Road Reality » Sonata

NHTSA investigating steering issues on 2011 Sonata?

John Suit — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 19:30:00 +0000

As a maker of inexpensive vehicles, Hyundai has come a long way. They started as the maker of the Excel, an almost universally hated automobile (right up there with the Yugo), to being on American consumers’ buy list in the last few years. With recent releases like the Genesis and Genesis Coupe, and then the 2011 Sonata, you’d expect Hyundai to be riding high. Not so fast. It started a few weeks after the 2011 Sonata went on sale, and continues today, with the NHTSA investigating steering problems with the redesigned family hauler.

From what The Detroit News is saying, there’s a universal joint in the steering linkage that can come apart, causing a total loss of steering control. Hyundai says it hasn’t heard of any accidents or injuries caused by this issue, and in fact they say they’ve only received two complaints.

Two cars out of over 16,000 doesn’t sound bad, but the problem happens without warning, which is bad. Both cars were reportedly built during the same month (although which month it is hasn’t been released) and had less than 600 miles on them when the issue occurred, so if your Sonata has over 600 miles on it, chances are you’re OK.

by John Suit

Source: The Detroit News

Hyundai announces Sonata Hybrid!

John Suit — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 18:00:16 +0000

Part of Hyundai’s fuel-efficiency drive is the 2011 Sonata. Offered with only 4-cylinder power, as opposed to prior years when V6 engines were optional, the 2011 model boosts Hyundai’s corporate average for fuel economy. To appease buyers looking for more power, the 2.0T variant was announced, providing more than enough power without sacrificing at the pump. Now, the truly efficient Sonata has been revealed, the Sonata Hybrid. Click past the jump for more details and plenty of high-resolution pictures.

With a new look up front and the Hyundai Hybrid Blue Drive system under the hood, the Hybrid model gets 37 mpg in the city, and 39 mpg on the highway. Usually, hybrids fare better in the city, where their battery-powered electric motors are used the most, sparing the gasoline engine for use at higher speeds. Due to the way Hyundai engineered their hybrid system, the electric motor’s efficiency is spread across the speed spectrum, allowing such high highway mileage numbers. It’s also lighter than its competitors, such as the Ford Fusion Hybrid and Toyota Camry Hybrid, which helps out even more. Added to this, the electric-only operation of the Sonata Hybrid is good to 62 mph, depending on battery charge and acceleration. This is 15mph faster than the Fusion Hybrid will go on batteries alone.

by John Suit

Source: Hyundai

Hyundai Sonata Turbo Debuts!

John Suit — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 18:00:16 +0000

When the 2011 Hyundai Sonata was announced, Hyundai told us all that Hybrid and Turbo variants were coming. Well, the Turbo is here! With 22 MPG city and 34 MPG highway, the Sonata 2.0T betters its V6 competitors in the city. On the highway, its fuel mileage is only slightly down from the non-turbo Sonata. It does this, all while producing 274 horsepower, more than the Chevy Cobalt SS and Mazda Mazdaspeed3. Offered only with a 6-speed automatic with paddle shifters on the steering column, this car promises to be more fun than its more pedestrian versions. With the regular Sonata having ample power, this one is sure to be a crowd pleaser, especially given Hyundai’s relatively lower prices. Cross the jump to see more pictures.

by John Suit

Source: Hyundai

Quick Drive: 2011 Hyundai Sonata

John Suit — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 13:05:52 +0000

One of the hotter cars to come out of the Korean automaker, the 2011 Hyundai Sonata seems to have it all: good looks, fuel economy, creature comforts, a fair price. Its paint is compared to that of Mercedes-Benz, and its sights are set squarely on the most popular midsize sedans – the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry. What did I think of my test drive? Click past the jump to find out.

Approaching the car, it is reminiscent of the Mercedes-Benz CLS, with a low, sweeping roofline. This design is very popular these days, making sedans resemble coupes, even though they retain four doors. This usually leads to a lack of head room in the rear, but my rear passenger didn’t have any trouble with that regard. Your taller friends may wish they got the front passenger seat, though.

