The
family-sized sedan's role has expanded.
Once
the default choice for millions of families across Australia, family sedans
have fallen off the radar as waves of motorists flow towards SUVs.
Strong
competition and a bevy of sharp alternatives have broadened the four-door's key
performance indicators to include technological prowess, a dash of luxury and
keen dynamics to convince buyers to swim against the tide.
Unlike
key rivals, life-saving technology such as autonomous emergency braking,
blind-spot warning and lane departure warning systems are not available on any
Sonata models. That will change when a revised version goes on sale for 2016,
but for now the Sonata is well off the pace on the safety front.
The
mid-sized Hyundai, which revives
a former nameplate for the brand after experimenting with the i45 badge, comes
in three trims that include entry-level Active at $29,990, mid-range Elite for
$36,990 and top of the line Premium for $41,990 plus on-road costs.
We
tested the Premium version, and found a cabin with a comfortable driving
position offering an excellent range of adjustment to accommodate drivers of
all sizes. Electric seat adjustment with four-way lumbar support on the Premium
version we tested made for comfortable progress in a variety of roads.
Loaded
with a panoramic sunroof, touch-screen stereo, leather trim, an electronic
handbrake and ventilated front seats, the Sonata has the
goods on paper to be considered a reasonably luxurious proposition.
But the
cabin is a touch disappointing in person, with hard plastics surrounding a
plain dashboard and generic charcoal colour scheme with cheap-looking
silver-painted highlights. Satisfactory in isolation, the Sonata is likely to
come up short of competitors such as the new Volkswagen Passat and Mazda6 that Hyundai is explicitly
targeting with this car.
Evidence
of cost-cutting includes parking sensors finished in plain black rather than
wearing body-coloured caps, and hard plastic seat-backs that aren't friendly to
rear passengers.
That
said, there is plenty of space in the rear, comfortably enough for adults to
ride in the back without chafing their knees against the front pews.
Confident
in its abilities, Hyundai
held the launch of the Sonata around Strahan on the west coast of Tasmania,
home to some of the most demanding roads in the country.
Powered
by a turbocharged 2.0-litre engine that makes 180kw and 350Nm, mid-range and
top-line Sonata
models are among the top of their class for mumbo.
A
strong performer with plenty of power reserve, the engine makes light work of steep
climbs, progressing confidently on hilly routes.
The
motor is responsive and smooth for the most part, though it is raucous under
load at high revs. That's par for the course for a powerful four-cylinder
engine, though the Sonata's
brand of garage metal is a little thrasher than most.
The
other downside is fuel economy, with this turbo model using more than nine
litres per 100km of fuel - much more than key rivals such as the Mazda6 and
Toyota Camry Hybrid.
That
motor feels somewhat hamstrung by a standard six speed automatic transmission
that drives the front wheels.
It's a
fairly smooth unit that operates cleanly, though it missed out on shift
paddles, and can be a bit behind the pace when it comes to selecting gears.
The Sonata refused to change
down on the way into of a corner, reacting to throttle inputs rather than
anticipating them.
Local
engineers honed the Hyundai
over more than 100,000 kilometres of local testing, looking to improve on the
way the new model handles Australian routes.
The
team settled on a setup with stiffer springs complimenting a thicker anti roll
bar and new shock absorbers for the rear axle.
The
result is a car that handles with confidence, shrugging off large bumps and
staying on track across a variety of surfaces.
It
installs confidence in drivers, allowing them to make more of that new engine,
extracting plenty of performance from its 17-inch Kumho tyres.
We
experienced a dash of torque steer and a spot of rack rattle in numb, heavy
steering with a slow response to initial turn-in that represents the only dynamic
drawback for the new model.
That
represents how far Hyundai
has come in the last five years since it last offered the Sonata name, the i45 was
initially blighted by suspension trouble that was the subject of rushed
revisions for the Australian market.
That's
not the case here, though there is a parallel in Hyundai choosing to sell the
car only months before significant active safety systems become available in
the model as part of a running refresh due before the end of the year.
For
buyers considering the car, it may pay to wait and see what Hyundai has in store for the
new Sonata when a revised version arrives.
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