Friday, April 26, 2013

2013 Hyundai Sonata Ranked Most Dependable Car of The Year!

Hyundai owners know that their vehicles are dependable and will last a long time with only minimal repairs and maintenance, but J.D. Power has released a series of rankings.  Every year, J.D. Power and associates releases their list of the 14 most dependable cars and trucks, categorized into by size and type of vehicle.  The J.D. Power rankings are highly anticipated by both the auto industry and consumers because they help clarify which cars are the most well made, and which cars need changes and improvements in order to be dependable.  In 2013, the 2010 Hyundai Sonata was ranked first out of all mid-sized sedans.

The vehicles are ranked on a range of factors over a period of 12 months.  J.D. Powers and Associates pick vehicles that will be three years old by the end of the study in order to determine particular models long term dependability. This year the Hyundai Sonata beat out the Ford Focus at second place, and the Buick LeSabre at third place, for the number one score.

This is the second year in a row that a Hyundai has been the highest ranked midsize sedan in the J.D Power Dependability rankings.  Last year the 2009 Hyundai beat out all of the competitors.  This should come as no surprise to Hyundai owners who have come to relay on the dependability of their vehicles.

As a mid-sized Sedan, the Hyundai Sonata is known for its great features and excellent design.  The 2013 Hyundai Sonata adds a number of excellent features and qualities including the Theta ii GDI 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine that features a Gasoline Directed-Injected (GDI) fuel delivery system, which has greatly improved gas mileage over previous models; where the base 2.4-liter engine offers up to 200 horsepower, and the optional 2.0-liter turbocharged engine marshals a whopping 274 horses.  We can remember when only high-strung performance machines like the Mitsubishi Lance Evolution made that kind of power with the 2.0-liter inline-4. Fuel economy is stellar as well, reaching in the mid-30’s mpg range with either engine.

Has any other automaker gone from imitator to innovator this quickly? That’s what the 2013 Hyundai Sonata midsized sedan has us wondering.  It was only a few years ago that Hyundais came across as Korean –flavored interpretations of more established cars, but now every new family sedan seems to be taking cues from Korea’s finest.

Let’s start with the Sonata’s bold “fluidic sculpture” design language, which truly looks like nothing else on the road.  It was revolutionary when the Sonata debuted in 2010, a breath of fresh air in a segment notorious for stale styling.  Since then, we’ve seen the Nissan Altima get all swoopy for its latest redesign, and the new Ford Fusion’s physique has likewise been streamlined.   Yes, that’s right: Hyundai set the trend, and the others followed suit.

Even fiercely independent Honda pays homage to Hyundai these days, as the new Accord’s taillights look like they were lifted straight off Hyundai Genesis luxury sedan.

Naturally, Hyundai hasn’t gotten everything about the Sonata right overnight. But when you take all of the Sonata’s strong points and add Hyundai’s traditional value advantage to the mix, it’s no wonder other automakers are suddenly scrambling to keep up.