By Christopher A. Sawyer
The Virtual Driver

(July 11, 2014) The last generation Sonata put Hyundai at the forefront of the styling sweepstakes. That car had a bold, prominent spear-like character line that swept across the car’s otherwise slab-sided flanks, and gave it character and presence it otherwise lacked. It also broke the mold that had Sonata styling caught in the box it came in; they were as aerodynamic as a brick.

This more effusive styling, coupled with Hyundai’s relentless drive to add high-value safety and technology items for a low price, made it a strong contender in the midsize segment; it was talked about in the same breath as the class leaders from Toyota and Honda, and seen as being on par with cars like the Chevy Malibu and Ford Fusion.



It didn’t matter that the powertrains were a bit noisy and less refined than, say, Toyota and Honda, or that the car was not up to class leading standards in terms of vehicle dynamics. (The steering was especially poor, and the ride needed help.) It looked good and had a lot of stuff for the money. That was enough for most buyers.

In this light, the 2015 Sonata is a big departure. It is not as brash or bold as the car it replaces. It draws from its big brother, the luxury Genesis sedan, in terms of its interior and exterior styling as well as some of its technology, and is both quieter and nicer to drive. There’s still a lot of stuff for the money, but the car is quieter and the ride and handling are greatly improved.

Hyundai engineers even rethought the steering system, making the car steer like it was built in this century, not early in the last one. This is one of the most competitive segments in the auto industry,” says Mike O’Brien, vice president, Corporate & Product Planning, Hyundai Motor America.

“To stay competitive, we had to not only make improvements where we normally do (noise, vibration and harshness (NVH); light weight with high structural rigidity; and features for the dollar), we had look at what was happening in the midsize segment, in the segment above and at what the customer wants/will want.” In other words, bold styling wasn’t enough.

New to the lineup is the Sonata Eco, which will be Hyundai’s highest mileage Sonata until the hybrid model launches next year. It is powered by a 1.6-liter turbocharged and direct injected inline four-cylinder engine mated to a Hyundai-designed, seven-speed, dual clutch automatic transmission (DCT).

Turbocharged Eco motor is direct competitor to Ford Fusion's 1.5-liter EcoBoost, but has the advantage of a DCT

EPA estimated fuel economy for this combination is 28 city/38 highway/32 combined, which is only slightly above the Sonata SE’s 25/37/29 EPA rating.

The smaller four pumps out 177 horsepower at 5,500 rpm, and 195 lb-ft of torque from 1,500-4,500 rpm. In comparison, the 2.4-liter four-cylinder (standard on all but the Eco and Sport models) produces 185 hp at 6,000 rpm and 178 lb-ft at 4,000 rpm.

Hyundai says the dual clutch automatic transmission is responsible for a 6%-7% improvement in fuel economy, and a 3%-7% reduction in the Eco’s 0-60 mph acceleration time when compared to a conventional automatic like the six-speed used on all other Sonata models. Unfortunately, the mass market buyer doesn’t particularly like the feel or idiosyncrasies of a DCT (they can roll back on inclines if you let your foot off the brake, shifts can be more abrupt, and use of a software program focused on fuel economy can make them slow to respond to up- and downshifts), so the Eco model will be the only Sonata to get this transmission until a beefier unit is added to the Sport model in about two years. Until it does, buyers will have to be satisfied with the Sport’s steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters being mated to a conventional automatic.

When — and if — it arrives, that more robust DCT gearbox will be mated to the same 2.0-liter turbocharged, direct-injected four-cylinder engine . It produces 245 hp at 6,000 rpm, and 260 lb-ft of torque from 1,350-4,000 rpm. Sharp-eyed readers will note that these numbers are lower than last year, though the torque peak is available over a broader rpm range. This was done to improve the car’s acceleration response in everyday driving, and to give it more grunt when accelerating out of corners.

Quite honestly, in our test drive in and around Montgomery, Ala., we were hard-pressed to notice much difference in acceleration. The car doesn’t feel quite as quick, but much of that is due to the fact that the engine is quieter and less peaky; it builds up speed instead of arriving with a noisy rush as revs rise.

Another big change for the Sport model is the use of a dual-pinion rack-mounted electric power steering system with a stiffer rack for improved responsiveness. “We knew the steering wasn’t good enough on the [last] Sonata due to the tolerance stack-up in the column-mount design,” says O’Brien, “so we specified a rack-mount unit early on in the program.”

