Hyundai Sonata 2001 test drive - 2004 sedan

Take it above

If you believe the name - Sonata V, then since the premiere of the first car with this aristocratic musical name, Koreans managed to show the world as many as the model of the model. In fact, the situation is a little different. For thirteen years, only three generations have changed: Sonata I, Sonata II and Sonata IV. And the third and latest five sonatas appeared as a result of modernization, and far from global.
 

It is curious that the development of a fourth -generation machine went in two ways. In one direction, Hyundai specials worked, in the other - their colleagues from the Kia branch, who prepared their Magentis on its basis. As a result, Sonata V and Magentis differ only in body design and suspension settings, as well as a set of engines and gearboxes. Inside, the design of cars is the same, except that Hyundai is decorated and equipped with richer. Anyway, during the test I was repeatedly visited by the idea that the priority task when switching from the fourth sonata was an increase in the class of machine. And even more to distance it from the lantra and bring it closer to the XG model.
 

Hence - a double head optics and a magnificent cladding of the radiator. Hence the hood of the hood for Jaguar and a two -story air intake for Audi. And chrome, chrome, chrome - to shine more. You can’t call this pseudo-euthorbia badly, but it looks very Korean. The same applies to the most attractive element of the exterior - the posterior lamps in which the overall lights and feet signals are made in the form of cheerful sun with diverging rays. It would look very harmonious on the streets of Bangkok or Hong Kong, where neon signs turn the night a day.
 

The craving for the beautiful is felt inside. At first glance, it is not even clear what the cabin has more in the cabin - dark gray plastic or finishing for a nut. Sonata captivates with his concern for the convenience for passengers, although the lion's share of this attention is still paid to the driver. Setting in a soft seat with the adjustment of the angle of inclination of the pillow and heated, I begin to survey the surroundings. Before my eyes - a straightforward, but well -readable dashboard and a steering wheel adjustable in height with a pillow of safety in it (a neighbor has its own).
 

In the central console in the zone of the best reach, there are a simple radio tape recorder and a microclimate control unit with very comfortable circle handles. Under the right hand - a armrest with boxing, just below the large lid, two different -caliber cup holders are hidden. Nearby is the sequental machine selector lever. Does the master deign to switch personally? We can and the left hand itself disposes of the buttons of the electric package, as well as the buttons of the remote control of the locks of the gas tank and the lid of the trunk. True, the handle on the door went somewhere back, and when landing in the car each time you have to turn the brush. There is an eye on the ceiling, and in the right visor there is a slot for tickets (!). Probably those in the move on paid autobahns. This is the first time for me to see.
 

Probably, it is worth mentioning several important options - in my opinion, they eloquently talk about the increased claims of the car. The list of custom -made equipment includes xenon headlights, glazing of the body with protection against ultraviolet rays, an anti -boom system, servo drives of a driver's seat and a built -in children's seat.
 
He rode from behind. Here's what I can say: it is good to sit here. So the picket fence of the headrests spoils the visibility of the driver for nothing. But to make sure who sits ahead will not hurt: a tall person can move away and sharply limit the freedom of your legs. Yes, and yet: the door handrails here are as unsuccessful as ahead.
 

There is nothing to praise the trunk. The strongly protruding arches of the rear wheels not only made a cargo platform, but also ate a significant part of the internal volume. 375 liters - for the sedan such sizes will not be enough. For comparison: the same number climbs into the ninety -ninth. One consolation is the back of the rear seat folding in an unequal proportion. This car is one of the first to be official in Russia. It is equipped with a two -liter Sirius II motor, familiar from the previous generation cars. A little later, versions with a 2.7-liter V6 engine, which is already installed on Santa Fe and Trajet, is expected. But the automatic transmission Tiptronic with the possibility of manual switching only now appeared on the sonata.
 

More recently, we went to the XG25 with such a box, and, I remember, the coherence of the motor and transmission conquered us. The car behaved no worse than Audi with the same Testronics! What will happen now?
 
The machine did not disappoint. Boyko responds to the movements of the gas pedal, quickly adjusts the nature of the switching to the driving style, and it extinguishes the speed when dumping gas. One thing does not work out for him: transitions to the transfer below when the engine speed falls. But the engine for equal cooperation with such a box does not have enough torque. That is, elementary liters. You will have a stronger gas, and the acceleration of the first moments is sluggish - and begins to gradually increase only from average revolutions. Therefore, sharp maneuvers are best done manually. Then Tiptronic holds the engine in each gear to the red tachometer zone, and only then the next number lights up in the indicator on the dashboard. The reactions of the machine to the actions of the accelerator are even more logical, it becomes possible to fully inhibition of the engine. There are no comments on the standard brakes.
 

Sonata is especially successful with the role of a track car. At three -digit speeds, the car sticks to the road, the steering wheel clearly holds zero, in corners it is poured with jet force. The suspension perfectly damps all the irregularities, allowing a slight buildup on large waves. In the urban environment, it becomes obvious that the smoothness of the course is partially donated in the name of better handling. Small asphalt ulcers still ignores the car, but the pits are larger than the body is regularly read. Especially the suspension does not like the transverse joints on which the machine shudders with the whole body. At the same time, the connection of the driver and the car is very reliable and understandable. The steering is not sharp, but quite fast and accurate. The reverse effect on the steering wheel is steadily increasing with increasing speed and a decrease in the radius of curvature of the trajectory. And only when approaching the limit, when the tires are about to break into a side sliding, the steering wheel is empty, leaving the driver in ignorance of what is happening under the wheels. So you need to drive wisely without bringing the matter to extremes.
 
If this car has interested you, you should not put off the purchase in a long box. The sixth sonata will sound in 2003, and no one knows what it will be.
 
 
 
   

 
 

Source: Wheel magazine [No. 51/2001]