2011 Hyundai Sonata Turbo: Driven

via onlineautobrochure.com

Just a few years ago, the conventional wisdom with mid-size was that, unless you counted yourself among frugally minded tightwads, you’d be much happier with the optional V-6 than with a standard four-cylinder engine.

Then four-cylinder engines found a new benchmark for power last year, when introduced its direct-injection 2.4-liter four, in the 2011 Sonata. Making up to 200 horsepower and 186 pound-feet of torque—with class-leading fuel economy of 35 mpg highway—this engine (and the car itself, The Car Connection’s Best Car To Buy 2011) was a game-changer.

But for those who still wanted to move more rapidly than the standard engine, Hyundai has another game-changing option on offer in the Sonata. There’s no Sonata V-6; instead, a 2.0-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder, making 274 hp, powers Turbo SE and Limited models of the Sonata just as quickly as a six.

In fact, the Turbo might actually be more responsive in transitional maneuvers like highway passing, or easing confidently out of a corner. Its 269 pound-feet of torque peak is reached as low as 1,750 rpm, so it can really ease up to speed without downshifting. We couldn’t feel much, if any, turbo lag either—and we expected some, considering this setup’s pressure-cooking 17.4-psi boost level.

What’s surprising is how effectively the Turbo model feels like a premium, more sophisticated powertrain choice. It’s surprisingly quiet; Hyundai has tuned out most of the turbo whistle, wastegate, and and intake noise you hear on other high-performance turbo models, and it’s hushed the exhaust about to the levels of the non-turbo model. Floor the accelerator at highway speeds and the engine and transmission work quickly but smoothly, with speed gathering in a luxury-car-like rush. Much like a V-6 sedan, in fact. Yes, you can tell there’s a four-cylinder engine under the hood, but it doesn’t sound or feel downmarket. Read the full article here.