Hyundai/KIA RSS Feeds RSS Feeds and News Links From Around The World...

Initial expostulate: Hyundai ix352011 Hyundai Sonata: First Drive

Thread Tools
 
Old 02-22-2010, 01:00 AM
  #1  
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Hyundai News Bot's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: The News Room
Posts: 9,188
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes on 0 Posts
Vehicle: Hyundai
Default Initial expostulate: Hyundai ix352011 Hyundai Sonata: First Drive




Hyundai?s brandnew Tucson, dubbed the iX35, is staid to take Hyundai from dark equine to racehorse in the tiny SUV sales race. Angus Thompson drives it, as well as a brandnew 2010 Sonata, in Oman.


Aah, horseracing. A sport of kings, as well as nowhere in a world is this pastime more loving or rival than a Center Easterly. It?s in these desert climes which a term ?to pilot a dark horse? was coined. It wasn?t for a competition nor was my steed a crimson-kind you find pulling up outside a Burj Khalifa. WE was merely cruising the palm-lined streets as well as sandstone cliffs of Oman in the all new Hyundai Sonata.


Similar to Oman, a Sonata may not appear as peep as a Ferrari. It?s an alien whose interest, similar to which of a more traditionally grounded emirate, is some-more honest with a purer clarity of value as well as impression than the segment front runners.


But it?s a great gamble upon a prolonged run as Hyundai?s contingency continue to urge as a world?s fastest growing carmaker. It?s additionally a fourth largest carmaker in the universe as well as the brand?s quiet success in South Africa has awakened most to the value in a brand, its products and the 5 year / 150 000km guaranty.


Until now, Hyundai?s focus has been on building the product quality. This is evident in a gains it has done in tellurian IQS studies similar to JD Power, where the Korean manufacturer has improved from 32nd place Out of 37 manufacturers) in 2001 to fourth in 2009.


Now with the plain platform from that to setup, Hyundai – along with cousin Kia – are starting to enrich a romantic and appropriateness pillars of their products by pattern and skill. The brandnew Sonata as well as a stirring ix35 (previously badged Tucson) have been the latest examples of this.


As a flagship of an rising code, previous iterations of the Sonata were always honest and priced for value, but struggled to succeed in the opulence shred due to their lowly picture notice. Though the lot has changed given a previous version was introduced as well as a visitor offers the distant more energetic pattern over its undisturbed and somewhat bland prototype, which Hyundai hopes will endear it to the brandnew code of customers.


A sixth-generation, codenamed YF, has taken four years and US$ 372 million to go from concept to patron Targeted at a mid-size sedan marketplace, a Sonata takes upon heavy competition in a form of the class-leading Honda Accord, Citroen?s new C5, a Mazda6 and a competence of the renouned German 3 (Audi?s A4, Merc C-Class and BMW?s 3 array.


Visually a Sonata showcases Hyundai?s brandnew design language, dubbed Fluidic Sculpture, that they say ?focuses upon the interplay of natural, liquid elements with more firm surfaces and structures to emanate the apparition of consistent motion.?


Mmm? groovy.





Though in a steel is where it counts yet as well as the primary sense is which a exterior is bigger proportioned than the rivals, measuring in longer (2 795mm wheelbase) as well as 5mm reduce than a previous chronicle with shorter front and back overhangs.


Nonetheless the nose of a car is too bulbous for my taste, it?s not an descent design and allied with a wider 18-inch rim form upon offer A smaller 16-inchers do no probity to a overall pattern, looks fairly neat as well as issuing from the A-pillar to the rear.


A interior aswell, offers an upscale ambiance with the organic design as well as peculiarity materials. Being both longer and wider than the predecessor (by 20mm as well as 5mm, respectively) interior cabin space has softened providing larger cabin space and sufficient luggage space for four golf bags.


South Africa will receive Hyundai?s 2.4-litre motorfuel derivative mated to the brandnew six-speed automobile delivery, which has been grown in-house as well as is 40.6mm shorter, 12kg lighter with 62 fewer relocating parts than a previous five-speed version.


Upon the highway, increase in speed is relatively swift and transitions by all 6 ratios have been well-spoken as well as well corresponding. Hyundai have been additionally building an eight-speed twin clutch delivery which should make the approach into a likes of a Birth (America?s Car of a Year) in a nearby destiny.


Selection levels look to be typically high from customary, with a new selective check suspension complement ensuring great suspension dampening and glorious highway cruising. Expect pricing to be competitive in propinquity to a Germans with luxuries like panoramic sunroof, rain as well as parking sensors, 6 airbags and Hill Accent carryout thrown in as customary.





Hyundai?s brandnew ix35


Distinct the Sonata, Hyundai has decided to shift a name of a brandnew Tucson to a ix35 for SA, in-line with current i10, i20 and a forthcoming i30 hatchback that will arrive in the second entertain of this year to take upon a likes of a VW Golf VI.


Apart from Nissan?s Qashqai, not most vehicles could compare a dominance of the previous Tucson in the C-segment SUV difficulty. The brandnew Tucson, codenamed LM internally, moves divided from a two-box off-roader pattern as well as offers the roomier cabin, additional storage genius and the range of derivatives.


A South African ix35 range starts with a 122kW 2.0-litre motorfuel 4×2 producing 197Nm of torque and corresponding to the choice of either an all-new 6 speed auto or five speed primer transmission.


The family 130kW 2.4-litre motorfuel Thetea-II engine will additionally be available with the brandnew six speed automobile 4×4 drivetrain. In the ix35, a 2.4 produces 227Nm of torque as well as emits 219 g/km of CO2.




The collect of a range however is an all-new 135kW 2.0-litre turbo diesel, producing 392Nm of torque as well as CO2 emissions of 174g/km.We're crawling, absolutely crawling on a stretch of highway just North of San Diego. This might be expected in Southern California during rush-hour, or an other time of day here for that matter, b...

View the full article




All times are GMT -6. The time now is 11:13 AM.