"The Sonata Turbo is an ideal platform for us to bridge the worlds of performance, aesthetics, luxury, technology and style," said Ben Harris, executive publisher, RIDES and 0-60 magazines. "The design we've chosen will accentuate the car's lines and style, using influences from exotic supercars."
The designers claim to have used styling cues from the four-door Brabus Mercedes CLS Rocket for the car's exterior modifications, which combine a matte pearl white paint with a set of blacked out 20-inch wheels, custom LED fog lights, and a slew of carbon fiber parts including the roof, grill, side mirrors and rear diffuser.
Inspiration for the Sonata Turbo's interior is said to have come from the Ferrari F430 [again, this is what Hyundai claims in the official press release], with stitched leather and alcantara used throughout the cabin and carbon fiber trim accents.
No word on the press release about the influence of Porsche in the design [...].
We'll remind you that the 2011 Sonata Turbo comes with a 2.0-liter force-fed four-pot pumping out 274 hp and 269 lb-ft of torque, with prices starting from $24,865.
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The NHTSA says the new protocols will also test "side-pole" accidents and crash-prevention systems, as well as using new dummies (hopefully these will be set up properly). One new addition will be the use of a smaller "female" dummy to gauge accidents involving women. Also, new "injury criteria" will be implemented, as well as the use of an Overall Vehicle Score.
NHTSA Administrator David Strickland says, "We want consumers to embrace these new safety technologies as a way to make vehicles safer. We believe electronic stability control, lane departure warning, and forward collision warning offer significant safety benefits and consumers should consider them when buying a new car." Well, yeah.
By Phil Alex
Also, how fast do you have to be going to launch the spare tire out of the trunk? If anyone knows what event this was or what specifically was going on (other than putting that poor white Sonata into a mound of dirt), give us a shout.
By Phil Alex
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The new 2.0-liter four-cylinder unit combines direct-injection tech with a twin-scroll turbocharger for a maximum output of 274 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 269 lb-ft of torque from 1750-4500 rpm with regular fuel, while delivering 22 mpg city and 33 mpg highway. The force-fed four-banger is hooked up to a standard 6-speed automatic with steering wheel mounted paddle shifters.
The base Sonata SE 2.0T comes equipped with 18-inch alloy wheels, a sportier tuned suspension and steering system, leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob, fog lights CD/MP3 audio system with iPod/USB and Aux input jacks, traction control and automatic air conditioning as standard.
The Limited model deletes the sportier tuned suspension and steering system but adds several features including power tilt and slide sunroof, leather seats, and heated front seats with heated rear seat bottom cushions. More details on the equipment grades in the list below.
[From Hyundai press release]:
Sonata SE 2.0T
2.0L Turbo GDI 4-cylinder engine
6-speed automatic with steering wheel mounted paddle shifters
18-inch Hyper Silver alloy wheels with performance tires
Sport-tuned suspension and steering
Dark chrome front grille
Chrome exterior door handles
Proximity entry with push button start
SE leather bolster/cloth insert sport seats
Leather-wrapped steering wheel and shift knob
Front fog lights / dual exhaust
Dual automatic temperature control
ESC/TCS/ABS/TPMS
Front active head restraints
Front, front seat side and curtain airbags
Chrome window belt-line moldings
Tilt and telescopic steering wheel with cruise, audio and phone controls
Metalgrain interior accents
AM/FM/XM/CD/MP3 with iPod/USB and Aux input jacks
Remote keyless entry and alarm
Immobilizer
Power windows, locks, heated mirrors
Advanced trip computer with custom settings
Active ECO System
Integrated Bluetooth with phonebook transfer
Daytime Running Lights (DRL)
Solar control glass
Navigation and Sunroof Package
Power tilt and slide sunroof
Navigation system with high-resolution touch-screen display
Dimension premium speakers, subwoofer/external amplifier
Sonata Limited 2.0T
Replaces/Adds/Deletes SE 2.0T equipment:
Power tilt and slide sunroof
Side mirror turn signal indicators
Leather seating surfaces
Heated front seats with heated rear seat bottom cushions
Floor console mounted rear vents
Premium door sill plates / "Limited" badge
In-dash 6-disc CD-changer
HD Radio technology with multicasting
Dimension premium speakers, subwoofer/external amplifier
Unique interior accents (Piano Black or Woodgrain)
Auto-dimming mirror/HomeLink/compass
Deletes sport-tuned suspension and steering
Navigation Package
Navigation system with high-resolution touch-screen display
Rear backup camera
Infinity premium speakers, subwoofer/external amplifier
Deletes 6-disc CD-changer and HD Radio Technology
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