Hyundai's Sonata Offers Style, Class With Value

Hyundai's mid-size Sonata four-door sedan received a makeover for the 2011 selling season and the results are a thing of beauty. This latest incarnation of Hyundai's bread-and-butter, front-wheel-drive machine has the look and feel of cars costing way more than it does.

On the market since springtime of 2010, the 2011 Hyundai Sonata closely resembles cars costing triple its price. With a sloping front end, pronounced straked hood and body side crease, together with its coupe-like sloping roofline, the Sonata sedan has richness to its exterior that belies the value.

Of course, for this Korean carmaker, value is the calling card. Speedily overcoming an initial entry to the American marketplace with inexpensive cars that were built a little too cheaply to survive our daily driving habits, it's taken far longer for the company's reputation to catch up with Hyundai's products, which have been exemplary for at least the last five years.

There are now three stanzas of Sonatas: regular, turbo and hybrid. I've driven two of the three and loved both the standard and turbocharged versions. From the moment I stepped into the driver's seat, each of these cars has felt like an old friend. Materials are excellent throughout the cabin; ergonomics are world-class and the mechanicals of both Hyundai Sonata sedans driven give way to no one.

The Pacific Blue pearl Hyundai Sonata 2.0T has a direct injection (DI), four-cylinder turbocharged engine that produces 274 horsepower at 6,000 rpm, well in excess of the standard 2.4-liter aspirated DI engine that hands over 198 horsepower at 6,300. Torque figures are equally elevated for the turbo: 269 lb-ft at 1,750-4,500 rpm vs. 184 lb-ft at 4,250 rpm. Redline for the turbo driven here is 6,500 rpm.

Both the standard Sonata and 2.0T arrive with a shiftable 6-speed automatic transmission — a manual 6-speed is available only on the base GLS model. The 2.0T has paddle shifters mounted behind the steering wheel that can be used on the fly; the transmission reverts to Drive quickly if it senses little manipulation and yes, it downshifts to first gear on its own.

MacPherson struts up front complement multi-link rear suspension and there's a sway bar at the rear of the sedan. Power rack and pinion steering is excellent with reasonable heft and no on-center dullness. All-wheel ABS-equipped disc brakes feature electronic brakeforce distribution and brake assist, working together with electronic stability and traction controls to keep the Sonata sure-footed.

Size of the 2011 Hyundai Sonata in any guise is Goldilocks right: 189.8 inches long, 72.2 inches wide, 57.9 inches tall and riding on a 110-inch wheelbase. Hyundai cites weights ranging from 3,338 to 3,452 pounds for the Sonata 2.0T; with all the extra equipment on this car, I'm sure it swayed toward the latter figure. Hyundai fits Hankook P225/45 rubber to 10-spoke, 18-inch alloy rims that are easy on the eye.