Sonata edgy outside, soft inside
Hyundai’s bestselling sedan takes pointers from Camry, its biggest rival
Hyundai sold more Sonatas than Toyota did Camrys last month. In fact, the family- sized Sonata was the bestselling car in Canada last month outside of the compacts — Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic, Hyundai’s own Elantra, the Mazda 3 and Volkswagen Jetta — which are perennial favourites north of the 49th parallel. Indeed, of the top sellers, Sonata made the biggest gains, its sales up a whopping 79.2 per cent yeartodate compared with 2014. The only other top 20 sedan in the running? The Camry, natch — Toyota’s toaster on wheels was up some 71.5 per cent in sales.
Hyundai Canada is obviously thrilled ( all the more so since Hyundai U. S. has been not nearly as effective at peddling the Sonata as a viable Camry alternative — Camry ranks No. 1 overall south of the border while Sonata is down in 12th place). Fifteen years ago, parity with the very best car built by the very best car company in the world would have been unthinkable.
How did Hyundai do it? Well, the go- to reason most would posit would be price: Hyundai Canada, after all, has a long, storied history of being extremely aggressive with its pricing. Yet a cursory perusal reveals that at both ends of the spectrum — from the $ 24,000 base GL to the $ 34,800 Sport 2.0T Ultimate — the Sonata’s MSRP is within $ 100 of the Camry’s.
So, if it isn’t price, what magic did Hyundai weave? Simple. First it upped the quality, then it penned a styling exterior, gussied up the interior and, for the coup de grace, latched onto that most basic of sales tactics: If you can’t beat ’ em, join ’ em. Yes, Hyundai has started to feast on Toyota’s bread- winning family sedan by simply making its Sonata more Camry- like.
For one thing, the all- newfor2015 Sonata employs a very Camry- like redesign: making its exterior sportier ( with more prominent side strakes and a more coupe- like appearance) while simultaneously making the car itself softer. Hyundai obviously realized the secret to Toyota’s success here, namely that we Canadians may want to dress snazzy, but we like our shoes comfortable.
Although the Sonata’s top-of theline engine continues to be a 2.0- litre turbo, the little four- cylinder has been detuned for 2015. Yes, what was last year a rangetopping 274 horsepower now boasts just 245 ponies. Torque is also down, though to a lesser extent, to an even 260 from 269 pound- feet.
With the horsepower wars continuing unabated, even in plain old family sedans, what gives? Well, for one thing, although there is slightly less torque, it is produced at a lower r. p. m. ( 1,350 versus 1,600). Hyundai is obviously looking for a little more jump off the line ( which Sonata owners, pretending to be sporty types, might appreciate) at the expense of top- end horsepower ( which, one can be completely assured, the average Sonata owners couldn’t care less about).
Hyundai was also concerned about fuel economy — needlessly, one might say, now that we’re awash in cheap gasoline for the foreseeable future — and turning down the turbocharger’s boost was the most expedient route to parsimony. Officially our numbers are 10.4/ 7.4/ 9.1 litres per 100 kilometres for city, highway and overall, respectively. I averaged 10.2 L/ 100 km in mixed driving without the slightest attempt at tempering my enthusiasm for turbo boost, proving that a) the Sonata is fairly frugal and b) NRCan’s new ratings are, indeed, more realistic.
That said, had Hyundai Canada been truly committed to minimizing the Sonata’s footprint, it might have imported the 1.6- litre turbocharged Eco model that the Americans enjoy which boasts better fuel economy than the 2.0T ( and a seven- speed dualclutch transmission!). According to Chad Heard, Hyundai Canada’s public relations manager, that’s because our family sedan segment is comparatively small and, according to the company’s research, Canadians shopping for superior fuel economy are more likely to purchase a hybrid than a petrol- powered Eco variant.
More’s the pity, because initial reports from south of the border say that the 1.6L four is a sweetheart.
Not that 2.0T is chopped liver. There is indeed a little more oomph to its throttle tip- in, the 2.0T literally jumping off the line. All that lower r. p. m. boost is aided by some shorter gearing — at least compared with the 2.4- litre base engine — for some semispectacular takeoff. Silly buggers, like Yours Truly, will notice the comparative paucity of power at high r. p. m., but then I’m not the target demographic.
That said, a top- of- the- line engine like the 2.0T deserves a few more gears in the transmission. That aforementioned dual- clutch seven- speed would be a good choice for a car billed as being a sport model.
Another page out of the Camry handbook is that the Sonata has grown, yet again. Its coupe- like silhouette may disguise its added girth, but the 2015 Sonata is longer, wider and higher and now boasts one of the largest cabins — 3,004 litres of passenger volume — in the mid- sized segment. Legroom in the front is a whopping 1,155 millimetres and headroom chimes in at 1,025 mm.
So roominess is not an issue, but cargo utility may be. At 462 litres, it’s middling and there’s quite a substantial lip to the trunk’s floor.
After all, 1,663 Canadians — February’s phenomenal sales — couldn’t all be wrong.
That said, the interior — at least in this range- topping Sport Ultimate — is quite sumptuous. Taking another cue from Camry, there are no dramatic standout features or styling flourishes, but neither are there any giant miscues.
Hyundai’s user interface system, for instance, with its 20- centimetre LCD screen, breaks no new ground. But then neither is it the debacle that was Ford’s Microsoftbased Sync system. Ditto for the air conditioning system’s controls. They’re not touchscreen or touchless swipe controls, just plain old toggles and knobs — and better for it.
Nor does the nine- speaker Infinity audio system render the Sonata a mobile boom box. On the other hand, neither will it deafen the children or grandparents assuredly to be transported in the rear seats. It too has simple tuning and volume knobs as God and articulated thumbs intended.
In other words, the Sonata eschews supposedly popular trends in favour of actually being ergonomic for its intended clientele. Where the new Hyundai may fall down, though, is in the chassis department. Oh, the design is sophisticated enough, with MacPherson struts up front and a multi- link independent system out back, but the Sonata could definitely use more of the damping control that German automakers are so good at and Japanese sedans are just now starting to suss out.
It rides fine over minor obtrusions, but larger bumps overwhelm the suspension’s damping. Toronto’s harsh winter has left the mother of all whoop- de- dos right outside my house, and while well calibrated Audis and Cadillac’s ATS can handle this paved pothole with decorum, the Sonata does a fair impression of a pogo stick at anything over 40 kilometres an hour. It definitely needs more rebound damping and probably could use a tad more high- speed compression resistance to keep its chassis under control. And, yes, I know that family sedans are not subjected to the handling rigours of a sports car, but most Canadians ( Vancouverites, enjoying their year- round temperate climate, may be the exceptions) will eventually, no matter how conservatively they drive, encounter a frost- induced swale large enough to send them bounding.
That would be the new Sonata’s only significant failing. Otherwise, the 2015 personifies Camry- like excellence. After all, 1,663 Canadians — February’s phenomenal sales — couldn’t all be wrong.
Overview: The ideal Canadian family sedan; sporty on the outside, completely pragmatic underneath.
Pros: Interior spaciousness, quiet ride, practical demeanour.
Cons: Limp suspension, less than groundbreaking technology.
Value for money: Excellent, but the competition is catching up.
What I would change: I think I’d like to give the 1.6L Eco model, available in the United States but not imported into Canada, a go.
How I would spec it: I like the 2.0T Sport. I’m not sure I’d go for the Ultimate version, however.