Test drive the Hyundai 11th generation Sonata: a great value for money!

As we all know, in 2023, Tesla fired the first shot of the price war. Entering 2024, the smoke of the price war in the auto market is still pervasive, and many car companies are seeking to break through in the price war. As a mainstream joint venture car company in China, Beijing Hyundai has not shown weakness and actively responded to the battle. On March 26, Beijing Hyundai launched the 11th-generation Sonata, with a total of 6 models and a price range of 139,800-186,800 yuan, compared with the 2020 Sonata, the price of the 1.5T model is 22,000 yuan cheaper, and the 2.0T model is 20,000 yuan cheaper.

As the first model under Beijing Hyundai, the Sonata was once a popular joint venture mid-class car, but with the increasing pressure of market competition, it gradually faded into the limelight. After this price came out, this model won a wave of attention again, and even many people are saying that Beijing Hyundai has flipped the table. You know, before I wanted to buy a joint venture brand intermediate car with acceptable configuration, it cost about 200,000 yuan, but now I only need 130,000 yuan to buy a joint venture intermediate car. So, what are the highlights of the 11th generation Sonata besides the price? Next, let's take a look at what upgrades it has through this test drive, as well as the overall product performance.

In this era of "appearance is justice", everyone wants to become the scenery in the eyes of others, so the appearance design must meet the aesthetic needs of young people. The Korean car has never disappointed in terms of appearance, from the front face, the changes of the eleventh generation Sonata are still very obvious, the previous "catfish face" has become a larger hexagonal grille, and the interior has been blackened, which looks more visually impactful. The split headlight design is more individual, and with the continuous LED daytime running lights, the overall look is more aggressive than the previous style.

On the side of the body, a double waistline design is adopted, with clear and tough lines, and a fastback tail design, which makes the entire side look like a swooping forward visual effect. The sleek lines of the body extend to the H-shaped continuous taillights, and the tail light clusters are recognizable with a number of digital dot matrix elements.

Sharp LED taillights combined with a two-tone rear bumper and a ducktail on the tailgate lid give the car a sporty look. Compared with the previous generation model, the 11th-generation Sonata does look more pleasing to the eye, and it is also more in line with the aesthetic needs of most young users.

It is worth mentioning that the model of the uncle's test drive is the N Line version of the model, compared with the ordinary version, it has a matte paint finish, bilateral four-out sports exhaust, parametric gem front grille, fenders, tail and other places, and even the wheels are used N Line's exclusive logo, and the 19-inch blade wheels are also equipped with high-performance silent tires and red brake calipers, which instantly fill the sportiness of the whole vehicle, for users who want to be cool, this model is undoubtedly a very good choice.

Of course, for the vast majority of young users, the most important thing to buy a B-class sedan is not only appearance, but also space. The length, width and height of the 11th-generation Sonata are 4945/1860/1445 mm, respectively, and the wheelbase reaches 2875 mm. With such a body size, it is not inferior to mainstream models such as the Volkswagen Passat (length, width and height of 4948/1836/1469 mm, wheelbase 2871 mm) and the Honda Accord (4980/1862/1449 mm, wheelbase 2830 mm).

In the actual experience, both the front row space and the rear row space are abundant, especially the rear row, whether it is leg room or head space, can be fully released, and is equipped with three independent headrests, but the rear platform is relatively high, and it will have a certain impact if you want to sit in the middle of the back row. There is also a large panoramic sunroof with an overhead opening, which makes the interior space appear very spacious and bright, without a sense of oppression.

At the same time, the overall comfort is also relatively good, the front and rear seats are wrapped in leather and thicker padding, which is relatively good in terms of fit and support. In addition to the entry version, the front main and passenger seats are equipped with electric adjustment, heating and other functions, while the front row also has wireless charging, and provides rear passengers with rear seat air conditioning outlets, U*** interface, rear center armrest and other configurations, plus PM2.5 filtration device, 64-color interior atmosphere, BOSE audio, front multi-layer soundproof glass, etc., thereby increasing the driving experience of the car.

In addition, the performance of storage space is also good, and a number of humanized storage spaces are designed in the car, where car keys, thermos cups, paper towels, mobile phones and other objects can be found in a suitable place to store. The interior space of the trunk is also relatively regular, and there is no problem with luggage loading to meet the needs of a family.

