New Hyundai Sonata refuses 'daddy's car' stereotype

Seen above is Hyundai Motor's new Sonata during a test drive session in Gyeonggi Province, Thursday. Courtesy of Hyundai Motor

By Nam Hyun-woo

Hyundai Motor's new Sonata is the automaker's latest effort to break its stereotype of being a conservative “daddy's car,” instead appealing to all customers with its audacious design and clever driver assist features.

The new Sonata, codename DN8, rolled out in the domestic market on Thursday, heralding a new generation of the most common sedan in Korea.

Hyundai Motor Vice President Lee Kwang-kook poses with the new Sonata during the sedan's launching event in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, Thursday. Courtesy of Hyundai Motor

“The Sonata has been a symbolic car of Korea for the past several decades, with 1.54 million Sonatas registered in Korea as of last year,” Hyundai Motor Vice President Lee Kwang-kook said during the launching event of the new Sonata in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province.

“In developing the new Sonata, we set our goal to break the model's conventional image of practical but conservative, instead making it a device scalable for smart mobility services.”

As Lee said, Hyundai Motor styled the new Sonata in quite a different way from its predecessors. It features a lower ride height, wider chassis, longer wheelbase, sloping roofline and lower rear end, allowing it to be more athletic and sporty.

“In designing the new Sonata, we thought the model no longer has to be everyone's car or daddy's car,” Hyundai Motor chief designer Lee Sang-yup said. “We wanted to let go of the burden of meeting everyone's demands and let it become a sedan which has a most beautiful look.”

To prevent the sedan from being too “common,” Hyundai Motor said it will not release taxi models for the new Sonata.

Along with the fresh design, the carmaker empowered the new Sonata with its new Smartstream engines. The 2.0 liter gasoline model, coupled with six-speed transmission, produces 160 horsepower and 20 kilogram force meter torque. Its fuel economy reaches 13.3 kilometers per liter, up 10.8 percent from the previous model.

The new Sonata also comes in a 2.0 liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) model, which yields 146 horsepower and 19.5 kilogram force meter torque.

Though the car's driving performance was not as energetic as it looks during a 70 kilometer test drive across Gyeonggi Province on Thursday, the new Sonata pleased the driver with its clever features, such as button-type mode change, blind-spot view monitor, surround view monitor and digital key system.

The digital key system is the core feature in Hyundai Motor's hype describing the car as “a smart mobility device,” allowing up to four drivers to share keys with their smartphones.

Also, its built-in camera can record scenes at the front and the rear of the car, allowing the driver to use the car as a device for social network services.

The new Sonata is available in two models currently; gasoline and LPG. For the gasoline model, the lowest “Smart” trim price begins at 23.46 million won and the highest “Inspiration” trim starts at 32.89 million won. For the LPG model, the price starts from 21.40 million won.

Hyundai Motor said it plans to roll out 1.9 liter gasoline turbo and 2.0 liter hybrid models in the second half of this year.