife had an operation and spent a week in hospital. The journey home was excruciating for her when I picked her up in my pride and joy with 19" low profile wheels and rock hard suspension. She vowed never to get in that car again. Anyways ... time to look for a replacement. I wanted a little more room and a little more comfort and a bit more modern media technology. I found myself looking at a Sonata active that had only done 5000 k's so was 'as new'. The first thing that struck me about it was how big it was inside. Looked (and is) very spacious and comfortable. Even externally it looks quite largish and it had me wondering if it really is a mid size car. Not only is it spacious internally but you also get a huge boot area. So, first impression was good in the comfort and utility stakes. I took it for a spin. To my surprise, the ride was great. Without doubt my Alfa was superior in terms of road holding but this wasn't bad at all ... and ... it did it while being very quiet and without jarring your teeth fillings loose. Actually the ride is very smooth on the less than ideal roads we have around where I live. So, this car needed a more thorough once over. Looks wise it is clean and sleek and looks a bit like a hatchback with the sloping rear window and boot. It is however a sedan. It has chrome accents on a deep metallic red and looks quite smart. Inside the dash layout and centre cluster are simple, easy to use and good looking. Gets a big tick there in my book. I am not a fan of huge fingerprint smudged displays. This has a 5" display with tactile buttons on the sides, looks good and does the job....another plus. The car has rear view camera and rear parking sensors as well as bluetooth, aux and usb connectivity. It also has plenty of storage spaces. However, it misses out on satellite navigation...that's a minus. It does not have the fancy high tech features like radar cruise control and lane departure warning and autonomous emergency braking. I don't actually consider missing out on those features as a minus. If you want all the latest gadgetry just for the sake of having the latest gadgetry then with this car you miss out. To say I was impressed by how easy it was to set up bluetooth is an understatement. Pairing a phone and streaming music was effortless. Having said that, the audio system while good (and loud if you want it) is not quite the premium grade I have been used to. I have already mentioned how good the ride is and the performance isn't bad either. It isn't a fast car by any stretch of the imagination, but it doesn't feel like it's lacking power either. The gearbox is smooth and seems to suitably find the right gear to be in although my preference would be for it to change down a cog a little sooner on approach to a corner (my Alfa did that!). Switching the lever to manual mode allows you to flick through the cogs yourself and is fairly instantaneous unlike my wife's Mazda 3 that seems to think about it first and wonder whether you actually wanted a gear change. Another (huge) plus in my book is the manual climate control. I have had 3 previous cars with automatic climate control and hated it. I want to decide when warm air is directed to my face, not a computer program. I was in the market for a more practical and comfortable car than I have been driving and it's fair to say this car won me over and undoubtedly is an easy car to live with and can also be rewarding when driven with gusto. So for me, I won't say best of both worlds, but pretty damn good at the comfort and at the sporty stuff. I can't talk about reliability because I only just bought the car, but it does still have about 4 years to run on it's new car warranty. 1 complaint I have though .... not just with this car but with many new cars as a google search quickly confirms. The headrests! I think it's due to ensuring compliance with safety regulations, but the manufacturers have designed them protruding too far forward. With the headrest in the most rearward position it was still pressing against the back of my head. On a quick test drive didn't notice it, but on a longer drive and when living with it you literally get a pain in the neck. I have solved this by using seat covers with bolstered lumbar and upper back support giving the effect of sitting a little further forward relative to the headrest.

The Hyundai Sonata is a good midsize car that really challenges class leaders. But for some reason it has been a very slow selling model. The particular model here the base Active is really well priced and equipped considering its drive away price is about $30k and the step up to the next model Elite is $7000. It comes with features such as a reversing camera with sensors, 4.3 inch touchscreen, paddle shifters, leather steering wheel, premium gear knob, 17-inch alloy wheels, LED daytime running lamps, bluetooth and more. It has cloth seats which are comfortable and high quality. Impressive interior quality for such a cheap car and being a base model. The small infotainment screen is a huge let down being the Elite or Premium models have a 8 inch screen, but it does have a reversing camera. The interior is a little drab, but although is very easy to use and operate. The foot operated park brake is the biggest complaint I have about this car. It is the most annoying, useless thing ever being that putting an electric park brake in wouldn't cost much at all as the other models have one and the cut out for it is already in the Active model. Rear legroom is huge, and the boot is bigger than a Holden Commodore. The 2016 model update brought to the Active model paddle shifters and sports tyres. The sports tyres make a noticeable difference, literally hugging the road and never slipping, even at speed. The Sonata drives extremely well. The eco mode is not very responsive, but the normal mode it drive smoothly and well. The sport mode is where it really shines, throttle response is perfect for a base model even for a car of this size. Steering is nice and light and heavy when it needs to be, and the sports tyres make it a great driving experience for a base model. The Australian tuned suspension makes a massive difference. It is very solid and compliant on the road, it just feels exceptional. The cabin is very quiet even at highway speed making it a good car for long distance. The fuel economy isn't too bad but what do you expect from a car of this size. The Hyundai Sonata is an exceptional car. It has a great ride, the Active model is great value. The 2016 update bringing for the Active model paddle shifters and sports tyres are welcome additions. Hyundai haven't sold many, the ownership credentials are there, the value is there, but still no one seems to see. Its a shame because the Sonata is such a great car. If they got rid of the foot brake, and updated the infotainment in the Active model it would be much better. But for the money, its such great value for a mid size and nearly large car that performs well, rides well, and stands out from the crowd. It is well worth a look.