The 2011 Hyundai Sonata is a great car and I stand by it 100%. That may not be exactly a profound statement but coming from an avid car lover who previously thought that Hyundai was for the uniformed car buyer, it means alot. To me, Hyundai was a default purchase for someone who did not want to spend a lot of money, didn’t care too much about style, and was more concerned with frugality rather than fun. However, the 2011 Hyundai Sonata is going after the big dogs now. This redesigned model is after Honda, Toyota, Chevy, Ford, and anyone else in their way. Let’s see what makes this newfound competitor such a powerhouse.
First of all, you have to
see this thing. Beautiful body lines that flow into a sculpted rear design make the new model almost the antithesis to the old model’s ambiguous nature. Opt for the bigger wheels on the Sport model and this car, a Hyundai, looks…dare we say…attractive? Yes indeed, and to add to that there is an all-new 2. 4 liter direct-injected four-cylinder that makes 200 horsepower in the Sport model (dual exhaust accounts for the 2 hp upgrade from the 198 hp in the base model).
Acceleration is decent for a 4-cylinder car but doesn’t blow you away. Handling is overall controlled, but there is a certain amount of body roll but again, this is a mid-sized family car, not a sports car. Brakes stop the car well ...