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16 - The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday March 14, 2007 www.oakvillebeaver.com EVERYTHING Auto your guide to everything auto in Oakville INSIDE: Suzuki to unveil 2008 SX4 Sedan at New York Auto Show . . .Page 17 Give your car a boost from the inside . . . . . . . . .Page 17 All-new Mitsubishi Outlander . . . . . . . . . . . . .Page 18 Hyundai's new 2007 Sonata By Jim Robinson OAKVILLE BEAVER SPECIAL It's been a very good year for Hyundai and for its mid-size Sonata. The Sonata, like its SUV brother the Santa Fe, really brought home the notion that Hyundai was right up there with the big boys like Honda and Toyota. Now we all know it wasn't always good times for Hyundai. Believe it or not, 2006 was one of the two best years ever for sales for Hyundai. The first year for record sales was 1986 when they bowed in Canada with the Pony. Canadians bought scads of Ponys because they cost about $8,000. But buyers soon found that the low price was due to low built quality and bodies that, after one year, looked they been parked on a salt heap. This perception of shoddiness was to haunt Hyundai for years. The Pony made its mark, dubious though it was, but the Koreans did not give up. They kept making major quality leaps and they started changing Canadian minds and perceptions about Hyundai. Hyundai has as its strategic objective, being one of the five largest vehicle makers in the world by 2010. Last year, they were number six and closing on Volkswagen. How they are going to do this is with cars like the Sonata, that offer more than consumers expect. For instance, the Sonata appears on the outside to be a mid-size car but is actually considered a full-size car based on passenger volume. At the 2007 Canadian International Auto Show (CIAS) in Toronto, the Sonata was awarded the 2007 EnerGuide Award as the most fuel-efficient full-size sedan in the Canadian market for the second consecutive year. Last year, the Sonata was named Best New Family Car Under $35,000 in the annual Car of the Year Awards as judged by the members of the Automotive Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC). Sonata has received the highest ratings for crash worthiness, but the one that says the most is the J. D. Power 2006 Initial Quality Study that ranks vehicles on the number of problems or "things gone wrong" per 100 vehicles. In an industry- wide survey, Hyundai ranked third behind Porsche and Lexus and ahead of Toyota (fourth) and Jaguar (fifth). The current Sonata is a major step up from those that have gone before and it starts with a choice of two engines. A 2.4litre DOHC inline four-cylinder is offered on the 2007 GL and GLS trim levels and produces 162 hp and 164 lb/ft of torque with a standard five-speed manual or available four-speed automatic transmission with Shiftronic sequential mode. The other engine is a 3.3-litre DOHC V6 making 234 hp and 226 lb/ft of torque offered in the GL V6 or GLS V6. All Sonatas are front-wheel drive. To match the increased power is the allnew four-wheel independent suspension with double wishbones up front with a special lower A-arm that quells vibration while the meaty bushings deal with the road surfaces. At the rear is a five-link system with trailing and longitudinal links. This is also one of the safest Hyundais ever. All Sonatas come with four-wheel disc brakes with ABS standard on all V6 models and the GLS four-cylinder, but optional on the base GL. The topline GLS V6 has optional Electronic Stability Control (ESC) that includes traction control. All Sonatas have front, side impact and side curtain airbags. The front seats feature active head restraints for added protection from whiplash. The interior is Euro-like with a crispness that leaves the dash of previous Sonatas looking decidedly old. The quality of the plastics shows how far Hyundai has progressed. The 2007 interior is similar in look and feel to the Honda Accord, and I mean EVERYTHIN that as a compliment. Price points are a Hyundai strength and the Sonata is no exception. The GL manual starts at $22,445 and $23,745 for the automatic. The GL includes air, cruise, heated power mirrors, power locks/windows/windows, leather-wrapped wheel, windshield deicer and an AM/FM/CD/MP3 player. The GL V6 is $26,445 and the GLS V6 is $28,045. The top of the line is the GLS V6 as tested at $29,445 with the Premium Package that includes such features as the ESC, automatic climate control and power adjustable pedals. I had the Sonata during that Toronto auto show that coincided with our first real snow emergency of the year. My test GLS V6 came with the optional ESC with traction control. A combination of mounds of snow, abnormally low temperatures and the fact millions still don't know how to drive in winter made progress tedious and sometime dangerous. I could actually feel the ESC doing its thing while crossing through first snow, then ice, then salt/slush and back to ice. Is ESC worth it? When you encounter one day like this a year, the answer is yes. Sonatas are now wired for XM Satellite Radio and I have become a fan. Canadian TV and radio shock jock, Mike Bullard, is now on XM. His show is not for the faint of heart, but he sure is quick witted. At the auto show unveiling of the new Hyundai Veracruz, Bullard was a guest speaker. During this speech, he spied three executives from rival Sirius lurking at the next both. Bullard let out a withering attack that, frankly, was one of the highlights of the whole show for me. Getting back to Hyundai, Bullard has driven big trucks and SUVs for the past 20 years. Until he saw the Veracruz, he never considered owning a Hyundai. Now, he told me, he wants one. And that in a nutshell is what Hyundai has been doing. They have taken the perception and reality gap that used to exist for Hyundai and now use it to prove just how far the company has come since the bad old days of the Pony. Hyundai is making a charge up market with new product and leading the way is the 2007 Sonata. The Sonata, while being cheap compared to its competitors, is not a cheaply made car. And for Hyundai that means more and more Canadian car buyers are finding this out. 2004 Volkswagen Toureg Only 78,564 km , features include power sunroof, premium package, xenon headlights,finished in black. Offered for $29,900 $ , . Stock # L70473 2003 Audi A4 Avant 3.0 Only 78,432km, features include power sunroof, premium package, tiptronic transmission, finished in ming blue. Offered for $ , $25,900 . Stock # P1392 2002 Lexus ES 300 Only 99,167 km, features include power sunroof, leather seating, automatic transmission, finished in burgandy. Offered for $ 20,900. , Stock # D008 2007 Cadillac Escalade Only 1,483 km features include power sunroof, leather interior, 22" chrome wheels, finished in black. Offered for $69,900. $ , Financing as low as 6.9%