Test drive Hyundai Sonata vs Mazda6 and Ford Mondeo
Three sedans, three countries, three schools: Korea with its passion for everything shiny, Japan with an endless love of sports, or the States with great respect for the driver and passengers
As soon as the Russian market started to grow, returns immediately began. Not so long ago, Hyundai resumed sales of the Sonata sedan, which they stopped selling back in 2012. Then she did not have time to prove herself, but did Hyundai have any chances now - in the segment where Toyota Camry reigns? And where there are very serious players like Mazda6 and Ford Mondeo.
The seventh generation Hyundai Sonata was introduced to the global market back in 2014. Before returning to Russia, she went through a restyling, and now shines like a Christmas tree: fancy headlights, lamps with LED pattern "Lamborghini", chrome molding running through the entire sidewall. Looks like big Solaris? Probably, the owners of the budget sedan have a dream.
Mazda6 entered the Russian market four years ago, and its graceful lines still evoke emotions. The updates did not affect the exterior, but made the interior more expensive. The car looks especially advantageous in red and on giant 19-inch wheels.
In the rear mirror, the Ford Mondeo looks like a supercar - the resemblance to the Aston Martin is obvious. And the cold shine of the LED headlights brings to mind the Iron Man helmet. But behind a spectacular mask hides a massive body. The Mondeo is the largest car in the test and surpasses Hyundai and Mazda in wheelbase. On the other hand, the stock of legroom for rear passengers is perhaps the most modest in this company, and the falling roof is more pressing than in Mazda.
The Japanese sedan is the tightest in the legs and the lowest in the three: the back of the rear sofa is strongly inclined, which made it possible to gain additional centimeters above the heads. The Sonata leads the way in second-row roominess despite the trio's modest wheelbase at 2805 millimeters. Air deflectors and heated rear seats are equipped with all three sedans. On the other hand, Mondeo passengers are best protected in the event of an accident - only it has inflatable seat belts.
The largest and deepest trunk is in the Mondeo (516 l), but if there is a stowaway underground. If you pay extra for a full-size spare tire, the trunk volume will be reduced to Mazda's 429 liters. Mazda has only a stowaway under the floor, and you don’t sacrifice anything with the Sonata - a 510-liter trunk complete with a full-size wheel.
The Korean sedan has a wider distance between the rear wheel arches, but the luggage lid hinges are not covered with covers and can pinch the luggage. The Sonata trunk release button is hidden in the nameplate, in addition, the lock is unlocked remotely if you approach the car from behind with the key in your pocket. It is convenient, but sometimes false positives happen at the gas station.
The interior of the Sonata turned out to be colorful - asymmetric details, striped inserts, rows of silver buttons with a poisonous blue backlight. It is assembled neatly, the top of the panel is soft, and the instrument visor in expensive trim levels is sheathed with leatherette with stitching. Hyundai's center display has been inserted into a silver frame to give it a tablet-like feel. But the multimedia system seemed to be stuck in yesterday. The main menu items are switched not via the touchscreen, but by physical keys. The graphics are simple, and the Russian navigation Navitel cannot read traffic jams. At the same time, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are available here, allowing you to display Google maps.
The massive Mondeo panel seems to have been hewn out of a granite block. After the Sonata riot of textures and colors, the interior of "Ford" is decorated very stylishly, and the button block on the console looks very original. The designations are a bit small, but the narrow temperature and airflow keys, as well as the large volume knob, are easy to find by touch. In any case, you can control the climate control from the touchscreen. The Mondeo display is the largest in the trio and allows you to display multiple screens at the same time: map, music, information about the connected smartphone. Multimedia SYNC 3 is friendly with smartphones on iOS and Android, understands voice commands well and knows how to learn about traffic jams via RDS.
Mazda follows premium trends: with restyling, the quality of materials has increased, there are more seams with stitching. The multimedia display is designed as a separate tablet. At speed, it ceases to be touch-sensitive, and menu control moves to a combination of washer and buttons - almost like BMW and Audi. The display itself is rather small, but the “six” menu is the most beautiful. Navigation here is able to read traffic jams, and this is very important, since the integration of smartphones for Mazda is not yet available. The Bose audio system is the most advanced here, with 11 speakers, although subjectively it is inferior to the acoustics in the Mondeo.
Ford offers the most advanced driver's seat ever - with ventilation, massage and adjustable lumbar support and lateral support. Mondeo has the most "space" dashboard: semi-virtual, with real digitization and digital arrows. The Mondeo is a massive sedan, so the difficulties during maneuvers are partially compensated by the automatic braking systems, monitoring of the "blind" zones and the parking assistant, which, although it turns the steering wheel too confidently, allows you to park the car in a very narrow pocket.
The Hyundai Sonata seat will appeal to large drivers due to its unobtrusive lateral support, cushion length and wide adjustment ranges. In addition to heating, it can be equipped with ventilation. The tidy is the simplest here, but it is also easier to read than others, primarily due to the large dials.
