2011 Hyundai Sonata Road Trip Review

The Hyundai Sonata made a splash with its debut back in 2010. Its sleek exterior design and fluid, yet quality interior made an caught people's attention so that people would explore more of the Sonata's good virtues that carries over from the last generation, such as a comfortable ride, stable and quiet highway cruising, and good value.

Design and Quality

There's no arguing that the exterior design of the Sonata makes and impression. Prominent lines highlight the coupe-like shape of this sedan. Exaggerated lighting elements complete the fashionable look. I prefer more cab-rearward  proportions (the Sonata looks to front wheel drive in my opinion), but this bold design really captures your heart. I would recommend a darker color though, as my rental's white made it look somewhat cheap.

Inside, the textures of the plastics were excellently luxurious. Controls were easy to use and elegant, but the blue backlighting can hard to see at night. I especially like the gauges, which were backlit white and blue even on my base GLS trim level with no options except for an automatic transmission. 

There were three things I did not particularly fancy. One was the plastic cladding meant look like the woven headliner on the window pillars. They look and feel much more cheaper than the other materials in the car. The other is the windows themselves: they're small. It's not hard to see out, but other sedans give you more glass to look out of. Also, the windshield starts distorting things pretty seriously at the bottom fifth or so. The final thing I didn't like is mos likely exclusive to only a few other Sonatas, if any. The glove box door wouldn't shut completely and the light inside would illuminate forever. Fortunately, I did manage to slam it shut. Nobody in my family dared to open the glove box again. It wasn't anything serious, but it did not help me with my image of Hyundai.


Driving and Riding

Of course, I am still three years under the legal age in which you can get a driver's license. Due to that fact, I can not report on how fun to drive this car is, a top priority for every family buying a car (sarcasm). Anyways, the ride is comfortable and surprisingly controlled. At high speeds, there is not much noise, and the car feels extremely stable, but a little wind noise comes through. And when I say high speeds, I mean over a hundred miles per hour. Interstate 70 during the wintertime is eerily empty... 

Also, on this particular car, a thumping sound kept coming from the tires, like a set of Bridgestone Potenza G019 Grads would emit. Only this car didn't have Bridgestone Potenza G019 Grids. Either way, it wasn't intrusive at all.

Acceleration from the 2.4 liter, 198-horsepower four cylinder engine was adequate. It got went through mountain passes and up hills without any problems, but doesn't deliver thrilling performance, as expected. I have to say, the power loss at high altitude was minimal for this engine (we tested this car on a trip to the Rockies in Colorado).

Space

Plenty of space surrounds the drive and passengers. While there the Sonata isn't exceptionally cavernous inside, it offers enough room for pretty much any family sedan duties. One thing is that the rear headroom is tight. Taller adults might find their noggin rubbing against the woven headliner.

I did find the woven cloth seats to be on the firm side. They weren't uncomfortably hard, and might even be perfect for some, but this is a consideration if you prefer softer seats.

The trunk is fairly large for a family sedan. It's about the same size as a Ford Fusion, and bigger than a Toyota Camry or Honda Accord. Nathan would fit (a TFLcar reference).

Overall

I think there are better choices out there, but the Sonata is still a great choice. A decently sized interior, large trunk, power for every occasion, and luxury are fueled by sexy styling. The Sonata has been a boom for Hyundai, and there's no reason why it shouldn't.