Designers Aim for Refined All-New 2015 Hyundai Sonata
What does your car say about you? What does it say about itself? With the design of the new for 2015 Sonata, Hyundai designers sought to communicate the performance and refinement aspects of the vehicle through its appearance.
Lines and creases are designed to give the idea of strength and surefootedness while more glass invites a peek at the interior. Exterior design also delineates trim levels with the SE featuring elements customers have come to expect from the midsize sedan market like LED running lights, alloy wheels, and a rear lip spoiler.
The Sonata Sport comes with aggressive front grille and bumper along with extended rocker panels, unique rear bumper, and larger alloys among other design cues intended to support the Sport badge.
While Hyundai is big on the design aesthetic as far as appearance goes, the design changes in the 2015 Sonata have a level of practicality fit for families as the Sonata is the most aerodynamic (has the lowest drag coefficient) of any non-hybrid midsize sedan. The interior of the midsize Sonata is large enough EPA standards for interior volume classify it, with 122.4 cubic feet, as a large car.
The interior is designed to continue the refinement theme from the exterior with further emphasis on ergonomics and intuitive controls. Refinement is achieved through use of premium materials throughout the cabin as well as sound deadening. Extra insulation was added between the engine and passenger compartments. Engine notes were tuned to be less intrusive and to sound more pleasing. Designers worked to make holes in the firewall smaller to lessen the sound reaching the cabin.
Engineers and designers worked together to develop controls that all felt consistent and were tactile and intuitive to use.
Safety was also a goal in control placement—certain controls and features were shifted to allow the infotainment screen to be on the same viewing plane as the instrument cluster to optimize visibility and allow for safer viewing by the driver
Hyundai continued to build on the safety theme by using high strength steel with 41% stiffer torsional rigidity and 35% greater bending strength. Revised suspension spreads forces more evenly creating a smoother ride without sacrificing handling.
Hyundai offers two 4-cylinder gasoline engines in the Sonata:
- SE, Limited, and Sport models feature a 2.4-liter 185 horsepower engine with 178 lb-ft of torque.
- Sport 2.0T models are equipped with a 2.0-liter turbocharged engine which produces 245 horsepower and 260 lb-ft of torque.
Both engines feature variable valve timing and better low RPM drivability, and both are paired with a 6-speed SHIFTRONIC® automatic transmission.
The 2015 Sonata comes standard with 7 airbags as well as a host of safety technologies to include Electronic Stability Control, Vehicle Stability Management, Traction Control, ABS and a Tire Pressure Monitoring System. Forward Collision Warning, Blind Spot Detection, Rear Cross Traffic Alert and a Lane Departure Warning System are optional.
All 2015 Sonatas come standard with iPod®/USB and auxiliary input jacks, SiriusXM® satellite radio and Bluetooth® connectivity. A navigation system with an 8.0 inch touch screen is available and features a split music/maps split screen display, downloadable apps, “Eyes Free” Siri integration, and Apple CarPlay. An additional feature of the upgraded infotainment system is next-generation Blue Link which features Destination Search powered by Google, Remote Start, and the Hyundai Assurance Car Care in-vehicle app.
EPA mileage estimates are not yet available.
Pricing begins at $21,150 for a base model SE, and goes to $33,525 for a fully equipped Sport 2.0T. As with all new Hyundai’s, the 2015 Sonata is covered by 5 year/60,000 mile fully transferrable new vehicle limited warranty, Hyundai’s 10 year/100,000 mile limited powertrain warranty, and 5 years of complimentary Roadside Assistance.
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