THIS is an all-new Hyundai Sonata and it is already winning global awards. In August this year, this Hyundai Sonata got the top number of votes for the Wards 10 Best UX awards event and this Hyundai Sonata was honored as the winner at the recent Summer Festival of Automotive.
This all-new Sonata executive sedan has just arrived in Malaysia and it competes directly with the Mazda6 which is priced from RM173,659, the latest Honda Accord which is priced at RM185,900 and the Toyota Camry which retails for RM189,900. This Sonata at RM189,888 is priced right up against the popular Camry.
So far, it looks like the Camry is the oldest contender with the Accord just being launched in February this year and the revised GVC ready Mazda6 arriving late last year. This is the D-segment in automotive terms and it is a shrinking segment as buyers come into showrooms looking for a large sedan and very often leave with a booking made for a SUV. Yes, all these brands mentioned here also have SUVs in the showroom and priced very close to their sedans. So, for most sedan car buyers, after seeing and test driving a sedan, they will be drawn to the SUV, which will deliver more ‘metal’ at the same or even lesser asking price.
This is why you see more SUVs on our roads today.
Well, Hyundai marketers know this and this is why they are not pushing hard for this new Sonata. Still, this is an interesting product and let us share some of its features with you.
Here are some of the technical improvements Hyundai Motors have made to their flagship sedan. Hyundai designers have delivered an absolutely gorgeous new Sonata that employs Hyundai’s latest Sensuous Sportiness design philosophy, ditching the Fluidic Sculpture of the yesteryears.
This new Sonata sports a premium 4-door coupé like look with a wheelbase of 2840mm, a width of 1860mm, and overall length of 4900mm and 510 litres of usable boot space.
Inside this new Sonata you get a lot of equipment starting with a 12.3” digital instrument cluster, an 8” infotainment unit with Apple Carplay and Android Auto, a wireless Qi charging dock, a heads-up display, a panoramic sunroof, 10-way power adjustable driver seat with memory function, and so much more.
Two new innovations inside this Sonata are the wireless Qi charger and blindspot monitor. The wireless Qi charger in the Sonata has ventilation ports. When it detects that the phone is getting too warm, cool air is passed through these ports to bring the phone’s temperature down. The blindspot monitor function displays a wide angle camera feed to the digital instrument cluster whenever the signals are engaged. It is really quite cool, and it helps drivers get the information they need without much eye movement.
Hyundai has installed its latest Smartstream powertrain. This engine makes extensive use of aluminium and also employ Continuously Variable Valve Duration (CVVD) technology – a world’s first. CVVD controls the length of time the valves stay open to reduce compression resistance when driving economically. When more power is required, the intake valve is closed at the beginning of the compression stroke to maximise the amount of air used for the explosion, enhancing torque to improve acceleration. In short, this allows the Smartstream G2.5 engine to have 4% better performance, 5% better fuel efficiency and 12% better emissions.
This latest Sonata is in Hyundai Malaysia showrooms right now and a test drive will not hurt, right? – The Vibes, November 9, 2020
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