Exterior
When I first took a look at the 2011 Hyundai Sonata Limited 2.0T, the sleek design stood out and made a grand first impression. Hyundai grew the offerings of the 2011 Sonata with the Limited 2.0 Turbo, adding 18-inch hyper silver alloy wheels and dual exhaust to the already very sharp exterior. Our pearl white test model also included side mirror mounted turn signal indicators, front fog lights and enough chrome trim to enhance the car's appearance. The smooth look of the 2011 Hyundai Sonata Limited 2.0 Turbo garnered plenty of compliments during my time behind the wheel and many confused the car for a more expensive luxury brand.Interior
The interior of the 2011 Hyundai Sonata Limited 2.0 Turbo is loaded with options. The design is as far from conservative as one could imagine. I liked the wine leather interior seats, which worked well with the dark dashboard and carpet. The panorama moon roof was awesome and, with features like push button start, heated front and rear seats, leather wrapped steering wheel and shift knob, steering wheel mounted cruise, audio and phone controls I was looking forward to spending time in the 2011 Sonata. Also in our Limited package was an Infinity am/fm/XM audio with a popping subwoofer, HD radio with multicasting, iPod/USB and auxiliary input jacks. To round out the package, Hyundai included an integrated bluetooth hands free phone system, electrochromic auto dimming rearview mirror with compass, navigation with high resolution touchscreen display and rear back up camera. The 2011 Hyundai Sonata Limited 2.0 Turbo is loaded but that only gets you so far if the interior isn't a place that you want to spend time. Thankfully, the look and feel of the interior is again something you would expect from a much more expensive vehicle. At times I did see some sun reflection from the shiny plastic finishing in the interior but that was a minor negative in what is overall a very well thought out cabin.
Performance
The 2.0 Turbo Sonata is new for 2011 and you have to give the engineers at Hyundai credit for taking a chance on the beefed up 4-cylinder rather than offering a V6 like most competitors in this segment. According to Hyundai, the four-cylinder turbocharged gasoline direct-injection engine produces 274 horsepower and 269 lb-ft of torque across a broad rpm range (1.750 rpm to 4.500 rpm) and delivers 33 mpg highway and 22 mpg in the city. The all-new 2.0 Turbo four-cylinder engine incorporates a twin-scroll turbocharger that, when combined with the gasoline direct injection (GDI) technology, results in crisp, responsive power delivery. I found it to be a surprisingly powerful engine that was fun to drive – it surely lived up to the information released from Hyundai. Electronic stability control and a 6-speed auto transmission delivered a smooth riding experience with excellent handling. I worked the paddle shifters mounted on the steering wheel a bit and, although it was fun, I opted to stick with the auto ride for most of my time behind the wheel.Overview
There was little doubt the Hyundai Sonata was going to be a hot seller and for good reason. The sleek looks combined with fuel efficiency, safety and quality placed the Sonata with the best in her class. This car is much more than the sum of its parts – everything has to come together in harmony to really make a winner. Our test model 2011 Hyundai Sonata Limited 2.0 Turbo had a final sticker price of $30,000, a price competitive enough to scare the Sonata's rivals. After a week driving the 2011 Hyundai Sonata Limited 2.0 Turbo, count me among the fans of this offering from Hyundai.Click the thumbnails below to see full versions of each photo.
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