Test drive ten generations of Sonata

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Model: 380TGDi? Top automatic flagship edition

Price: 205,800 yuan

In the 35-year history from 1985 to now, Sonata has gone through ten generations of new products and sold nearly ten million vehicles worldwide. In the fierce competition between the domestic market and the B-class car market, to be honest, the overall market performance of Sonata is not very good in the same class, because the moderate shape of the old models will more or less "hinder" its popularity.

In the past two years, we found that the design of Hyundai Motor and even the whole Korean automobile brand is entering a new stage, and red-hot models have been launched one after another, among which the tenth generation Sonata is one of the representatives.

The tenth generation Sonata can be said to be a B-class car worth looking forward to in 2020, from the global release of this car to the first launch in Korea, and then to the first launch in China. After a long wait, on September 3rd, we finally had a chance to test drive the 10th Sonata in Guangzhou.

Before the test drive, many consumers were full of expectations for the tenth generation Sonata, which may be due to the following three reasons.

The first reason is that the value of Korean cars has returned to the international first-line design level, and the overall design is very atmospheric.

The second point is that the overall product strength of the tenth generation Sonata has been greatly improved, and there are many unique configurations at the same level.

The third point is that the power system is equipped with two different versions of 1.5T and 2.0T, which gives consumers a variety of choices.

In the field of B-class cars, the market competition can be said to be the fiercest, whether for commercial use or household use. Many models are getting younger and younger in design style, but the Japanese Three Musketeers Camry, Accord and Teana are mainly comfortable/business and IKEA.

As one of the most representative designs of Korean cars, if the tenth generation Sonata wants to perform well in the market and attract young people's tastes, what else is worthy of recognition besides its face value? After a day's test drive, we think that the tenth generation Sonata is a fashionable sports car with both face control and manipulation.

The tenth generation Sonata is built on the i-GMP platform, and it is in "Sensuous? Under the design concept of nastic movement, it adopts sliding back design, short front suspension and long rear suspension, and the body height is low, showing an elegant coupe posture.

If you look closely, you will find that the arrow-feather air intake grille is particularly creative after blackening, and with a circle of chrome decoration, it is exquisite without losing tension. Equipped with hidden gradient LED daytime running lights, beautiful and more aerodynamic. In the highest tone of the whole front face, it is undoubtedly connected with the chrome plating of the body at the end of the headlight gradient, and it is also very scientific.

The side has always been the model with the most design lines. The tenth generation Sonata adopts a slender and tough body design, and the smooth window lines are very sporty. The vehicle size is 4955/ 1860/ 1445mm and the wheelbase is 2890mm, which is the longest B-class vehicle at present. Thanks to the new platform technology, the tenth generation Sonata has surpassed the previous generation and many similar models in size, but the weight of the whole vehicle has been reduced by more than 75kg compared with the previous generation.

Although the tail shape looks simple, the design is very distinctive and three-dimensional, and the small tail is also very individual. The sporty atmosphere of the tail, the design of the penetrating taillights is very fashionable, and the visual effect of the exhaust design of the two sides is very good. The letters at the tail are also moved below the logo, which is very fashionable as a whole.

Opening the car door, the interior of the tenth generation Sonata gives people the feeling of technology+sports. Equipped with double 12.3 inch super-intelligent conjoined dual-screen display system, SBW button-type electronic gear shifting, and full touch buttons under the central control screen. The design of these devices is in line with the aesthetics of young people, which is both scientific and convenient to use.

In addition to greatly improving the sense of science and technology, the interior is also quite sincere in workmanship and materials. Most notably, the double 12.3-inch instrument control panel is perfectly connected in shape. The most advanced liquid crystal instrument is full of advanced feeling. It is equipped with the third generation intelligent networking platform and has 23 L2+ intelligent driver assistance systems.

Compared with cars of the same class, the tenth generation Sonata central control panel not only has powerful entertainment information capabilities, but also is basically a touch screen design, integrating functions such as air conditioning that originally required traditional buttons.

In addition, the tenth generation Sonata is also equipped with intelligent speech recognition system, intelligent wireless charging, seat ventilation/heating, CN95 automatic air conditioning, 7-speaker JBL audio and so on.

We took a test drive from Guangzhou Panyu Changlong Hotel to Huadu Jiulong Lake Kingdom Hotel, with a total distance of about 65 kilometers, passing through urban roads, expressway and town roads, and mountain roads around Jiulong Lake Kingdom Hotel. Along the way, whether it is the configuration of intelligent technology or power control, the overall performance of the tenth generation Sonata is excellent.

For drivers holding the steering wheel, the convenience of speech recognition and control is an important indicator to judge whether a car is intelligent or not. The third generation intelligent networking system carried by the tenth generation Sonata covers a wide range of functions, including intelligent voice interaction, mutual control between car and home, Bluetooth key of BLE mobile phone, remote vehicle control and many other functions.

