Cars.com Sonata review

[YEH]

For years, I've been recommending the Hyundai Sonata as a cheap alternative to the Toyota Camry. It's just as roomy, just as anonymous, and just as dull to drive. Now, however, Hyundai has decided to stop following and start leading. The 2011 Hyundai Sonata is more like an entry-level luxury car than a plain vanilla sedan, yet it will still run you $1,500 to $2,500 less than a comparably-equipped Toyota Camry, Nissan Altima or Honda Accord.

...On the road, the Sonata is smooth, comfortable, and so quiet that it could give a Mercedes a lesson in decorum. Yet its electric power steering is Euro-firm and it hangs on in the corners as if it knows what it's doing. The Sonata doesn't have the same fun-to-drive factor as the Mazda6, but it's certainly not the snooze-factory that the old Sonata was (or the current Camry is). That said, I only drove the GLS and Limted models; the SE version gets a sport-tuned suspension and a bit of extra power.

The Sonata's base engine is a 2.4 liter four-cylinder with direct fuel injection. It delivers a healthy 198 horsepower and 184 lb-ft of torque (200 hp and 186 lb-ft in the SE). The new six-speed automatic transmission works constantly but unobtrusively to keep up the flow of power, and it's easy to forget you're driving a four-cylinder car -- at least until you floor the accelerator, when the loud buzz and tepid acceleration will remind you.

While most mid-size sedans offer an optional V6, Hyundai instead plans to introduce a turbocharged four-cylinder engine later in the model run. (A hybrid is also on the way.) But I bet most people will opt for the 2.4 when they see the EPA fuel economy estimates: 22 MPG city and an astonishing 35 MPG highway with the automatic transmission. (The GLS is available with a six-speed stick that scores 24 city/35 highway.) Hyundai's press preview included a hypermiling competition over hilly highways. I coaxed my Sonata up to 49 MPG, but that was only enough for second place -- someone else averaged an astounding 52.8 MPG.

http://cars.about.com/od/hyundai/fr/11_sonata.htm