The battle for the fertile middle ground in the mid-size sedan sector has developed into the automotive market’s fiercest struggle with the Koreans now throwing down the gauntlet to the Japanese.
Toyota with the new Camry, Nissan with the Altima and Honda’s Accord, have tended to dominate this market but Hyundai has upped the ante considerably with the new Sonata Sport Turbo.
Make no mistake, this car will have Toyota, Nissan and Honda worried because not only is the Sonata already a top seller this new Turbo offers more than decent performance, comfortable interiors, outstanding value and classy looks.
Since it made its debut in 1985 almost seven million Sonatas have been sold around the world. In 2013 it sold over 26,000 units across the Middle East, which is Hyundai’s biggest market after America. Saudi Arabia accounted for 60 per cent of those sales. This is the seventh generation of the Sonata and it is definitely the best, even though the two-litre turbo four-cylinder engine does not have as much power as its predecessor.
However, as is the case in many cars these days, less is more in that its turbo technology means it actually delivers better performance.
Hyundai are masters at building cars that look far more expensive than they actually are and this Sonata is a masterpiece of classy design. Look at it from any angle and it is perfectly proportioned right down to the fabulous 18-inch alloy wheels and the muscular rear with twin-exhausts.
It is the second model to have been designed using Hyundai’s Fluidic Sculpture 2.0 philosophy following the new Genesis, another impressive Hyundai, and it certainly gives the car an air of prestige.
The interior has also been upgraded with really nice leather seats, complete with orange turbo piping and a new, flat-bottom, steering wheel but there is still too far much hard plastic in this car for my liking. If Hyundai want this Sonata have the edge over the opposition, cheap plastic is an unnecessary short-cut which will put some people off.
Having said that the rest of the cabin is a very nice place to be with a 4.3-inch TFT-LCD instrument cluster and an eight-inch LCD touch-screen for the infotainment system. The sat-nav in this car is excellent and the air conditioning system is brilliant. There is plenty of room in the back for passengers and the boot is spacious, making this Sonata the ideal car for young families.
Hyundai have actually identified the target customer in the Middle East as a married man in his late 20s to late 30s with two kids earning a medium to high salary.
More than 50 per cent of this car is built using advanced high strength steel which offers increased stiffness for improved handling and extra protection. It is also loaded with the latest safety technology and has everything you would find in a much more expensive sedan.
Hyundai have made this Sonata as luxurious as possible and that includes improving noise, vibration and harshness levels and they have done a good job. The car is extremely quiet, even when you push it, and delivers a very smooth drive thanks to improved suspension damping, retuned chassis and stability control.
Performance-wise the two-litre engine provides more than enough grunt with 245bhp and a healthy helping of torque at 350nm. A 0-100kmh time of around eight seconds is not going to blow you away but let’s face it, the buyers of this car are not looking for a tyre-screeching track demon.
It is responsive, smooth and the six-speed automatic gearbox which puts the power down to the front wheels is impressive. There are also paddle-shifts but I never really felt the need to use them.
You can drive the car in three modes, normal, sport, and eco, depending on your mood. Sport, obviously, provides the most engaging drive experience. This Sonata is an excellent car which offers Affordable luxury, good looks and practicality.
If you want a perfectly composed family vehicle with a sporty edge and German cars are beyond your budget you can’t go wrong.
