2011 Hyundai Sonata Review and Prices

By Chuck Giametta

Table of Contents
2011 Hyundai Sonata Review and Pricing
2010 Hyundai Sonata Review and Prices
2009 Hyundai Sonata Quote

2011 HYUNDAI SONATA BUYING ADVICE

• The 2011 Hyundai Sonata is the best car for you if you want the all-new version of a hot automaker’s best-selling model.

• The 2011 Hyundai Sonata will be fully redesigned, with striking new styling and more-advanced engines that aim for additional power with better fuel economy. The 2011 Sonata will be the fifth-generation of this midsize sedan and will again have front-wheel drive and four- and six-cylinder engines.

• Should you wait for the 2011 Hyundai Sonata or buy a 2010 Hyundai Sonata? Wait for the 2011 Sonata. The 2006-2010 generation feels older than its years suggest and isn’t fully competitive with the midsize-class leaders. The 2011 Sonata promises to incorporate all the advances that have this South Koran automaker on roll.

2011 HYUNDAI SONATA CHANGES

• Styling: The 2011 Sonata will shed its staid sheetmetal for a sleek body inspired by upscale cars like the Lexus ES. Spy shots of prototypes show headlamps sweeping back into the front fenders and reveal body sides with a fashionably high beltline. Of particular note is the roof. A radically raked windshield leads to a gracefully arched top supported by slender pillars. The shape echoes the new wave of sedans with coupe-like roofs, such as the Volkswagen CC. The 2011 Sonata prototypes show short body overhangs front and rear, giving the five-passenger four-door a modern, efficiently engineered look. Dimensionally, the 2011 Sonata is expected to gain at least a couple of inches in wheelbase (the distance between the front and rear axles) to bring it more in line with the pacesetters in this class, the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry. It may grow slightly longer overall, and wider, too. Early views of the interior show a sporty, dual-cockpit theme with arched dashboard sections for driver and passenger. Separating the two is a gently sloped center console bracketed by curving metal-look ribs and shark-gill climate vents. A four-spoke steering wheel contains auxiliary audio controls. The speedometer and tachometer are in a metallic-finished double-barrel housing that would be at home in a sports car.   

• Mechanical: The 2011 Sonata will continue with a four-cylinder engine that will again account for the majority of sales. Early reports suggest it’ll retain the 2010’s four-cylinder’s 2.4-liter displacement but gain direct fuel injection and other improvements to produce close to 200 horsepower compared to the outgoing engine’s 175. It looks like Sonata’s available V-6 will grow to 3.5 liters and around 250 horsepower from the 2010 model’s 3.3 and 249. Hyundai is readying an eight-speed automatic transmission for some of its upper-line cars. That transmission isn’t likely to make its way into the Sonata, but adding a sixth gear to the 2011’s manual and automatic transmissions would be a nice advance and benefit drivability and fuel economy. There also are reports that the Sonata may feature a transmission that serves as an automatic but is actually a dual-clutch manual that can be shifted via steering-wheel paddles; such transmissions are popular in models from Volkswagen and BMW – brands with the sort of tech appeal Hyundai envies. The 2011 Sonata isn’t likely to be positioned as a sports sedan, but the all-new platform should show progress in suspension design that will improve ride and handling, areas in which the fourth-generation car trailed class leaders.

• Features: Expect Hyundai to again flex the features-per-dollar muscle that helped win the current Sonata a place on the shopping lists of people who never thought they’d own a Korean car. The 2011 Sonata should again be packed with standard amenities for which many rivals charge extra. Every model in the lineup will include four-wheel antilock disc brakes and an antiskid system. Cruise control, heated power mirrors, split folding rear seatbacks, and USB connectivity for iPods and other digital devices should again be standard, as well. Features such as a steering column that telescopes as well as tilts could migrate to the base-model 2011 Sonata; so could Bluetooth cell-phone linking. Leather upholstery, power sunroof, voice-activated navigation system, and heated seats are likely to remain the province of upper-trim versions. DVD entertainment, rearview camera, and lane-departure systems are among features that could make their Sonata debut with the 2011 model. 