In the process of driving, you can "command" the demand through the intelligent voice system. Compared with cars of the same class, this system has a wider radiation range. Ordinary cars can only control routine items such as window opening and closing, air conditioning control and skylight opening. However, the intelligent speech recognition system carried by the tenth generation Sonata can control the dashboard, seats, steering wheel, SVM images and other functions.

And this intelligent voice system can also query news, stock market information, weather and other life information for you. "Hello, Beijing Hyundai" can activate the ai intelligent voice system of the tenth generation Sonata while driving. Just say where you want to go, and intelligent navigation can immediately recommend several reasonable routes according to real-time traffic information, and navigate to the destination according to your personal choice.

In terms of safety configuration, the tenth generation Sonata contains a wealth of driver assistance functions, integrating as many as 23 active and passive safety configurations. During the test drive, I was deeply impressed by the adaptive cruise function of ADAS system. When the adaptive cruise function is turned on, the system will be linked with the car navigation, and the speed limit of the road section will be identified according to the speed of the preceding car and the navigation system, and the adaptive cruise function will reduce the speed according to the situation.

Moreover, the 10th Sonata is also equipped with advanced configurations such as HDA expressway driver assistance, FCA-JT front collision warning and braking system, safety assistance for maritime passengers' exit, and LVDA front vehicle departure reminder. , in the same level is severe.

After passing the road test drive, the tenth generation Sonata gave me a great surprise. The model for the test drive is 380TGDi? Top equipped with automatic flagship version, equipped with a 2.0T turbocharged engine, with a maximum power of 240 HP and a peak torque of 353 Nm. The transmission is equipped with an 8-speed automatic manual transmission, and the power matching is very good.

Many people think that the tenth generation Sonata is a sports car that smells "sporty", but it's true. Sonata is not as light as other Korean cars, but it has a sense of stability and comfort. These feelings all come from the way i-GMP platform is adjusted.

Although the 2.0T version is not the main sales model of Sonata of 10 generation, the main sales model should be1.5t. However, except for the different displacement, the two versions are basically the same in structure, and the CVVD technology of continuously variable valve duration is also adopted. This technology can smoothly switch between different cycles, and the ultimate goal is to achieve the best fuel-saving effect.

It is worth mentioning that the tenth generation Sonata has five driving modes, among which ECO (Economy), NORMAL (Standard), SPORT (Sport) and smart (Smart) are the most commonly used, and there is also an intelligent mode that can automatically identify the drivable state according to the road conditions, as well as a self-defined mode that adjusts the steering intensity and driving experience according to personal habits.

For those who like to pursue comfortable control, intelligent mode is the most fun in driving, because intelligent mode will display a green smart sign on the dashboard in daily driving. At this point, depending on the road conditions, it may stay in the economic mode. Step on the accelerator again, and the smart mode will suddenly turn "red". At this time, the tenth generation Sonata is very "sensitive" and switches quickly between different speeds.

So I think the tenth generation Sonata has performed very well in the powertrain. The smoothness of the engine and gearbox and the smoothness of gear shifting really give people a good experience.

Switch to sport mode on the road around the mountain near the destination of Jiulong Lake Kingdom Hotel. The response speed of this powertrain suddenly becomes "fierce" in the middle and late acceleration experience of sport mode, and the feeling of pushing back when stepping on the accelerator normally is also very strong, which makes you feel on call.

There are many twists and turns around the mountain, but the passage of the tenth generation Sonata is very easy. No matter passing through uneven roads or turning sharply, the car body will not shake greatly, which has a great relationship with the stable adjustment of the chassis and the surrounding of the seat.

Through understanding, the tenth generation Sonata originally set the forward-leaning shock absorber at a nearly vertical angle, which reduced the impact absorbed by the vehicle when passing through the uneven road surface, improved the riding comfort of the back seat, and combined with excellent ergonomic design, it could show the extremely comfortable driving experience.

Write at the end:

For young consumers, spending hundreds of thousands to buy a B-class car, face value and control are the main criteria for their car purchase. As a B-class car put on the market by Beijing Hyundai this year, relying on bold and innovative design, rich technology configuration, comprehensive evolutionary control and particularly important safety, the tenth generation Sonata returned to the public's field of vision with high profile and became a strong player in the B-class car market.

Through this test drive, the tenth generation Sonata has brought us good driving pleasure, and relying on many changes brought by the i-GMP platform, it has brought consumers a safer, more energy-saving and more controllable experience. This car not only has the high value of young sports, but also has remarkable configuration and dynamic performance. The tenth generation Sonata may be more suitable for young people than the same generation.

Text/Car Talk Magazine Qi Jincong

This article comes from car home, the author of the car manufacturer, and does not represent car home's position.