All-new flagship for the South Korean sales king

 

Thanks to the three tenors of the mid-size-car market — the Ford Taurus, the Honda Accord, and the Toyota Camry — that segment may be the toughest for a new car to track. With those three answering almost every demand customers in this segment seem to have — and selling a million-plus units a year in the process – what kind of chance can an average or even above average car have?

With the Hyundai Sonata, that chance has always been based on offering a comparable car at a low price and that holds true for the all-new 1999 version, a substantially better car than the one it replaced.

A day of driving early versions of a V-6-power Sonata GLS (the upscale model) with four-speed automatic (the base version will be available with a four cylinder engine and five–speed manual transformation) showed the newest Hyundai to be surprisingly good at the normal demands one makes on a family sedan. That would be wearing through traffic, beating someone across an intersection, cruising quietly along the interstate for many hours, ingesting copious amounts of stuff into the trunk, hauling your traditionally causing you no grief.

Nothing here suggests an exciting relationship with a vehicle, but that is not a top priority with the target market. Still you get the impression the new Sonata could pick up your skirts and dance if you really wanted it to. At the heard of the Sonata’s “let’s party semi-hearty” attitude is a structure that’s noticeably stiffer than that of the previous model, the result of computer-aided design and bits of carefully placed high-tensile-strength steel reinforcements. The suspension is unequal-length control arms up front, an independent multilink arrangement in the back and gas-pressurized shocks and anti-roll bars at both ends.

Our GLS tester wore capable Michelin P205/60HR-15 tires on attractive aluminum alloy wheels; the base model will come with P195/70R-14 all-season shoes and different, less flashy wheels and less expensive shocks.

The Sonata’s handling was reasonably crisp and without drama. Tossed a little too quickly into a curve, the car behaves with quiet understated competence.

The Sonata’s acceleration is more than adequate with new all-aluminum 2.5-liter DOHC V-6, which is smaller than the 3/0-liter V-6 it succeeds. The new powerplant’s 170 horsepower at 6000 rpm and 166 pound-feet of torque at 4000 rpm could be better maximized with quicker downshifts from the otherwise smooth four-speed automatic.

The base 2.4-liter DOHC four-cylinder is rated at 149 horsepower at 5500rpm and 156 pound-feet of torque at 3000 rpm. Unfortunately, none was available for a test drive.

Inside, the Sonata is similarly improved with handsome trim and logically placed controls and instruments, aside from smallish stereo controls that were located too low for easy access. Six-footers will have plenty of head- and legroom up front, adequate room in the rear.

On top of all this, the 1999 Sonata is easy on the eyes. It may be too stylish for the folks who like the blandness that infects the mid-size category, but others will enjoy that. Hyundai has made substantial strides in styling these past few years, and the Sonata continues that trend.

Hyundai’s situation mirrors the troubles of its home country. Economic and political stability in South Korea, when they are finally achieved, will make it easier for U.S. consumers to trust the company and its cars in the long-term. The Sonata’s stylists, engineers and assemblers have done their part in offering a car that compares favorably with others in the class, for what we suspect could be as much as $2000 less. Now the car’s success is up to circumstances beyond its control.

 

Answer the questions:

1. What cars are called “the mid-size-car market”?

2. What cars does Hyundai Sonata offer?

3. Describe the V-6-power Sonata GLS please.

4. What impression do you get driving the new Sonata?

5. Why is the Sonata’s acceleration more than adequate?

6. What is the Sonata improved with?

7. Why is the 1999 Sonata easy on the eyes?

8. What people will enjoy Hyundai Sonata?

9. What does Hyundai’s situation mirror?

10. What have the Sonata’s stylists, engineers, assemblers done?

 

Mitsubishi Galant GTZ

(More over, Passat — here’s

another stylish, lively-driving alternative to the Accord and Camry)

 

When it comes to getting publicity, being bigger is almost always better. Toyota had little problem getting the world out about its restyled Camry a couple of years ago. And Honda had no problem with the new Accord last year. These huge selling cars are backed by commensurate ad budgets and they draw lost of attention from the mainstream press.

Mitsubishi, which sells less than a quarter as many cars as Honda or Toyota does, isn’t so fortunate. It is determined, though, not to let its new Galant go unnoticed. Many prime-time-TV viewers will have noticed the sepia-toned ads showing a sleek four-door in constantly changing camera angels, cruising city streets and country roads. The advertising message is clear: «Sedans can be cool, and there's a new one of Mitsubishi that doesn’t look or drive like others».

We'll pass on whether family sedans can be cool, and we’ll concede that new Galant doesn’t look like its rivals. The basic three-box shape is nothing new, but other elements distinguish this car. The Galant's sheetmetal works like Italian suit — not particularly sharp-edged in any of the details, yet it somehow manages to look stylishly angular. The Mitsubishi’s rounded ducktail looks as though it was borrowed from the last-generation BMW 3-series, but the front end is what we’re drawn to. It’s stretched around a tight rectangular grille that just forward aggressively, with drawn-back headlamps on each side. This is one of those noses that are as interesting to gaze at form the side as from the front.

All the ’99 Galants share these cues, including the low-line DE, the mid-level ES, and the higher-line LS MODELS. Interesting is the sporty new GTZ model, which is almost chrome-free and comes with a standard rear wing. The wing looks a little sophomoric, but GTZ’s mid-night-black paint and body-color grille gave it an absolutely sinister look.

