The award-winning Sonata is Hyundai's mid-size bread and butter sedan, which for 2009 just got a little sweeter. Warm out of the oven, the '09 Sonata exhibits revised front and rear fascias along with a revamped interior. The changes also include a little more yeast under the hood in both V6 and I4 configurations.
Increased visual sophistication
The exterior redesign for 2009 has given the Sonata a slightly more refined, upscale appearance. While the overall effect is subtle it enhances the clean, proportionate lines of the car sufficiently to maintain visual freshness.
The cabin is where the pen had its greatest influence. In keeping with the elevated exterior sophistication, the interior has gone "Lexus." Well perhaps not all the way, but Hyundai should be complimented for the retooling; it's substantial in nature, and moves the car into a much higher sphere of interior quality and design.
Most noticeable is a new flowing dashboard and an integrated centre stack. Instrument layout is logical and easy to interpret. If there's a nod to the former design, it's applies to the rotary HVAC knobs, which have been dropped in favor of rocker buttons. As far as I'm concerned, man has yet to find anything superior to rotary dials for adjusting air temperature and flow.
More punch from both engines
The base Sonata engine is a 4-cylinder affair, which for 2009 places 175-horsepower beneath the hood- 13 more ponies than the 2008 version. My Limited tester was endowed with Hyundai's smooth as silk 3.3-litre Lambda powerplant.
This mill now delivers 249-horsepower @ 6,000 rpm and 229 pound-feet of torque @ 4,500 rpm. That's an increase of 15 horsepower and 3 pound-feet of torque over last year's output, which shows itself when the right foot drops.
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| The 2009 Sonata Limited is a tremendously satisfying car to drive. |
Increased visual sophistication
The exterior redesign for 2009 has given the Sonata a slightly more refined, upscale appearance. While the overall effect is subtle it enhances the clean, proportionate lines of the car sufficiently to maintain visual freshness.
The cabin is where the pen had its greatest influence. In keeping with the elevated exterior sophistication, the interior has gone "Lexus." Well perhaps not all the way, but Hyundai should be complimented for the retooling; it's substantial in nature, and moves the car into a much higher sphere of interior quality and design.
Most noticeable is a new flowing dashboard and an integrated centre stack. Instrument layout is logical and easy to interpret. If there's a nod to the former design, it's applies to the rotary HVAC knobs, which have been dropped in favor of rocker buttons. As far as I'm concerned, man has yet to find anything superior to rotary dials for adjusting air temperature and flow.
More punch from both engines
The base Sonata engine is a 4-cylinder affair, which for 2009 places 175-horsepower beneath the hood- 13 more ponies than the 2008 version. My Limited tester was endowed with Hyundai's smooth as silk 3.3-litre Lambda powerplant.
This mill now delivers 249-horsepower @ 6,000 rpm and 229 pound-feet of torque @ 4,500 rpm. That's an increase of 15 horsepower and 3 pound-feet of torque over last year's output, which shows itself when the right foot drops.
 |
| The cabin is where the pen had its greatest influence. |