2011 HYUNDAI SONATA PRICES

• Hyundai won’t release 2011 Sonata prices until shortly before the car goes on sale. But all Hyundai’s are aggressively priced within their competitive set, ladling on the standard features and even using higher-grade passenger-compartment materials than rivals can match at the price. Some Hyundai models have lagged for mechanical refinement, but Hyundai has enjoyed rapid growth in the U.S. by delivering value that stands out in the showroom, plus strong warranty coverage and innovative incentives. 

• Sonata has traditionally come in base GLS trim, sporty SE form, and as the top-line Limited model with standard leather upholstery. Expect the 2011 Sonata to have a duplicate or similar model lineup. All versions should be available with the four-cylinder engine, but the V-6 might be confined to just the upper trim levels. In general, Sonatas with the V-6 have been priced against rivals’ four-cylinder models.

• Based on Sonata’s price history, expect 2011 Sonata prices to start around $19,700 for the base model with the four-cylinder and manual transmission and about $20,700 with automatic. (Approximate base prices in this review include destination fees; Hyundai’s were $695 for 2009.)

• Estimated base price for the midrange version of the 2011 Sonata is $22,700 with the four-cylinder. Look for it to start around $25,700 with the V-6, which has been available only with automatic transmission. The top-line 2011 Sonata should start around $26,700 with the four-cylinder, around $28,000 with the V-6.

2011 HYUNDAI SONATA FUEL ECONOMY

• Hyundai has set a corporate goal for 2015: field a lineup of cars and SUVs that has an average of 35 mpg. The introduction of hybrid models to selected car lines, including Sonata’s, will play a big role. Expect the 2011 Sonata to better the 2010 version’s fuel economy. That suggests the four-cylinder 2011 Sonata will rate about 23/34 (city/highway) with manual transmission, 24/34 with automatic and that V-6 versions will rate about 21/31.  

2011 HYUNDAI SONATA RELEASE DATE

• Look for the 2011 Hyundai Sonata in showrooms during the first half of 2010.

WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE HYUNDA SONATA

• Big news is the coming Sonata hybrid, which would support Hyundai’s goal of building an identity based on fuel economy and on advanced automotive design at affordable prices.

• The Sonata hybrid appears on schedule for a model-year 2012 introduction, but Hyundai has been mum on precise timing. Reports indicate it would team a four-cylinder gas engine with an electric motor in a fairly conventional hybrid scheme: the Sonata Hybrid could run on electricity for moderate distances and shut off the engine at idle to save gas. It would not be a plug-in hybrid, but would reportedly use a lithium-polymer battery pack in an effort to reduce costs and increase durability compared to lithium-ion batteries.

• A turbocharged four-cylinder engine of smaller displacement than 2.4 liters could also play a role in Sonata’s future fuel-saving strategy, as could the dual-clutch transmission.

2011 HYUNDAI SONATA COMPETITION

• Honda Accord: The paragon of value, performance, and owner loyalty by which other midsize cars are measured. This roomy, spirited, front-drive car is due a styling facelift for model-year 2011 and a full redesign for model-year 2013. Today’s Accord comes as a roomy four-door sedan and a sleeker two-door coupe. Both offer four- and six-cylinder engines, well-balanced suspensions, and great build quality. Prices tend to the upper ranges of the class, but are tempered by high resale values and excellent reliability ratings.

• Toyota Camry: Sonata’s rather conservative bearing has been closer in concept to this sedan than to the Accord, though Hyundai hasn’t been able to match Camry’s isolating comfort or mechanical refinement. Indeed, the Toyota is the midsize benchmark for those attributes, even if they do come at the expense of responsive handling. Camry also augments its gas four- and six-cylinder engine lineup with a hybrid model rated around 33/34 mpg. A subtle styling facelift for model-year 2010 prepares Camry for a full model year 2012 redesign.

• Ford Fusion: In styling and performance, Fusion splits the difference between Camry’s family-car manner and Accord’s sporty engineering. The result is an appealing American-brand alternative and one that edges ahead of the Chevrolet Malibu on the strength of composed road manners and an available state-of-the-art hybrid model rated 41/36 mpg. Fusion’s also the only car in this grouping to offer all-wheel drive as an alternative to front-wheel drive. Fusion got a mid-cycle freshening for model-year 2010 and looks headed toward a full redesign in model-year 2013.