2011 Hyundai Sonata to Get D.I., Turbo Versions of 2.4L Engine

Or that little Forte thing.

Wow, they are really firing on all (excuse the pun) cylinders. I wouldn't mind a 250hp four banger in a cheap family sedan.

And as we know turbo engines save no fuel but gives you a less pleasant engine note... but saves the motor company development costs... yay for Hyundai's pocket book?

This car is sharp in pictures! If it comes across as well in person, Hyundai will sell a ton of these.

The DI-4 is a great idea. A 195HP class leader in the making!

Hyundai is on a hot streak!

I really like the way the body looks, just was standing next to an 09 that a buddy bought and thought to myself in a year he will be sorry. While I like the standard DI-4, adding a turbo will just make you pump in premium fuel, not much of a savings when it comes to fuel cost.

@billt9

Hyundai/Kia is putting a new 3.5 V6 into the Sorento putting out 277hp - which will also pop up in several other models, including the Kia VG.

Reportedly, a DI version of the 3.5 will push the hp rating into the low 300s.

Hyundai is coming on strong! This new Sonata is HOT!

The Kia Forte is a solid entry-level offering but this -- this friends is poster material!

Look out Lexus ES350!

WoW !
This is the CAR America needs !
The look itself already beats the altima, camry, and accord.
And now the performance? Just wow !

Hyundai is the BEST !

billt9: What are you talking about?

@AMTalker,

The Genesis Turbo doesn't require premium. In fact, no Hyundai does and there's little reason to believe a Sonata, turbo or not, would require premium either.

@billt9:

How would you classify the 3.5L Ecoboost then? Just a fluke? Turbo engines provide better fuel economy when done right, especially if the driver can keep him or herself out of the boost all the time.

First they beat Honda with a 6 speed auto and now this. How much loonger will Toyota/Honda fans be able to pretend Hyundai isn't making better vehicles than those stalwarts?

billt9,
This is a direct cylinder injection engine with a turbo. BMW's 335, Audi's A4, Ford's new Taurus SHO, and Saturn's Sky Redline all make competitive fuel economy and power with a direct cylinder injection that is turbocharged. The turbo vehicles with relatively poor fuel economy use port fuel injection, like the Acura RDX, Subaru WRX, Mazda CX-7, and PT Cruiser Turbo.

@1487: I'm not surprised. Hyundai's corporate culture is much more flexible and adaptable than the conservative Toyota Motor Corporation.

And we're going to see a lot more turbo 4 engines replacing V6s as the new CAFE regulations start to take hold. Ford talks about EcoBoost, but it's far from a new concept and everyone is headed in the same direction.

I agree that Ford has hyped up Ecoboost- but Ford is ahead of Toyota, Hyundai and Honda on this front. While many are loathe to admit it GM/Ford are ahead of the pack with 6 speed transmissions and use of direct injection and turbocharging. Only the Germans have offered more- mainly VW/Audi group. Everyone may be headed in the same direction but the Japanese big 3 are at the back of the pack. Toyota seems to think that they don't have to worry about this stuff since they have Synergy Drive. I don't know what Honda or Nissan can use as an excuse.

'July 9, 2009 - KOREA: 4OMPG BY 2015: A new plan from the Korean government will "require passenger cars and mini-vans with less than 10 passenger seats to get an overall average of 17 kilometers per liter by 2015," the equivalent of 40 miles per gallon, according to The Korea Herald. They say this will save 15 million barrels of oil and reduce 8 million tons of carbon emissions by 2015. So why can't the U.S. do the same thing?'

http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/NEWKHSITE/data/html_dir/2009/07/07/200907070066.asp

How will this influence Hyundai/Kia's approach to the US market?

What WILL HAPPEN TO Detroit then ... since they seem to be reactive ... rather than PROactive?

Y'all need to learn to read between the lines about the CAFE standards, and the Korean standard too.
All cars need an AVERAGE of xx mpg.

Read up on the '60's and '70's oil crisis, and the fuel economy standards then. The Pontiac GTO was the first to 'trick' around this.

The LeMans was a great little car, with a good average gas mileage across the board (for back then.) This didn't stop them from offering a big V8 in a 'package' called the Tempest LeMans GTO.

If the base model of a car makes 70 MPG, and the other trims make 20 MPG, it averages out to above the CAFE standard of 30 MPG.

Heck, if one trim is 40 MPG, the other is 20 MPG, it STILL averages to 30 MPG. It's all in the trim....

jays83gsl,

You also have to account for volume this time. If you sell alot of high performance models, you have to sell even more fuel sippers to offset it.

jays83gs, granted the article about S.Korean regs states "overall average".

However, if I understand correctly, the "new S. Korean Rules" have TEETH.

EACH vehicle SOLD that emitts more than 140 g/km CO2 requires payment of an "emissions duty" of UP TO USD $90 for EVERY GRAM above 143 g/km, IIRC.

For the typical/average current Detroit offering, the "emissions duty" could easily be MORE THAN $4k per vehicle sold. Worst case could easily be as high as $14K per vehicle.

Do you think that would influence Det3 sales in (exports to) S. korea ... or ... how Hyundai/Kia will design power trains for their markets (including imports to the US)?

Hyundai/Kia are very FOCUSED and will attempt to minimize the the number of power train configurations they will continue to produce to MAXIMIZE economies of scale.

So ... again, what happens in the 2015/2016 (starting in 2012/2013) US auto market regarding Hyundai/Kia and the Det3?

Your "best guess" please ...