HYUNDAI Sonata · photos, packages and modifications

Hyundai started manufacturing Sonata in Korea during 1987 and it got success in the US market when it was exported to US in 1989. It was the seen as the successor of the Excel. The designer of the car Italian named Giugiaro. Sonata was a replacement of another car by Hyundai named Stellar which was also a family car.2.4 and 2.0 GL engines were available in USA along with 3.0 GLS engine. Only two trim levels were available in American market.

After the launch of first generation in US, second generation was also introduced for US market. The model for 1993 was introduced as a model of 1995 with certain up gradations. The engine was upgraded, 2 liter engine Sirius L4 was introduced in this generation. This engine has the capability to give an output of 126 hp. There is an option of Mitsubishi 3.0 liter engine with V6 available in few markets. In 1996 a new facelift to capture another segment of market was done.

The second generation Sonata was face lifted first time in 1996. Minor modifications were done to make the car more luxurious. To give the car a more expensive look the headlights were made similar to that of Mercedes and Jaguar. The rear of the car was also converted into that of a luxurious car. These factors of facelift enhanced the sale by 25% in the first year. The engine was modified to 2.0 liter engine which can boost up the up to 137 hp.

During 1998 the third generation was introduced. Major changes were made in design of the car. The style was toned down comparatively to previous approach which was more aggressive and vibrant. Many of the potential customers, after looking at this model commented on the style, that it has some kind of resemblance with Ford Taurus. German influence for the car was somehow missing in this generation. An additional feature of 10 year warranty for 2.4 Sirius engine and 2.5 Delta V6 engine was given in this version of car. The car gained success because of the trim option which was quite luxurious in this generation of car.

The 2001 model of the car had many elements of Mercedes and Jaguar. This makes the car luxurious. It has aluminum engine along with twin overhead cam which has a capacity around 2.7 liters. The engine is Delta V6 which has 173 hp. This car is no more available in the US market but you can have it in China and Russian since its being sold there.

In 2004 the fifth generation was introduce. This took place in Korea. The important feature of this version was aluminum 2.4 L4 Theta engine. An option of 3.3 liter V6 engine was given which can put out almost 237 hp. In Singapore diesel engine was popular in sonata used as taxi cabs.

In an auto show during 2008, sedan by Hyundai faced couple of challenges in US market. All were related to design and technicalities. The exterior of sonata was considered as of high quality as compare to other car models showcased in that auto show. Talking about interior, a new multi climate system was introduced in this version which makes the car feasible for all climates. If considering engine, the diesel engine is improved in terms of power till a level of 150 hp. If we consider the petrol version of car the engine of 2.0 liter V16 was embedded with an output of 165 hp. These engines were a replacement of 2.4 engine and 3.3 engine with a raised power up to 250 hp.