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My wife\u2019s sofas are littered with pillows inscribed with clever sayings. My favorite: \u201cI know I\u2019m efficient. Tell me I\u2019m beautiful.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Hyundai Sonata reminds me of that pillow.<\/p>\n
Efficient, affordable and reliable, the Sonata suddenly showed up in 2009 looking gorgeous. We gaped at it. We purred over it. We bought it. Dubbed the YF in Hyundai\u2019s internal nomenclature, the midsize sedan wasn\u2019t so much a sonata as it was a rock \u2018n\u2019 roll cantata. With a raked nose, open grill, and deep body creases that resembled hollow cheekbones, the Sonata arrived like Mick Jagger kicking in the stage door and singing \u201cStart Me Up\u201d at a violin recital. The docile, middle-aged, midsize sedan segment gasped. And then, irresistibly, they started to tap their feet. Start me up … and don\u2019t stop!<\/p>\n
\u201cThe YF put us on the map in terms of volume,\u201d says Mike O\u2019Brien, Hyundai Product VP for North America.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe last Sonata got us into the party,\u201d says O\u2019Brien. \u201cThe new one gets us invited back.\u201d<\/p>\n
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A lot has happened since the 2009 model. To be specific, the Genesis happened. No, not the Genesis Coupe, but Hyundai\u2019s sexy, Euro-styled, Genesis luxury sedan (why two different vehicles in Hyundai\u2019s lineup share a name is a mystery). The Genesis moves the Korean brand uptown in the U.S. market. The last gen Sonata\u2019s daring, slashing architecture inspired other, smaller Hyundai drones \u2014\u00a0Elantra Now the Sonata steps to the beat of the Genesis. Where the Sonata pioneered Hyundai\u2019s \u201cFluidic Sculpture\u201d design philosophy, the Genesis sets the tone of Fluidic Design 2.0. The rest of the lineup will surely follow.<\/p>\n The Sonata\u2019s familiar, fluidic design riffs are still in evidence but have been tidied, tucked, trimmed. Like Jagger singing in a coat and tie at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the rebel is now the establishment.<\/p>\n Like the Genesis, the new LF Sonata\u2019s grille is more upright. The deep, racy shoulder lines have been pulled straight. \u201cFluidic Sculpture 2.0 is more modern, more detail-oriented,\u201d says O\u2019Brien, a former Ford and Toyota engineer. \u201cIt\u2019s elevated to a more premium level. If the YF was a big, showy diamond, the LF is a smaller cut of higher quality.\u201d<\/p>\n The conservative upgrade is echoed inside the Sonata\u2019s swept, coupe-like greenhouse. With rolling edges and a slashing, vertical console, the outgoing Sonata\u2019s interior mirrored its loud exterior. The 2015 model is less busy, more harmonious. Piano-black keys and soft vinyl bring premium refinement across an intuitive, zen landscape. Like horizontal seams across a rock face, parallel lines unify the dash. Beginning left of the steering wheel, horizontally arranged driver assist buttons (governing traction and lane assist) give way to an elegant instrument panel. Seamlessly, the eye moves right to orderly radio and climate controls. A horizon of soft vinyl continues across the glove box, you … are … getting … sleepy … zzzzzz.<\/p>\n OK, so fans of the previous generation may want a little more interior pizzazz. But Hyundai has concentrated the new car\u2019s innovation deeper under the skin.<\/p>\n Like Ford and its Fusion, Hyundai has nixed a V6 from its engine options. Not just banished it. Buried it. With an engine bay designed with only fuel-efficient, four-bangers in mind, the Sonata opens more space for the rest of the chassis to accommodate passengers. The result: the best interior room in class \u2014 a yawning 122.4 cubic feet. With the front seat back, I can stretch my 6-foot-5-inch frame to full length \u2014 yet the 6-foot-5-inch bloke behind me can still comfortably sit upright, his knees just touching the seat back in front of him.<\/p>\n The benefits extend to the also-roomiest-in-class trunk. Open it and you need a spelunker guide with a torch to find its nether reaches.<\/p>\n Back up, you say. What was that about no V6 option? How are you supposed to lug around all that acreage without upgrading the Sonata\u2019s stock 2.4-liter and 2.0-liter engine options?<\/p>\n Okay, if you\u2019ve come to the midsize class with performance in mind, you might want to keep on walking. The\u00a0Mazda Still, the Sonata four-holers \u2014 185 and 245 horsepower, respectively \u2014 provide plenty of giddyap. What\u2019s more, you can flog the four hamsters with minimal intrusion into the cabin thanks to the Korean sedan\u2019s superb chassis upgrade. With 40 percent more steel enforcement and a sealed underbelly, the 2015 Sonata barreled over the carriage-rutted roads of Ypsilanti Township with little clatter. Try that in the previous generation YF.<\/p>\n Which leads me to the Sonata\u2019s last clever secret: a turbocharged, 1.6-liter engine offered only in the sedan\u2019s so-called \u201cEco\u201d trim.<\/p>\n Paired with a seven-gear, dual-clutch transmission, this little gem \u2014 combined with my lead right foot \u2014 terrorized Ypsilanti while still recording 32 miles per gallon. Yet, the Eco model \u2014 in typical Hyundai fashion \u2014 comes in at a surprisingly cheap $27,275. Hybrids should shudder at such performance \u2014 beginning with $32,785, 38 mpg Sonata hybrid. Do the math.<\/p>\n The crisp, elegant Sonata is a statement that the Hyundai is here to stay. Its bread and butter sedan is a match for anything in the segment \u2014 and at a cheaper price with the Sonata $1,200 cheaper on average than key competitors.<\/p>\n Hyundai\u2019s challenges are elsewhere on the menu. The Genesis wants to gain a foothold in the cut-throat lux market while the\u00a0Tucson The Sonata is runner-up (behind the Chevy Malibu) in JD Power\u2019s Initial Quality Survey. It\u2019s a leader in value. A leader in interior space. Yes, the Sonata is efficient. Just don\u2019t call it beautiful. Handsome will do.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/images.intellitxt.com\/ast\/adTypes\/icon1.png\")
<\/a>, Accent \u2014 to ambush their segments as well.<\/p>\n<\/a>\u00a06 has more nimble handling. Chrysler\u2019s curvy, all-wheel drive 200 sports a throaty, 295 horsepower, 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 that will better slake your thirst for speed.<\/p>\n<\/a>\u00a0struggles to get traction in the red hot, small crossover segment. Indeed, just as Sonata has gained sedan market share, families are moving away<\/a>\u00a0from sedans and into crossovers.<\/p>\n