In the context of consumption upgrading, young users are very much in pursuit of more comfortable and superior car enjoyment, which requires vehicles to have rich configurations. Entering the car, the eleventh-generation Sonata also adopts a new design style, and is equipped with an integrated curved dual 12.3-inch screen system composed of a full LCD instrument + large-size central control screen, with a rotating electronic pocket gear, a three-spoke multi-functional Morse code leather steering wheel, and a through-type air conditioning outlet to enhance the sense of interior hierarchy and high-end.

In terms of intelligent technology, the 11th-generation Sonata can also make people shine, equipped with Hyundai Motor's CCNC intelligent network architecture, which not only has intelligent voice, intelligent vehicle control and rich on-board ecology, but also supports convenient functions such as fingerprint recognition, identity recognition, CarPlay, CarLife, digital key, seat memory, OTA upgrade, etc., basically realizing multi-scene and full-process intelligent services before getting into the car, during driving and after getting off the car.

At the same time, in order to meet the needs of young people for intelligent car use, the 11th-generation Sonata is also equipped with Hyundai Smartsense intelligent safety system, which adds RSPA remote control intelligent parking assist, PCA-R rear parking collision avoidance assist, and PDW front/side/rear parking distance warning. During the entire test drive, whether it is following the car normally, crossing an intersection, turning and changing lanes, driving at high speeds, parking and other scenarios, this automatic driving assistance system can accurately provide assistance, making the whole test drive process safer and more worry-free.

For today's young users, when buying B-class models, it is absolutely inseparable from the consideration of power performance, because in daily life scenarios, whether it is short-distance acceleration or high-speed overtaking, there are very picky requirements for power output. The 11th-generation Sonata is available with 1.5T and 2.0T turbocharged engines. The 1.5-liter engine has a maximum power of 170 horsepower (125 kW) and a maximum torque of 253 Nm. The 2.0T engine has a maximum power of 250 horsepower (184 kW), a peak torque of 353 Nm, and a minimum fuel consumption of 6.9 L/100 km, plus No. 92 gasoline. The transmission is even more arrogant, and the whole system is matched with an 8AT gearbox.

The model that Uncle Che tested this time is equipped with a 2.0T engine, which feels very light and brisk at the initial stage, and there is no feeling of dragging mud and water. In city road conditions, the response speed of the throttle is timely, and it is quite smooth and comfortable. When it is necessary to accelerate and overtake or in high-speed road conditions, the super explosive power of the engine will be highlighted, and the continuous power output in the rear can also bring more driving pleasure. In addition, the 8AT gearbox also shows very good smoothness, especially when creeping at low speeds, it is really much more comfortable than the dual-clutch, and at the same time, when accelerating sharply and braking and re-accelerating, there will be no forward rushing, making the driving process easy and smooth.

In terms of driving handling, the 11th-generation Sonata adopts a front MacPherson and rear multi-link independent suspension design, plus a new i-GMP platform design, which strengthens the rigidity of the suspension and optimizes the calibration and damping force of the shock absorbers. From the actual experience, when the vehicle is cornering at high speed, the suspension support is quite tough, and the body attitude is controlled relatively cleanly. In addition, the suspension absorbs bumps in potholes during normal driving, making it better suited to the demands of a family car.

summary

2024 will be an existential pivot for China's automotive industry, and in the face of increasingly fierce competition in the domestic market, Beijing Hyundai is also constantly trying to break new ideas. Judging from this test drive, the 11th-generation Sonata has mainly been optimized in terms of interior and exterior design, and the overall acceptance will be wider and more in line with the mainstream aesthetics. At the same time, from the point of view of intelligence, space and power performance, the eleventh-generation Sonata is also balanced enough, without obvious bias, especially after the whole system adopts 8AT gearbox, the overall driving experience has also been significantly improved, plus the price is also more sincere, and even has the hard power of "wrestling wrists" with some of the current hot-selling joint venture medium-sized cars. If you really want to consider a cost-effective joint venture B-segment car, then the 11th-generation Sonata is still worth considering.