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| The 2013 Sonata boasts a new touch screen sound system. |
AT the launch of its stronger flagship sedan, Hyundai South Africa
described its experience of the mechanical training at school level in South
Africa as “problematic”.
Hearing about the problems that a giant in the motoring industry
has with the outcomes of our Sectoral Education and Training Authorities (Seta)
is not standard fare for a car launch, but it does show Hyundai’s level of
commitment to the future of South Africa.
One of the main problems trainee technicians experience at school
level is a lack of engines and drive trains to work on. To help solve this,
Hyundai has long been donating new equipment to schools. At the launch of the
Sonata in KwaZulu-Natal, the company went a step further and donated the small
Eon hatchback to the Westridge prevocational school.
Marketing director of Hyundai Automotive SA, Stanley Anderson, said
that they found the 800 cc Eon not quite suitable for the SA market, but instead
of letting the vehicle stand in their PDI stock yard they decided to donate it
to Westridge, which will celebrate its centenary next year.
Standing at traffic lights, only owners will be able to tell the
new 2013 Sonata from its predecessor at a glance. The main changes are in the
light clusters, with fog lights added, new wheel hubs and smaller side mirrors
Anderson stressed that the new Sonata is more than a facelift.
There is a whole new engine and drive train under the bonnet of the 2013 Sonata.
A stronger 2,4 litres sees the the work rate up 13%, from 131 kW to 148 kW, and
power up 18% to 131 Newton-metres of torque, which are transferred by a smooth,
six-speed auto box to the front wheels.
Inside, a new sound system boasts a touch-screen display with a
plug-and- play USB and Bluetooth standard.
Anderson said the only real competitor for the Sonata is the Mazda
6, but as this is an outgoing model, punters would do better to rate the
Sonata’s value and power against the likes of the Mercedes Benz C200, BMW 320i,
Audi A4 18T and Honda’s 2,4-litre Accord.
Comparing them, Anderson said that the Sonata is the better deal,
with its standard features that add R45 850 to the Accord’s price, and R71 530
to the rival Audi.
He said only the Sonata’s boot space (still large at 467 litres)
and lack of a maintenance plan does not beat the rivals hands down. As for the
maintenance plan, which covers the wear-and-tear parts, one is available as an
optional extra at R15 000.
The price of the new Sonata is R379 900, including a service plan,
which is R25 000 more than the old model.
The price includes a five-year/90 000 km service plan, which does
not include the maintenance of wear-and-tear parts.
