Braking Down The Hyundai Sonata Wagon
TTAC’s own Israeli man of mystery, Tal Bronfer, has been busy with non-TTAC related work this summer, but he’s just checked in from the Alps with brand new images of the Hyundai Sonata Wagon (known in Europe as the Hyundai i40) brake testing on Austria’s Grossglockner High Alpine Road. Tal was blasting through the Grossglockner in some rapid Teutonic metal (let’s just say it has at least one “R,” and one “S” in its name, and a review is forthcoming) when he smelled brakes. Naturally, his first thought was to check his own, but the culprit was this lightly-camouflaged wagon “slowly, braking downhill all the way from the top of the mountain.” Another Sonata Wagon was tow-testing.
What these pictures reveal is that the Sonata Wagon is not a simple sheetmetal job, as the elongated roof falls away gracefully towards the rear of the car, and appears to offer integrated roof rails. It’s a Euro-style “sport-wagon” in the mold of the European Accord rather than a US-style “cross-wagon” like the Venza or Crosstour, which indicates that it won’t come to the US. After all, with the Mazda6 and Subaru Legacy wagons discontinued, the mass-market station wagon seems all but dead. On the other hand, the Sonata has been punching above its weight since it debuted, and with the Euro-Accord wagon coming stateside as the TSX Sportwagon, and a Buick Regal wagon rumored, the i40 may yet come to the states as a Sonata Wagon.
More by Edward Niedermeyer
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I followed two different car haulers yesterday with new camoflaged Hyundai CUVs on them. From their exterior profiles I could make out the cars looked sharp.
Bring It! I'm 100% a wagon person. I ran my heavily modded 5 speed 00 Passat until it could literaly take no more at 380K, and my 03 Passat W8 6 speed is my baby, but I need a replacement to get her back in the garage. The Jetta is just too lacking in legroom, and I just can't stomach the soon to be departed Passat wagon. I've been dying waiting for the Saturn, err, now Buick, version of the Opel Insignia Wagon( PLEASE BUICK, in full twin-turbo six speed OPC glory as a Regal GS!), however this is a very tasty option. I've been a die hard VWAG customer but it's time to move on. My wife's audi has been the last straw. I love the new Sonata and have envisioned it as a wagon with little hope of one ever materializing. Maybe ther eis hope afterall!!!. I just can't understand most customers that choose these monstrosities of CUV's and SUV's over a proper wagon when they have absolutely no need for them 99% of the time. it's a little extreme but personally i feel most should be banned for non-commercial use. You have 6 kids, buy a minivan.