Despite this, development continued on the column-mount design used previously in hopes of improving steering response at a lower cost. Engineers increased the rigidity of both the column and shaft, and moved from a 16-bit to 32-bit controller. “Everyone was surprised by the gains the team made on the older unit,” says O’Brien, “but we continued on a two-track approach, placing the rack-mount unit in the Sport model due to its better on-center response and feel, despite its higher cost.”



There’s more to the ride and handling improvements than the power steering, though. The amount of advanced high-strength steel in the structure has increased from 21% to 51%, and structural adhesive bonding jumped from 11 meters of bond area to 119. Torsional rigidity has improved 41%, while bending rigidity increased 31%. VW’s Passat, which is in the Sonata’s secondary competitive set, was benchmarked for its combination of solidity and premium feel. And, on Alabama’s exceptionally smooth roads, the Sonata does feel more solid, if somewhat lagging in terms of the solidity cars like the Passat exhibit.

These roads also showed that the suspension improvements have borne fruit. Hyundai engineers revised the front wheel geometry, retained the MacPherson struts used on the previous model, and increased the bearing stiffness. The four-link independent rear suspension design uses a dual lower arm in place of the single arm used on the old car.

The wheelbase was increased by 1.3 inches to 110.3 inches, the same as VW’s U.S. Passat, to improve stability, high-speed turn-in and increase interior leg room. And on the roads around Montgomery, the new Sonata felt much more planted, secure, and capable. It is not, however, perfect. Over bumps and road irregularities in both the Limited and Sport models, it was possible to feel the slight movement of the front subframe on its bushings, the similar movement of the rear suspension on its, and the spring/damper combination is not always capable of handling everything thrown at it. It is by no means substandard, and a bit of judicious tuning would turn the new Sonata from a nice, quiet, safe family car into a class leading, comfortable, and fun-to-drive midsize sedan buyers adore. If there’s still time left on the contract they have with Lotus Engineering and Matthew Becker, Hyundai should use it in order to firmly establish itself in the top rank.

The changes made to the interior, however, have really moved the plot forward. The flash of the old car is gone, replaced by an interior that borrows some of its shapes from the Genesis sedan. Material quality is higher, and the soft-touch areas feel nice while the hard plastic surfaces are fewer and better executed.

Our Limited model was fitted with a handsome black/brown interior that looked and felt expensive, and was surprisingly quiet. Half way through the morning drive, we realized the sun shade for the panoramic sunroof (part of the $3,500 Tech Package) was open, and that we hadn’t even noticed as both the road/wind noise and the sun were muted. We didn’t make the same mistake with the Sport we drove after lunch.

The Sport model is more composed, quieter, and handles better than its predecessor. It has lost most of the “boy racer” personality, and replaced it with a solidity that is (slightly) more European than Asian. Torque steer has been tamed in most situations, and the car accelerates with greater low-end urge than before. That said, it seems to run out of a bit of steam as the revs increase. Under most conditions, this will never be noticed, and the tradeoff is one that will be appreciated in the normal cut-and-thrust of traffic and when entering the freeway. The engine now has torque when you need it.

Both cars were well equipped, and stickered for $32,385 (Limited) and $34,335 (Sport). Automakers typically put their best foot forward on launch programs, and Hyundai is no exception. It’s rare to drive a car that’s not highly optioned.

Apple Car Play is an option, and includes Siri voice control

Nevertheless, the basic package is vastly improved over its predecessor, much closer to the top of the segment than before, and does not have to rely on flash to draw customers into the showroom.

It is possible, however, that Hyundai’s more muted styling language won’t appeal to buyers over the longer term as it doesn’t have the visual punch of its predecessor or even some of its competition. Sales numbers and the level of change made during the car’s mid-cycle refresh will prove whether Hyundai took the right direction with the new Sonata.

Just in case, Hyundai hasn’t turned its back on its other trump card: Value for the money. Order the Tech Package, for example, and you get Smart Cruise Control with full stop/start capability, Lane Departure Warning, Forward Collision Warning, Electronic Parking Brake with Automatic Vehicle Hold, Automatic High Beam Control and Rear Parking Assistance. In addition, Lane Change Assist, Blind Spot Detection, Rear Cross Traffic Alert, a hands-free Smart Trunk, heated steering wheel, rear side sun shades, heated front and rear seats, LED interior lighting, Apple Car Play and Google Android Solution, and a driver knee airbag also are available.

All of this adds up to a competitive entry in the midsize sedan market, and one that does not have to reply on its flashy clothes to draw the attention of buyers. Whether that will be enough remains to be seen.

Top photo by Christopher A. Sawyer
The Virtual Driver