2009 Hyundai Sonata Review

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Under the Hood

Regardless of trim level, two engines are available. The four-cylinder displaces 2.4 liters and puts out 175 hp, up 13 hp from the 2008 model thanks to improved variable valve timing; a PZEV version sold in states with stricter California emissions standards puts out 168 horses, only 5 more than the old engine. Torque improves marginally; the old engine had 164 lb.-ft., while the new one gets 168 lb.-ft. PZEV versions actually lose 1 lb.-ft. Fuel consumption is pretty good: 22 mpg city and 32 mpg highway with the automatic, according to EPA estimates, an improvement of 1 mpg in the city and 2 mpg on the highway.

The V-6 also stays at the same displacement as before, but adds 15 horsepower and 3 lb.-ft. of torque for a total of 249 hp and 229 lb.-ft. Fuel economy improves slightly, with city mileage staying the same at 19 mpg, but highway increasing to 29 mpg.

Regardless of what engine you choose, you’ll be routing power through five gears. The manual option is available on GLS models, and only with the four-cylinder. Only a small segment of Sonatas will be so-equipped; the vast majority will have the five-speed automatic that comes with the four-cylinder or V-6 engines. It also comes with a manual shift mode that’s operated by moving the shift lever back and forth in a special gate. We found it worked well enough, but not so much that we found ourselves relishing the experience.

The Sonata has a fully independent suspension consisting of wishbones in front and a multi-link setup in the rear. The four-wheel brake setup hasn’t changed in the mid-model refresh, with V-6 models getting larger rotors than the four-cylinder ones, and four-channel anti-lock and electronic brake force distribution standard on all models.