Specifications
Price on the road:
£16 495 (about R189 000)
Maximum speed:
211km/h (0-100km/h 8.8sec.)
Combined fuel consumption:
10.49 litres/100km.
The first time I saw the new Hyundai Sonata I assumed it was a Honda, perhaps an Audi, and I imagine that was precisely the affect the company was aiming for. After all, it would be a fairly tragic individual who hankered after a Hyundai, but I've done a bit of Honda hankering myself, in my time.
The last Sonata looked a bit like Marty Feldman from the front, so the sombre, square-cut lines are rather a relief. In the conservative world of mid-range family sedans, it doesn't really do to look like a dead, bug-eyed comedian.
An awful name such as Sonata doesn't help either but the new one is at least handsome in that slightly menacing way that all sedans seem to have these days.
It's larger than its largely unloved predecessor, too, and the interior is supposedly designed more with Europeans in mind. (Meaning what? Improved cheese storage? Free Zuccero CDs?) Currently it is only available with a 2.4-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine but a 2.2-litre diesel is on its way.
I already know this to be a decent engine, smooth and gutsy, so it all sounded rather promising - a clear signal of intent from a company aiming to conquer the US and European markets, on its stated course to becoming the world's fifth largest car manufacturer by the end of the decade.
Having now driven one, I suspect Hyundai will have a harder time flogging Sonatas in the UK than in America.
To begin with, it will sell for the equivalent of less than £10 000 in the US. Americans have an entirely different approach to badge prestige and tend to be more open to budget Asian brands - hence the runaway success there of Lexus (originally pitched as a budget Mercedes).
Also, US cars are uniformly atrocious (and don't seem to be getting any better) so those Americans used only to the domestic product will find the Sonata's cheap plastics, dreary interior and poor driving dynamics merely par for the course.
Most Europeans in the market for a four-door sedan will view the Sonata differently. It's one thing to build a car that looks like a Honda but quite another kettle of engineers to make it drive like one.
The Sonata's controls lack the consistency and smoothness of its more expensive Asian rivals - in fact, it's difficult to drive the thing smoothly at low speed because the throttle and clutch pedals are so jerky.
The steering is best described as "limp", with no feedback and no sense of precision. The suspension isn't much better either, managing to be both too firm and too wobbly at the same time.
Extremely well-equipped
Traditionally, less prestige manufacturers have compensated by loading their cars with gadgets; the Sonata is no different.
It is extremely well-equipped for the money but, when you factor in depreciation (all larger Asian cars tend to plummet in value), you will probably do better to spend your money on a more mainstream brand and do without the power seats.
It's easy to be snide (heck, it's how I make my living) so I should add that these were precisely the kind of criticisms we used to level at Japanese makes 25 or 30 years ago.
Make no mistake, despite the Daewoo hiccup (it is now run by Chevrolet, which is about as ignominious an end as you can get), the rise of Hyundai, Kia and, to a lesser extent, even good old SsangYong, is inevitable.
The Koreans are coming. I just hope they start making better cars than this. - The Independent, London