Hyundai waxing poetic with their new Sonata

Hyundai’s new Sonata is finally here in Malaysia and its setting a new meaning to modern premium sedans. By Jerrica Leong

It took Hyundai three years to perfect their seventh generation Sonata and they finally created the perfect D-segment contender, at least on paper. The Sonata’s main design goal is to inspire driver confidence and the key improvements were categorised into four areas: strength, stability, simplicity and detail.

So CAR listed them down into the four respective categories.

Strength

• The car’s new underpinnings contribute to an improvement in suspensions performance and a greater structural rigidity.
• The Body is made of an Advanced High Strenght Steel (AHSS), AHSS is twice as strong as an ordinary steel plate.
• The result is an increase of 41 per cent in torsional strength.
• The Sonata’s bending strength is also increased by 35 per cent.

Stability

• The Sonata’s enhanced suspension gives the front benefits like brilliant responsiveness, angle and stability in steering.
• When driving and turning at high speeds the rear benefits from the suspension as well by giving the car brilliant stability.
• When you look at the Sonata’s front view you will notice the front end is longer. The larger engine room improves the aerodynamic performance of the car.
• You get a custom flat underbody that is normally found in sports performance cars.
• The special underbody contributes to the aerodynamic coefficients of the car.
• The Sonata has an aerodynamic coefficient count of cd 0.27, this number is the highest in the D-segment category.

Details

• Everything in the interior was designed to provide maximum comfort for every driving style. Including the steering wheel that is designed to offer the most idea wheel shape
• All switches in the interior are designated to be easily reached by your thumbs. You don’t have to let go of the steering wheel just to reach anything.
• If you’re one to look for a comfortable seating the Sonata offers Lumbar support bolsters that supports your back in four different styles. This support is brilliant for long-distance road trips.
• Silent Door Sound. Hyundai’s designers even tuned the sound of the opening and closing of the doors and windows.
• Passengers in the rear gets more leg room in the new Sonata as the body is now 35mm longer and 30mm wider than the previous generation.
• There is no compromise of trunk space in the new Sonata. The large trunk area measures 462-litres, you can fit four golf bags and four Boston bags.
• The Sonata also comes with a panorama sunroof and up to six airbags.
• There is also an Audio Visual Navigator entertainment hub fitted out in the Elegance and Executive variants.
• The system is powered by an Android 4.4.2 operating system that can be accessed via the touchscreen display panel.

Simplicity

• The design of the all-new Sonata benefits from the refined Fluidic Sculpture design language to 2.0.
• That means the Sonata offers sleeker aesthetics and a Premium Touch tactile presence.
• The interior of the cabin has been redesigned into a horizontal T for added visual spaciousness and refinement.
• You get a simplified clustering display on the instrument cluster, now the display signs with similar roles are positioned together in one area for easier understanding.
• There is also the Smart Trunk System fitted in the Sonata. Just stand near the boot with the smart key for three seconds and the lid opens automatically.

Prices starts at RM138,888 with the three variants to choose from, the Elegance B, Elegance and Executive, and comes in six exterior colours.