The new Sonata has doffed its stately image, however, for a much sportier one. Then again, it's not attempting to take on the
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| The new Sonata has doffed its stately image, however, for a much sportier one. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
likes of the Mazda6 or Nissan Altima for sports sedan buyers, as no manual transmission will be offered with its 6-cylinder engine, but compared to a current
Toyota Camry or
Honda Accord, the new Sonata looks lithe and limber, capable of taking on hill, dale, undulating underpass or bending byway, serpentine S-curves or seemingly unending freeway straights, at high speed. To that end, the Sonata doesn't merely talk the sport sedan talk, but it unabashedly walks the walk. The winding coastal roadways north of San Francisco, which included the stunningly picturesque Highway 1, were ideal test-beds for the new Hyundai. Not only are these routes overly circuitous, but during some stretches pavement is at a premium, making driver and passenger appreciative of a compliant suspension. Despite the heroic ride quality, the Sonata was even more confidence inspiring through the corners. Body lean was surprisingly limited, tire squeal only noticeable when the
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| The winding coastal roadways north of San Francisco were ideal test-beds for the new Hyundai. In this photo, a 2005 Sonata (white) drives in front of the new 2006. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
car began to understeer slightly, and then only as a precautionary measure necessary to impress upon the driver that inertia must eventually pay tribute to the forces of gravity. In other words, this thing handles so well that the aggressively piloted BMW 5-Series to my rear was never once held up by the comparatively "pedestrian" Hyundai. I use the somewhat derogatory term only because Hyundais have long been respected for value, but by the general populace, never considered to be driver's cars per se. The new Sonata, like the sporty compact Tucson SUV that was launched earlier this year, will go far in redefining the South Korean brand's image.
