Autoblog

Click for a high res gallery of the new Sonata

In recent months, Hyundai has made a big splash with the introductions of the Genesis sedan and coupe. While those two models will likely do wonders for Hyundai's street cred, they will definitely be niche players when it comes to volume. Among passenger cars in the US market, the midsize segment has been the highest volume category for nearly two decades. Since the mid-nineties, the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord have been the primary players with everyone else having been an also-ran. In recent years, however, Hyundai's entrant in the segment, the Sonata, has put up an increasingly aggressive challenge to the big dogs. The current generation Hyundai Sonata debuted for the 2006 model year and the company unwrapped its mid-cycle refresh back in February at the Chicago Auto Show.

The 2009 Sonatas have been in production since before the Chicago debut and they should be in stock at Hyundai stores around the country now. We went out to the Hyundai-Kia America Technical Center (HATCI) outside of Ann Arbor, MI for a tour of the facility where the new Sonata was created and then set out for a couple of hours to see how it behaves in the real world. Find out if the new Sonata is for you after the jump.


Photos Copyright ©2008 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.

click above for more high-res images of the 2009 Hyundai Sonata

The new 2009 Hyundai Sonata gets a bump in interior refinement and available power, and the South Korean automaker would like to be paid for all its troubles. The 2009 Sonata Limited saw the largest jump in price, with the new model going for $24,645, up $1,650 from the 2008 model. At the bottom of the Sonata lineup, Hyundai increased the sticker on the entry GLS by a more reasonable $700 to $18,795, or $19,995 with the upgraded five-speed automatic transmission. Oddly enough, however, the base Sonata is now $75 more than a base 2009 Camry, which is an interesting decision on Hyundai's part. With destination and delivery charges included, the base Sonata GLS is now $585 less than the base 2009 Toyota Camry, which starts at $19,380. The base Chevy Malibu LS, meanwhile, now equals the automatic Sonata GLS in price at $19,995 with d&d costs included.

With prices going up by up by seven percent on certain models, Hyundai may have lost some of its price advantage on the competition. With better quality and improved refinement, it's clear to us that the South Korean automaker is banking on Americans picking the Sonata based on criteria other than price.

UPDATE: Corrections made to pricing of base 2009 Toyota Camry and base 2008 Chevy Malibu. The 2009 Hyundai Sonata still undercuts the Camry and now equals the base Malibue in price

[Source: Hyundai]

click above to view more high-res pics of the 2009 Hyundai Sonata

When Hyundai released its 2007 Sonata, the automaker served notice that it was serious about playing with the "big boys" in the midsize sedan market; namely the Honda Accord, Toyota Camry, Nissan Altima and, just recently, the latest version of the Chevy Malibu. With its refresh of the Sonata for 2009, Hyundai has taken another major leap towards matching the best that Japan has to offer. Many consider the Camry too boring while others find the Accord a bit too sporty for their tastes. Hyundai is aiming at the middle ground with the '09 Sonata, and based on looks alone it seems that the company is on target. The interior especially looks ready to compete in the most hotly-contested segment in the industry, with quality materials and a much more pleasing design with more features than the current model.

Added power and efficiency have been gained in both four-cylinder and six-cylinder versions. Using the second generation Theta engine architecture, the 175-horse 2.4-liter inline-four is a vast improvement over its predecessor, especially since a new five-speed automatic replaces the old four-speed unit. Drivers who prefer a bit more power can opt for the newly updated 3.3-liter Lambda V6, now boasting 249 horsepower while still offering a slight increase in fuel economy. The Lambda V6 is available only with the five-speed automatic while four-cylinder buyers can choose between the automatic or a five-speed manual. We are still waiting for official pricing information, but expect the Sonata to continue to undercut the Accord and Camry.

The Hyundai Sonata has proven itself to be a pretty good vehicle over the past couple years, but tame styling and cheap interior materials have kept the Korean midsize sedan a rental favorite. The Sonata has received a much-needed face lift, with a heavily updated front facia and a much richer-looking interior.

To show off the Sonata's considerable freshening, Hyundai tapped the Transformer craze by morphing from the old model to the new one. The special effects in this Asian-market commercial are terrific, as headlights, bumper, grille, dash, and gauge cluster go from blah to bling. The new Sonata interior may even give Lexus a run for its money. Very impressive. The tag-line is "Hyundai Transform" and you can see it in its entirety after the jump.

[Source: YouTube via Carscoop]

Hyundai's mid-size Sonata is due for a refresh in about a year, and a sharp-eyed observer with a camera has captured a shot of the new interior. The design looks considerably more upscale than the present setup, which is great considering how bland we find the dash design of the current car to be. The center stack flows down into the console and has a clean uncluttered look. Like the Veracruz crossover, the vents are now vertically oriented and the trim around the radio and HVAC controls carries a matte aluminum look. The powertrain also gets upgraded with a standard five-speed automatic replacing the current four-speed and improved power and efficiency from both four- and six cylinder-engines.

The refreshening is just in time for the Sonata to take on all-new models in the segment like the 2008 Honda Accord and 2008 Chevy Malibu, as well as the perennial best-seller from Toyota, the Camry. Even more important, however, is to see Sonata sales improve to the point that idling the Alabama plant producing them to reduce excess inventory isn't necessary.

[Source: The Car Blogger]

Forbes' Dan Lienert studied the NHTSA's recall numbers for 2006 models and compiled a list of the most recalled vehicles sold in the U.S. The worst? The 2006 Dodge Ram with a total of seven recalls. It was recalled for a bad brake control unit, a defective front suspension, potentially faulty airbags and transfer cases, possibly bad seatbelts, defective rearview mirrors and missing exterior lighting. We're not sure that includes the Ram recall we told you about last month. Second place also went to Dodge, with the Durango scoring six recalls.

Accompanying the Dodges is another DaimlerChrysler product, a Chevrolet truck, a Hyundai, two Range Rovers and, uh oh, a Honda. That's right. The much-beloved Honda Civic coupe and sedan had four collective recalls of the 2006 model. The Civic had bad airbags, loose gas pedals, back glass that was installed improperly and incorrect NHTSA information in the owner's manual.

In case you're curious (and what Autoblog reader isn't?), the 2006 Camry was recalled only once. It's offense? A misprinted spare tire guide which could, potentially, lead to an accident if improper equipment was installed.

[Source: Forbes]

Moving 150,000 units of any vehicle is no easy task, and it looks as if Hyundai is learning this the hard way with its recently introduced Sonata. The incentives continue to climb - currently they're averaging just over $2,000 per vehicle  - and fleets currently represent 30% of the Sonata's sales. The car is sitting on lots longer, with the "turn" time climbing from 41 days to 74 days. Transaction prices have also slid, dropping by over $900 in the last six months. We're not sure that this is what Jerry Flint had in mind with his warning last week about the Korean automakers, but certainly it's not a great situation for a brand-new model.

Hyundai has stated that the increased fleet sales are a good way to get "butts in the seats", and the increased turn time is being attributed to a production increase that ensures sufficient dealer inventory before the manufacturer's Alabama plant starts Santa Fe production this summer.

More than anything else, this goes to show the difficulty of cracking into the highly-competitive midsize sedan market. Nearly every competitor is throwing its best effort into this class, and indeed the segment as a whole is seeing increased incentives and longer turn times. The upside is that consumers have plenty of great midsize sedans from which to choose.

[Source: Automotive News]