Car and Driver: Hyundai Sonata Mid-Size Sedan Reportedly on the Chopping Block.

the sonata N line is hyundai coolest car. 0-60 in 5 seconds, quarter mile in 13,6 and 0,93g on the skidpad. put some michelin. pilot super sport on it and watch it fly. there is nothing like it for so little money. and you can have one at very low price since almost no one buys them. it is the total sleeper.

It has terrible torque steer do to it not having a LSD. I like everything about the car but the push button shifter. They should of put a regular shifter in the N line.
 
They should focus effort on EV replacement or other offerings. They don't have a competitive hybrid to compete with Accord/Camry in terms of uptake. Camry/Accord will dominate this segment as it whittles down.....
 
They should focus effort on EV replacement or other offerings. They don't have a competitive hybrid to compete with Accord/Camry in terms of uptake. Camry/Accord will dominate this segment as it whittles down.....


They sure are trying though.


 
I'll take my 2019 Passat sedan that gives 42+ mpg hiway over any SUV that gives 25-30. The back seat and trunk ar enormous and putting the back seat down makes it capable of hauling some truly large stuff.
The mid size sedan still offers pretty decent utility. Personally I would still get the wagon version every time for DD, as the slight increase in interior noise has never been enough of an issue to even bother using the cargo covers. Compared to the sedan version, I think typically wagons still have a few % more aero drag as well, and some have a bit more chassis flex, but it seems the newer ones are pretty solid to meet all the crash tests the iihs can make up.
 
So what will the Uber/Lyft drivers drive and the rental car counters hand out at the airport or a Hertz Local Edition/Enterprise location?
 
Okay, perhaps sedans aren't "dead" but they are a dying breed. We've seen the large sedan market vanish - the only large sedans left are Charger and 300. We're watching the midsize market vanish now...even Camry and Accord sales are down the last few years. Compact sedans may stick around longer as low cost options for first time car buyers and people without a lot of money to spend, but even they are having a tough fight against compact crossovers.
Ford and GM tried to crack that with the EcoSport and the Trax(and it’s Chinese-built Buick sister). Built in India and Mexico respectively but still an insult to its driver. Hyundai and Kia is having better luck with the Kona/Venue and Seltos. Toyota just introduced the Corolla Cross, but that’s a few figures above “entry”. The HR-V effectively replaces the Fit.
 
Crossovers and SUVs have taken over because most drivers view a car as either a status symbol or an appliance.
either way, they are going to get what is popular, and sight lines are more important than handling. Crossovers give the “commanding “ seating position with better gas mileage.
I prefer wagons and coupes that are lower to the ground, but I’m old and no one cares what I think. Wagon body styles are sales-proof in the USA unless they are jacked up and sold as an SUV. Not sure why. Old wagons have become very popular in the collector car hobby. New wagons don’t sell in the US. I have a Dodge Magnum, wish they would make a new one based off the 300. Not gonna happen.
 
Now that Toyota has axed the Avalon, I wonder too what Nissan will do with the Maxima? I've often wondered its existence with such low sales numbers after the 1990s. I always felt that Nissan should have axed the Maxima and given that money to the Altima, which is a much better seller that needs to be a better car. Two similar sized cars marketed to different customers.

I am somewhat of a Nissan fanboy and I feel the Altima is better looking than a BUSY Maxima..family member just got a new Sentra that, although a compact, I thought it was a Maxima at first glance..

Altima are bigger....
 
I’ll never understand the desire to own a vehicle with no separate lockable storage space. I like having a trunk so my stuff isn’t in plain view to every hoodlum walking by.
Most CUV/SUVs have cargo covers or an option to get one. But Yea-generally not a lockable storage compartment. Apparently millions don't consider it a big deal.
 
it’s the same mistake like when ford and Chevy pulled out of the midsize/compact truck market and put their money on full size. Nissan abandoned the frontier but Toyota kept the Tacoma. Half a decade later GM and Ford are back at it.

I get SUVs from a practicality standpoint but they have more body roll and lower fuel economy. Plus, most of these CUVs offer nothing more than a higher seat.
 
Not that people driving sedans corner any better than people in SUV’s… gotta come to an almost complete stop to make that turn 🙄

City driving isn’t too bad but last time I took a Rav4/Tacoma down I-81 in PA I wish I had a sedan. Taking those curves at 70mph feels like I’m one wrong move away from a roll over. I can usually take off ramps at a higher speed in a sedan anyways.
 
it’s the same mistake like when ford and Chevy pulled out of the midsize/compact truck market and put their money on full size. Nissan abandoned the frontier but Toyota kept the Tacoma. Half a decade later GM and Ford are back at it.

I get SUVs from a practicality standpoint but they have more body roll and lower fuel economy. Plus, most of these CUVs offer nothing more than a higher seat.
And that's exactly why they are so popular. Getting in and out of a Camry, Accord, or a Sonata, etc., is a real PITA. The CUVs are very easy to get in and out of. The body roll (which most drivers are not even aware of) and slightly less mpg-compared to the thousand of times one gets in and out of the vehicle is a small trade off.
 
Hyundai hasn't gotten the chance to dull down the styling of the new Sonata yet...

until the 6th Gen came out, the Sonata was just a "meh" offering in the market.

Then this came out, for the 6th, which was hugely popular in the US, while the styling alienated S. Korean customer tastes.


2012-hyundai-sonata-limited-i4-at-sedan-angular-front.png


then the 7th generation, styling got toned down for home market tastes

2015-hyundai-sonata-24l-limited-photo-611382-s-986x603.jpg


and enter the 8th gen with offensive styling to S. Koreans
 
And that's exactly why they are so popular. Getting in and out of a Camry, Accord, or a Sonata, etc., is a real PITA. The CUVs are very easy to get in and out of. The body roll (which most drivers are not even aware of) and slightly less mpg-compared to the thousand of times one gets in and out of the vehicle is a small trade off.
Most people are non-drivers, so this makes sense. They don’t know or care which wheels drive the car, or what “body roll” is. They don’t know how to calculate gas mileage without a trip computer to tell them. They can’t drive a manual transmission.
They don’t know where the oil goes.
Auto enthusiasts should be glad that there are any performance cars at all.
I watch the lemmings in their crossovers or SUVs, and just shake my head.
 
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