2011 Hyundai Sonata 2.0T Turbo Review

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2011 Hyundai Sonata 2.0T Turbo Review – First Drive
Hyundai achieves an industry first, packing the terms “turbocharged” and “value” in a mid-size sedan

The Hyundai Sonata has gone from complete obscurity to overnight sensation, but the trip from second-rate rental car lots to one of America’s Top 3 mid-size sedans was a long one. With every generation getting better engineered and more attractive, the 2010 Sonata seems to be Hyundai’s opus.

The launch of the current Sonata, in the midst of a recession, was a gamble for Hyundai in itself. No one was quite sure how customers in this typically conservative segment would react to its swoopy, Mercedes-like styling and only one engine option, an adequate but not exactly soul-stirring 2.4L 4-cylinder engine – even if it did deliver the most power in its class.

BEST-IN-CLASS POWER AND FUEL ECONOMY

For 2011, Hyundai is offering more power, but chose to stick to their guns by not offering a V6. Instead, the hottest Sonata is motivated by a 2.0-liter 274-horsepower four-cylinder engine, with a 6-speed automatic gearbox putting power to the front wheels. The horsepower figure is just ahead of 6-cylinder offerings from Honda, Nissan, Toyota, Ford and Chevrolet. Turbo four engines in cars like the Volkswagen Passat and Buick Regal offer significantly less power to boot, despite identical displacement. Hyundai’s quantitative edge extends to fuel economy, where the Sonata is capable of getting 22-mpg in the city and 33-mpg on the highway, figures that none of the other rivals can match.

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