Page 55 - MotorTrend (March 2020)

FIRST DRIVE
The N-Line offers only subtle visual differentiation, but it’s decidedly more sporty.
ars require untold numbers of engi-
neers to go from first sketch to Job
C1, so it always seems unfair to lay a
vehicle’s success or failure at the feet of just
one person. That’s the nature of leadership,
though. You revel in the W or hang your
head with the L.
Albert Biermann didn’t personally choose features like launch control and automatic
the parts and calibrations that make the
2020 Hyundai Sonata N-Line drive like
it does, but his philosophy has been so
faithfully executed in the way it drives, it’s
impossible not to recognize his influence.
Biermann, as has been extensively
reported, came from BMW’s M division
in 2015. Before Hyundai poached him to
be its performance boss (he’s since been
promoted to head of R&D), it would’ve
been farcical to compare the way a Sonata redline, but that’s subject to change.
drives to a BMW because that wasn’t
the dynamic feel Hyundai was seeking.
But things are different now. With Bier-
mann’s guidance, every new Sonata has
a distinctly Germanic feel, the new N-Line
performance trim especially so.
Patterned after German automakers’
strategies, N-Line is a street-grade
performance trim rather than a full-boat
track package. Those are branded just
“N,” and the Sonata isn’t slated to become
one of those models. Instead, the N-Line
trim packages a stouter engine, a dual-
clutch transmission, larger brake rotors with
performance pads, and stiffer suspension
bushings and dampers. Not a bad start.
In this case, it’s a new 2.5-liter turbo
four-cylinder making about 290 hp and 310
lb-ft of torque (subject to final calibration).
It’s effectively a turbocharged version of
the Sonata’s new base 2.5-liter I-4 and
will show up soon in other products from
the Hyundai family. Backing it up is a new
eight-speed dual-clutch automatic (DCT)
not related to the base car’s new eight-
speed automatic or Hyundai’s existing
seven-speed dual-clutch.
This is good because the seven-speed
has long had issues engaging its clutches
smoothly at low speeds. Even in proto-
type form, the new eight-speed DCT
has no such issue. Loafing around town,
it shifts up and down smoothly and
quickly enough to be mistaken for a more
common torque-converter automatic.
The calibration isn’t finished, and
rev matching haven’t been installed.
But even driven hard it’s difficult to tell
anything is missing. In its most aggressive
Sport Plus driving mode the transmission
selects gears smartly enough to make the
steering wheel paddles superfluous. If you
choose to use them anyway, they respond
immediately. As of right now, there’s no
way to lock the transmission in manual
mode, and it’ll automatically upshift at
The transmission’s cleverness pairs
particularly well with this engine, whose
power delivery is decidedly nonlinear.
It starts out gently from idle to 3,000
rpm, providing ample torque to get you
through your commute. From 3,000 to
5,000 rpm, though, it delivers a fat surge
of power that makes the car feel quicker
than it likely is. A rough stopwatch test
suggests the N-Line will hit 60 mph in 6.0
2021 Hyundai Sonata N-Line Base Price $30,000 (est) Vehicle Layout Front-engine, FWD, 5-pass,
4-door sedan Engine 2.5L/290-hp/310-lb-ft turbo DOHC 16-valve I-4 Transmission 8-speed
dual-clutch auto Curb Weight 3,300 lb (est) Wheelbase 111.8 in L x W x H 192.9 x 73.2 x 56.9 in
0-60 mph 6.0 sec (MT est) EPA City/Hwy/Comb Fuel Econ Not yet rated On Sale in U.S. Fall 2020
to 6.5 seconds, roughly 2 seconds sooner
than a standard Sonata with the optional
turbocharged 1.6-liter engine.
The transmission essentially bifurcates
these two behaviors, so you get either
normal driving behavior or big power.
Drive lightly, and the car responds in kind;
but put your foot down, and you get all of
it. Knowing what the car has in it, Normal
mode can feel just a tad lazy if you like
sporty driving, but you can coax it with
a heavy right foot. Sport mode is a bit
aggressive for driving around town, but
if you want that sport sedan feel, it’s just
right. Sport Plus is for back road stuff.
Similarly, the new brake tune is just a
mite dynamic in city driving. The initial bite
is about perfect, but as you get about
halfway into the pedal’s travel, the braking
power suddenly increases. Hyundai tells us
the final brake pad compound is still being
decided, so this, too, is subject to change.
Perhaps the final formula won’t smell quite
as much after hard driving, either.
The engineers may also change the
damping, but it doesn’t need much. The
firmness is appropriate for a sport sedan
and only makes itself known on patchy
pavement; you’ll feel every sealed crack in
the road, almost as if the wheels are heavy
and the suspension filters as much as it
can. It’s forgivable, though, because of the
handling it gives you.
In the Germanic tradition, the Sonata
N-Line feels exceptionally planted at high
speed. The car sinks down into the road
like the best sport sedans, and bumps and
jolts don’t faze it at all. On the highway, it
makes you want to just cruise, carefree, at
triple-digit speeds. On a winding road, you
barely brake for long sweepers as the car
remains totally composed. Tighter turns
encourage you to push the car in a way no
mainstream midsize family sedan would.
We’ll get the final Sonata N-Line
product in the fall as a 2021 model, which
will likely start in the $30,000 range.