The insides, created at Mitsubishi’s design center in Southern California, are less bold. It’s a tasteful execution with no surprises, except perhaps for the center stereo that interrupts the dash. On our GTZ, nearly every visible surface — carpeting, dash, seats, door pillars — is finished in the sober grey color of a winter sky. The faux wood on the dashboard and doors is a welcome interruption. The carpeting — stiffly molded, lacking fuzz and difficult to clean is about the only tactile letdown.

Functionally, the Galant is in the game. The controls are convenient. The leather front seats in our GTZ appeared overstuffed for a sports sedan, but they were comfortable nonetheless. The driver’s seat-cushion height adjusts separately from the seatback, a feature usually found in more expensive cars. There are 55 cubic feet of room in the front and 43 cubic feet for the rear passengers. A Camry has room like that. And Accord has 52 and 45 front and rear and the Passat scores 51 and 42. The Galant’s rear-seat space is generous for two, but for three, have the height-challenged human take the middle-seat — its humped cushion cuts headroom significantly. The right rear seatback folds down to accommodate long items, but not the entire seatback, unlike the rear seats in most of the Galant’s competitors. The trunk has a flat floor and can carry 14 cubic feet of dirty gym clothes and empty All Sport bottles.

So the Galant looks slicker than its competitors. Inside, it has what it takes, more or less. So good so far, but what about driving it?

There are two different engines available — a 145-hp, 2.4-liter that was used in the last Galant, and a 195-hp V-6 (190 horses in LEV states) for higher-line models, including the GTZ. That big motor is, unfortunately, married to a four-speed automatic — meaning that the Galant can’t serve up the kind of fun the Camry V-6 and Mazda 626 V-6 can, with their available row-it-yourself gearboxes.

One of the reasons for the good ride is Goodyears. The Galant also has a rubber-isolated drivetrain cradle that helps filter out engine and road vibrations. It’s made of light but stiff cast aluminum — high-tech for a sedan priced at less than $25,000.

Tat price is competitive. The Galant starts at $17,410 for a base four-cylinder DE model with power windows and locks, air conditioning, a cassette player, and an automatic transmission. (A less expensive manual is due later). A 1989 Camry CE optioned similarly is $19,434. A ’98 Accord LX, with cruise and power mirrors, costs $19,485.

For a smaller automaker like Mitsubishi, competing with big guns Toyota and Honda, with their almost limitless resources and instant model-name recognition, is probably very much like getting a sharp stick in the eye. The new Galant, though, is a gallant effort from Japan’s fourth-largest car seller. The GTZ can’t match the performance of many of its competitors, but it feels swift enough when you drive it. And the Galant doesn’t match the refinement of its competitors’ products, wrapped in sportier, more distinctive styling, at a slightly lower price.

That’s not a very clearly defined hook to hang your marketing hat on, is it? Don’t stop running those raucous TV ads any time soon, Mitsubishi.

 

Answer the questions:

1. How many cars does Mitsubishi sell?

2. Why does the Galant’s sheetmetal work like Italian suit?

3. Describe the sporty new GTZ model.

4. How many cubic feet of room are in the front and for the rear passengers?

5. Does the trunk have a flat floor?

6. How many cubic feet of dirty gym clothes can the trunk carry?

7. What engine was used in the last Galant?

8. What engine is used in the GTZ?

9. What is one of the reasons for good ride of the GTZ?

10. Does the Galant have a rubber-isolated drivertrain cradle?

11. What is the cradle responsible for?

12. Why is competing with Toyota and Honda for Mitsubishi like getting a sharp stick in the eye?

 

Daewoo Leganza CDX

The Leganza puts Daewoo’s best foot forward. Its cabin is spacious — on par with a Camry’s or an Accord’s — although the rear-seat cushion is uncomfortably flat. Its Italian styling looks fresh and ritzy, dressed up with tasteful chrome accents, and it is assembled to remarkably high standards of panel fit and paint finish, contrary to the image Korean cars have acquired. The interior eschews Japan, Inc, anonymity for a bold design that works well and is executed in similarly high-grade soft-touch plastics with superb color match. Like Korean rivals Kia and Hyundai, Daewoo has tried to offer features and amenities that would add up to between two and three grand more on similarly equipped Japanese or North American competitors.

After more than 20 years in the auto business, Daewoo has yet to engineer and manufacture its own car engine. The cut-rate close-out motor that GM’s Australian Holden division supplies for the Leganza doesn’t do the car justice. This aging 2.2-liter DOHC four-cylinder makes 131 “cars-power”, and it thrashes noisily to 60 mph in 11.0 seconds — almost a second off the pace set in a comparison of similarly sized and priced sedans last December. Although Daewoo hired Lotus of Britain to prove input in tuning the chassis, Korean cushy is the predominant ride mode. An above average 0.80g of grip is on tap, but it’s attended by prodigious body roll and tire squealing.

New engines developed under the keen eye of former Porsche chief engineer Ulrich Bez will appear in a year or two. We’d wait. By that time, the Leganza may have established a track record for reliability and resale that help us to better assess its overall value.

 

I. Answer the questions:

1. Is the cabin of Daewoo Leganza specious?

2. What can you say about style of this car?

3. Does Daewoo manufacture its own car engines?

II. Retell the text.

 

Maserati 3200 GT