Hyundai Sonata 2001 test drive - 2004 sedan

A hint of more

Perhaps, Hyundai has been working most fruitfully among Korean automakers in recent years. Her unpretentious, very reliable and comfortable models have already managed to find their fans in Russia, moreover, they often make up a worthy alternative to cars of more eminent brands.


Being a person with very conservative (on the verge of retrograde) by car addictions, for a long time I did not pay attention to the products of the Korean auto industry. Although I could not help but note that on our roads it came across more and more often. At some point, all this began to resemble a real expansion ...


In Moscow, in August, a quiet, but rather confident debut of Hyundai Sonata V, as follows from the marking, is the fifth generation of the car. The new model differs from the previous one not only by appearance and size (the machine has become wider) but also better interior decoration. As for the appearance, then, in my opinion, it turned out to be very balanced in moderation solid, slightly conservative, and at the same time quite original. Most likely, the car will have the heart and traditionalists, and those who are trying to keep up with time.


Sonata V is remembered thanks to the textured frontal part, which looks very attractive at any angle. An increasingly fashionable four -eyed, combined with a sharply defined false radiator grille, a claim to a higher class. It is worth saying that the top version of the model is equipped with a 2.7-liter V6 engine. However, the car provided for the test was more modest with a in -line two -liter four and a four -speed automatic with the possibility of manual switching. From here we will start.


The head of the selector lever lies well in the hand, but turning on the rear gear was inconvenient. The lock button is flush with a hemispherical surface, and you can press it only on top. Only turning the hand of the hand with the palm up, it will be possible to drown the button in the theme of the plastic skull of the lever with the thumb. However, such flaws have little effect on the overall picture. Planting in the car does not cause difficulties, but the first step should be very energetic seats mounted quite deeply from the doorways. When landing from the car (especially from the front places), long -legged outerwear may suffer. Mechanical seats adjustments, the location of the handles is familiar, the efforts on them are minimal.


There is a remark to the steering wheel. It’s nice to hold it in your hands, does not block the devices, has a minimum of two bug options, but the material is quite slippery especially in cool weather. However, this is not such a serious drawback just to find fault with nothing more.


I conquer the engine. As in most cars of this class, it is absolutely silent at idle. Only flashed and extinct control lights and a tachometer arrow, frozen at the mark of 1000 rpm, are reminiscent of his work. The neutral font of the devices is easily read, arrows made of matte red plastic are clearly visible. I advance several times to the accelerator the motor is gaining momentum, but the acoustic situation in the cabin almost does not change. The unpretentious Hyundai brand radio in a completely presentable interior Sonata looks pale, but it is easily controlled, and its tuner has a decent sensitivity in the FM band. There are four speakers, all broadband, with obvious predominance of medium and low frequencies, which can be partially compensated by appropriate adjustments. The finish of the front panel, the instrument and doors shield is quite restrained, everywhere containers for road trifles. It is easy to control the microclimate using the usual rotating regulators in the central part of the torpedo.


The review, like almost all modern cars, is not bad, the front racks and frames of doors interfere a little. But both internal and external mirrors are unconditionally good.


On the front seats is equally spacious both right and left. Behind the expanse and comfort can be discussed only by being a maximum of together in the seat. The electrified hatch helps visually add the volume of the cabin. The trunk of the rear side and a significant width of the lid will satisfy even a taxi driver unconditionally good.


The selector to position D, I release the brake, and the car rolls at idle. The car accelerates well, but you can’t call the acceleration vigorous. However, for those who love the hotter, there is a top version mentioned above. In the flow, the car behaves confidently, but not sparkling the rate is made for comfort, smoothness and ease of control. The impressions are generally positive, the car only slightly shocks on irregularities (for example, on particularly sloppy patches). On Sonata V there is no desire to blame all the nonsense in corners, although this is an accessible transmission, I recall, it is equipped with an adaptive function and allows you to manually switch the gears. To do this, next to the main trajectory of the selector there is a small path with symbols + and -. The inclined gear is displayed on the dashboard.


In the deserted space, I still decide to understand the capabilities of the Michelin rubber car with a developed universal tread pattern, this allows this. A frisky set of revolutions is up to about five and a half thousand, the transition to the second, again acceleration until the limiter is triggered in the region of 5700, a confident slowdown with about 130 km/h, the reversal ... more, then I also like it. The rolls in the bends are moderate, the sharpness of the steering wheel is on top, the efforts on the pedals are minimal and remarkably small radius of rotation. Unless the low -located front bumper can catch on the curb. In general, it makes no sense to pull the veins out of this car, but it’s just that you calmly and with dignity to work and vice versa, content with the benefits that official dealers offer for $ 20,000.
 

Egor Karpunin
 
  

Source: Motor magazine [December 2001]