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2006 Hyundai Sonata Road Test

Building a New Midsize Benchmark

Just how good the upcoming Sonata is came as no surprise to me when I tested it last week in and around the San Francisco area. It seems that everything Hyundai has brought out in recent years has either been leading its respective market segment, for quality, driving dynamics and refinement, or on par with the front runners.

I was duly impressed with the current generation Sonata when it was introduced in 2001 as a 2002 model. It featured a well put together interior, comparable ride and handling characteristics to its Japanese competitors, a long list of standard and optional features for a value packed price, plus dramatic styling.

The new 2006 Sonata follows the same well-proven pattern as the old car, with tight, perfectly aligned body panel gap tolerances, an impressively

Just how good the upcoming Sonata is came as no surprise to me when I tested it. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, American Auto Press)

executed interior worthy of comparison to the segments best, Lexus-like silence from the engine compartment, a wonderfully sorted chassis that delivers a comfortable ride while still managing to feel sporty through the corners, an even longer list of standard and optional features, and slightly less dramatic but nevertheless very attractive styling.

Starting with my last point, the new Sonata isnt trying to appear like a premium product anymore, a criticism initially given to the current

The newest Sonata is slightly less dramatic than the outgoing model, but nevertheless has very attractive styling. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, American Auto Press)

generation car that features a bold grille, Mercedes-Benz-like circular headlamp clusters, a Jaguar-like profile and a considerable dollop of chrome brightwork. I happen to like the old cars styling very much, and to Hyundais credit one was on hand to remind all present at the event just how good the outgoing car is.

The new Sonata has doffed its stately image, however, for a much sportier one. Then again, its not attempting to take on the likes of the Mazda6 or Nissan Altima for sports sedan buyers, as no

The new Sonata has doffed its stately image, however, for a much sportier one. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, American Auto Press)

manual transmission will be offered with its 6-cylinder engine, but compared to a current Toyota Camry or Honda Accord, the new Sonata looks lithe and limber, capable of taking on hill, dale, undulating underpass or bending byway, serpentine S-curves or seemingly unending freeway straights, at high speed.

To that end, the Sonata doesnt merely talk the sport sedan talk, but it unabashedly walks the walk. The winding coastal roadways north of San Francisco, which included the stunningly picturesque Highway 1, were ideal test-beds for the new Hyundai. Not only are these routes overly circuitous, but during some

The winding coastal roadways north of San Francisco were ideal test-beds for the new Hyundai. In this photo, a 2005 Sonata (white) drives in front of the new 2006. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, American Auto Press)

stretches pavement is at a premium, making driver and passenger appreciative of a compliant suspension. Despite the heroic ride quality, the Sonata was even more confidence inspiring through the corners. Body lean was surprisingly limited, tire squeal only noticeable when the car began to understeer slightly, and then only as a precautionary measure necessary to impress upon the driver that inertia must eventually pay tribute to the forces of gravity. In other words, this thing handles so well that the aggressively piloted BMW 5-Series to my rear was never once held up by the comparatively "pedestrian" Hyundai.

I

The new Sonata, like the sporty compact Tucson SUV that was launched earlier this year, will go far in redefining the South Korean brands image. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, American Auto Press)

use the somewhat derogatory term only because Hyundais have long been respected for value, but by the general populace, never considered to be drivers cars per se. The new Sonata, like the sporty compact Tucson SUV that was launched earlier this year, will go far in redefining the South Korean brands image.

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