Harbinger of change

Hyundai has a reputation for making some astute small cars which inexorably find massive favour with the masses. Which is a good thing for any manufacturer, however to be a complete manufacturer needs a fairly strong presence in several other segments. And Hyundai is anything if not ambitious, wanting desperately to be seen as a complete manufacturer with an appreciable product portfolio. Enter the Sonata Transform, an upgrade of the existing Sonata Embera which Hyundai hopes is good enough to revive consumer interest in that particular segment.

Power has been increased slightly, so the 2.0 litre CRDi that was serving in the Embera now makes around a 150Ps, which is roughly around 8PS more than the older engine. But that is hardly enough to make a dent in the overall characteristic of the car. It may improve efficiency but don’t expect the performance to be awe inspiring. The changes have primarily been introduced to conform to tightening European and North American emission norms. Thus thermodynamic improvements to the exhaust gas heat transfer system lets it breather less noxious fumes while at the same time help it liberate a little better performance. Just how much better will need a thorough road test so keep your eyes peeled open for that in a future road test.

And there is also an improved petrol unit, which unfortunately I never had the time to drive. This is a Theta 2 engine, which is primarily a second generation Theta engine with variable valve timing for both exhausts and intake. This 2.4litre 4 cylinder engine has also been used earlier but now with the modifications makes a 175Ps more than before. That’is a 10PS increase over the older engine, still not something that make you sit up and take notice, I did not too.

Apart from the engine modifications, minor changes to the exteriors especially the front grille and the headlamps and some detail revisions to the interiors give it some freshness. But then again we haven’t seen too many Sonata’is around so, just how much freshness can these inputs breathe into the model is anybody’is guess.