The all-new Hyundai Sonata might be a little far from Indian hands but it has been launched in Korea today. The vehicle was revealed in South Korea and it already has 10,000 pre-bookings before launch. So does the Sonata have what it takes to dethrone the current market champion Skoda Superb in India?
The new Sonata uses the new Fluidic Sculpture 2.0 design language but Hyundai seems to have traded flamboyance for form. The car now looks a lot European than the distinct Fluidic design. Nevertheless it doesn’t look bad, but a lot more luxurious. The rear-three-quarter has a flowing roof line much similar to its predecessor. The rear-end, for once, looks very well put up in comparison to its predecessor.
The Korean car maker also claims they have worked hard on the car’s safety attributes, the car uses 51 per cent of Advanced-High Strength Steel and the use of structure adhesives has gone up 10 times. The new car’s torsional and bending stiffness is 40 per cent more than the current car as a result of these developments.
Hyundai was never known to build cars for enthusiasts and was often criticised for building cars that lacked character. This seems to have been dealt with as Hyundai claims the car is dynamically well sorted than the older models. And, the new Sonata was tested at the famous race track, Nürburgring.
The new Sonata will be available with two powertrains a 2.0-litre petrol and a 2.4-litre oil burner. The 2.0-litre petrol produces 165bhp and 205Nm of torque, the 2.4-litre diesel mill makes an impressive 190bhp but makes only 252Nm of torque which seems a tad low for the engine capacity. The car will be available with a six-speed manual and a six-speed auto box.
Starting with the safety features, the 2015 Sonata includes 6 airbags, ABS, EBD, TCS and ESP. The exteriors feature LED taillights and Bi-Xenon headlights, it also gets Blind Spot Detection, Lane Departure Warning System (segment first in India) and Advanced Smart Cruise Control.
The new Sonata looks promising and has all the artillery to drown the competition. The Superb has only got a facelift and a few revisions; however, the Sonata is an all-new Vehicle. This makes its job easy right? No, the Skoda Superb has been at the top for a while now and it offers the best of everything ata competitive price. Hyundai will have to market the car better and may be even price it close to the Superb, and we could have a winner at hand.
