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Hyundai is growing up, and getting bold. You can see it in the confidence with which they talk about their vehicles; the way executives smile when they think about debuting seven new models during the next two years. Perhaps the confidence comes from knowing you have a can't-miss car on the way. If so, Hyundai executives are smiling today, and the car they're smiling about is the 2006 Sonata. Here, at first blush, is a car that goes squarely to purpose and subtlety of style, a car made to be bought on the merits of driving it, rather than the subjective wind-talk of image and identity.
Value is, after all, a personal thing. Introduced at the 2005 North American International Auto Show, the Hyundai Sonata looks as if it just may be subtle enough to do battle with the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry. Subtly is important: often the subtle difference between cars is what creates the yawning gulf between winners and losers, between what you buy and the cars you mock. To that end, the true test for the Sonata will be the drive, how the car rattles and hums around corners, and whether the interior feels rich and comfortable or fuzzy and cheap. Judging from the show stage, the Sonata may well have the grown-up style to get noticed. It seems certain to impress buyers with features such as standard side curtain airbags, a roomy interior and a price that will come in under $20,000.
Make that well under $20,000, at least according to Robert Cosmai, president and CEO of Hyundai Motor America. Though Cosmai clearly relishes the idea of a low price, he spent most of his time talking about the car and the way it is to be built. Here is a man who has every expectation that a quality car will be built by the good folk in Montgomery, Alabama. For that price under $20,000 - make that well under -- buyers will get six standard airbags and a choice of engines: a 2.4-liter inline four-cylinder engine, rated at 160 horsepower and a 3.3-liter V6 engine making more than 220 horsepower. Both engines are new. Buyers will have their choice between a five-speed manual and a four-speed Shiftronic automatic. The Sonata also includes standard Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Traction Control System (TCS), and standard ABS with Electronic Brake Force Distribution (EBD). It's a good thing that the Sonata has so many safety features - it sure seems like a lot of car to stop. With 120 cubic feet more room inside than many competitors, the 2006 Sonata is two inches longer, two inches taller, and features a one-inch longer wheelbase.
Yep, it's a big car that doesn't look that big, for a company that's growing bigger every day. If the thing drives nicely, it will likely be one of the best buys to come this way in awhile - or at least until the next generation Honda Civic debuts.
--By Brian Chee
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