The seats in the new Sonata are quite comfortable, with plenty of power adjustments on the model I test drove. The front seats feature a 2-level heating option, which worked well. Surprisingly, a lot of the interior that you’d touch on a regular basis was made of soft touch materials, whether it be leatherette or plastic. It’s good to see a car in this price range (under $30,000) with such a great interior.

The dashboard is a funny thing in the Sonata. While it has a gimmicky-looking “mode” button for the climate control, which just cycles through the different vent mixes, it has really nice radio controls, a slick shifter, easy-to-read instruments, and cleverly-hidden cubbyholes to store your cell phone and other detritus.

The model I test drove was equipped with the push-button start, another surprise in this price range. It’s things like this that have made Hyundai a very popular seller since the economy went south, and even a little before that.

Pulling out of my parking space, the things that hit me right away were the power and steering of the car. Traditionally, the Sonata has been available with 4 and 6-cylinder engines. For 2011, Hyundai is using 3 different 4-cylinder engines which use new technology to produce plenty of power and still deliver great fuel efficiency. The turbocharged and hybrid variants of the Sonata aren’t available yet, so I was driving the regular one, and anyone who buys this car should not worry about a lack of power. While it won’t win you any races, with 3 people in the car I had no problem merging with freeway traffic and speeding up to change lanes in busy city traffic either. I mentioned the steering. It’s quite light, and was a breeze to use both on the highway and in a crowded parking lot.

Once up to speed, I opened all the windows and the sunroof. While just opening the side windows an inch or so didn’t add any unpleasant amounts of wind noise to the cabin, the sunroof surely did. Hyundai needs to redesign the air foil at the front of the Sonata’s sunroof or something, to quiet that down. I definitely noticed myself raising my voice at highway speeds to talk with my passengers.

With the windows and sunroof closed, the cabin gets a lot quieter, but other cars and some road noise get in. I guess that sound deadening is where Hyundai sliced a few pounds out of the redesigned car, since they say that the 2011 model weighs less than the 2010 one. I would’ve rather paid more for a quieter V6 model than save weight and a couple MPGs.

Overall, the 2011 Hyundai Sonata is a compelling car. I value quiet, comfort and good in-car electronics over most anything else in a car, since I spend a lot of my driving either on the highway for long stretches or commuting. In either case, you don’t want a lot of outside interference with your driving. In the case of this car, you get all but one of those. The Sonata is definitely comfortable and has good in-car electronics, with bluetooth audio, iPod connectivity, satellite radio, etcetera. I would like to try out their navigation system, so I may have to go back and drive another one. If only it were a few decibels quieter overall, it would definitely dethrone some of its rivals.

by John Suit

Breaking News: Hyundai stops sales of 2011 Sonata

John Suit — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 00:28:35 +0000

AutoBlog is breaking the news that Hyundai has ordered all sales of 2011 Sonatas to be stopped, due to a faulty door lock. Many Fords and other brands have allowed passengers to open the doors by pulling on the interior door handle, even if it’s locked. Hyundai has a problem with their version of the design, wherein if the door lock switch is held in the “lock” position while the door handle is pulled, it may not return to a closed, and therefore latched, position. This would lead to a door which doesn’t latch closed, definitely a problem.

While approximately 5,000 Sonatas have been sold, Hyundai is heading this one off at the pass, a good call given rival Toyota’s recent troubles. Keep your browser tuned here for more news as it becomes available.

by John Suit

Source: AutoBlog

IIHS Top Safety Pick: 2011 Sonata

John Suit — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 19:00:08 +0000

We’ve reported on the 2011 Hyundai Sonata before, but now the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has given one of its coveted “Top Safety Pick” awards to the new model. The IIHS only gives Top Safety Picks to those cars which include Electronic Stability Control and garner “good” scores in all front, side and rear crash tests. With its new look and engines, and now this award, the Sonata looks like it’ll be a great seller for Hyundai in 2010. Note that this is also the first Sonata to receive the Top Safety Pick award.

by John Suit

Source: IIHS