Review of the 2011 Hyundai Sonata 2.0T SE

Next up, because my time was relatively limited, was the 2011 Hyundai Sonata 2.0 Turbo SE.


With the same requirement and wish-list as the Nissan Altima in mind, I went to Hyundai to try out a black Sonata 2.0 Turbo SE with a six-speed automatic. Looking at the window sticker, I noticed the mileage far exceeded my wishlist expectations even before the test drive began. 22 MPG city, 33 highway. I already did my homework going into this one. The Sonata I drove has 274 horsepower and weighs 3338 pounds. 12.18 pounds per horsepower. Like the Altima, not terrible, right in my range. Also had an 18.5 gallon fuel tank. This put its maximum effective range 110 miles higher than my minimum requirements for a range. After a very pleasant meeting with a somewhat more friendly, less pushy but similarly courteous salesman, I was able to take one for a spin. 

The first thing I noticed was the interior was larger than the Altima. The seats, while not leather (they were this odd mix of leather and cloth) were more comfortable and you're less likely to slide around on them during spirited driving. My Droid synced to the car's Bluetooth system on the first try, with little-to-no fuss. The radio allowed me to fine-tune the output for both bass and treble. Despite the "neutral" setting on the controls, the sound coming out was not at all tinny for the same CD used (Dream Theater: Systematic Chaos). The on-steering-wheel-controls for the radio, phone, cruise control and even the paddle shifters for the transmission were well laid out and easy to use without looking down. There was an abundance of cup-holders for both front and rear passengers, including in-door holders for larger things like a water bottle. There were two power connections up front, as well as an iPod and USB connection for the non-navigation radio. The gauges were well-laid out, easy on the eyes, and even had a color screen between them to display the trip computer information.


I started the trip with the car's "eco" mode turned off. Idle was a little rough, with some of the engine vibration transferring into the cabin. You could feel that it was a 4-banger. After it warmed up, though, the vibration disappeared. I took the same route as the Altima in the Sonata, putting it through the same paces. 40-0 was shorter, more controlled, and best of all, no back-end wiggle despite the wet pavement. 0-40 was quick and ate up 4th gear. Turbo lag was not a problem. In fact, you could feel the car's torque kicking in immediately. There was no wind-up to get into the powerband, it was nearly off idle around 1700-1800 RPM. The car's traction control kicked in on cue and kept me from even chirping off the line, which seriously hampered my 0-40, which came in just a hair quicker than the Altima. The transmission shifted smoothly, and dropped the RPM immediately back into the bottom of the car's powerband, not giving the turbo a chance to de-spool. Power delivery was smooth, linear, and predictable.


Next, I got on the highway. 0-60 here was impressive, also coming in a hair quicker than the Altima, between 6.5 to 6.8 seconds despite the wet road. Shifting into second chirped. Road noise was lower than the Altima, but not as quiet as my Cadillac Eldorado. The engine sat near-idle during cruise. At this point, I enabled "eco" mode. It automatically feathered my throttle to keep inputs smooth. When I shifted into cruise control instead at 65 MPH, the 'instant' mileage indicator jumped to 39 MPG and held strong until I turned off cruise. Bumps were not as readily transferred into the cabin as with the Altima, and surprisingly, was actually as smooth as my Cadillac. The variable power steering was lowered properly on the highway to minimize the twitchy feel that the Altima had.


On the return trip, the car held through the turns nearly as well as the Altima, with very little report from the tires at the limit. The car did understeer at the limit, but it wasn't terrible. The bumps after the curves were not readily transferred into the cabin, and the car continued straight with no issue.


Like the Altima, I kept an eye on my average mileage. Despite seriously pushing the car through some spirited driving, I still managed 28 MPG.


The interior, like I stated earlier, was nice. There were a couple of shakes and rattles here and there, with the occasional hard plastic component around. However, the overall fit and finish actually was one or two steps above the Altima, and was nearly on-par with the Cadillac.


Sticker price was $25,245. This included auto-dimming mirror, home-link, compass, carpeted floor mats, and several standard features for the SE model that were "extra" packages for the Altima, like the bluetooth hands-free phone set.


Summary of the 2011 Hyundai Sonata 2.0 turbo SE:
Pros: Handles well, engine sounds nice despite being a 4-cylinder, automatic transmission is smooth and precise, interior is roomy and well-laid out, boat-loads of torque off the line that feels like it holds to redline.
Cons: Engine transfers vibration into the car on idle, nav package+sunroof is expensive for what you get, XM Radio is sort of forced on you, so many controls on the steering wheel that they may interfere with turning on occasion.