Landing in the Mazda6 is the sportiest: good lateral support, a seat with dense padding. The extreme instrument well is given under the screen - almost like in the Porsche Macan. In addition to the dials, Mazda has a head-up display, where navigation tips and speed signs are displayed. Thick stands also affect the view, but the mirrors are not bad here. In addition to the rear view camera, a blind spot monitoring system is offered, which also works when reversing out of a parking lot.
Double click on the Mondeo key fob - and a warm car is waiting for me in the parking lot. Ford is better suited for winter than any other sedan in its class: in addition to a remote-controlled heater, it also warms up the steering wheel, windshield and even the washer nozzles.
Mondeo with a two-liter turbo engine is the most powerful in the test (199 hp), and due to a torque of 345 Nm it goes much more cheerful than cars with aspirated cars. Here are just the declared acceleration is only slightly less than that of the "Sonata": 8,7 versus 9 seconds. Perhaps the settings of the "automatic" prevent "Ford" from realizing the advantage. However, you can order a more powerful version with the same turbo engine, but with 240 hp. and acceleration to "hundreds" in 7,9 seconds.
The Mazda6 is still faster at 7,8 seconds, although it doesn't feel like the most dynamic car in the company. Its "automatic" with a sharp addition of "gas" hesitates, and after a pause rushes to catch up. In sport mode, it is faster, but sharper at the same time. Hyundai Sonata, the heaviest and slowest car in the test, starts faster than Mazda, and its automatic runs the smoothest and most predictable.
Ford, despite its apparent weight, drives recklessly, and strives to twist the stern in the corners. The stabilization system does not allow liberties, sharply and roughly pulling the car. The Mondeo's electric booster is located on a rail, so the feedback is the most thoroughbred here. In the suspension settings, the breed is also felt - it is dense, but at the same time provides good smoothness. And the Ford sedan is the quietest of the three cars.
The Mazda6 on 19-inch wheels is an expectedly tough sedan. If you put the discs two inches smaller than the other test participants, speed bumps are unlikely to be accompanied by tangible bumps. But Mazda steers precisely, without sliding, prescribing bends. Thanks to the proprietary G-Vectoring system, which imperceptibly plays with "gas", loading the front wheels, the sedan can be easily screwed into even the sharpest turns. To find the limit, you can completely turn off the stabilization system. For such a character, she can be forgiven a lot, although for a massive Mazda6 sedan, it is probably too sporty.
The Hyundai Sonata is somewhere in the middle: the ride is not bad, but the suspension conveys too much road trifle and does not like sharp pits. In a corner, hitting bumps, the car prowls. The steering wheel is light and does not load with feedback, and the stabilization system works smoothly and imperceptibly - the Sonata is controlled without excitement, but easily and somehow weightless. The silence in the cabin is broken by an unexpectedly loud engine and the hum of studless tires.
The Ford Mondeo is the most underrated car on the market. Only he offers a turbo engine and so many unique options. Only the supercharged versions start at $ 21.
The Mazda6 is all about striking lines and sporty toughness. She speaks tolerably the language of premium and may well be considered as an alternative to the more expensive Infiniti. "Six" can be purchased with two liters and modest equipment, but it is somehow strange to save money with such a machine. The entrance price tag for a car with a 2,5 liter engine is $ 19, and with all the option packages, navigation and color surcharges, there will be another $ 352.
Sonata is inferior to Mondeo in terms of options, and in sports it falls short of Mazda6. It also has obvious advantages: it is a smart, spacious car and, surprisingly for an imported model, inexpensive. In any case, the starting price tag of the "Sonata" is lower than that of "Mazda" and "Ford" assembled in Russia - $ 16. A car with a 116 liter engine costs at least $ 2,4, and this is also at the level of competitors when comparing sedans in similar equipment. Sounds like playing Sonata for an encore turned out to be a good idea.
| A type | ||
| Sedan | Sedan | Sedan |
| Dimensions: (length / width / height), mm | ||
| 4855/1865/1475 | 4865/1840/1450 | 4871/1852/1490 |
| Wheelbase, mm | ||
| 2805 | 2830 | 2850 |
| Ground clearance, mm | ||
| 155 | 165 | 145 |
| Cargo space, l | ||
| 510 | 429 | 516 (429 with full size spare) |
| Curb weight, kg | ||
| 1680 | 1400 | 1550 |
| Gross vehicle weight, kg | ||
| 2070 | 2000 | 2210 |
| engine's type | ||
| Gasoline 4-cylinder | Petrol four-cylinder | Gasoline four-cylinder, turbocharged |
| Working volume, cubic meters cm | ||
| 2359 | 2488 | 1999 |
| Max. power, h.p. (at rpm) | ||
| 188/6000 | 192/5700 | 199/5400 |
| Max. cool. moment, Nm (at rpm) | ||
| 241/4000 | 256/3250 | 345/2700-3500 |
| Drive type, transmission | ||
| Front, 6АКП | Front, AKP6 | Front, AKP6 |
| Max. speed km / h | ||
| 210 | 223 | 218 |
| Acceleration from 0 to 100 km / h, s | ||
| 9 | 7,8 | 8,7 |
| Fuel consumption, l / 100 km | ||
| 8,3 | 6,5 | 8 |
| Price from, $. | ||
| 20 647 | 19 352 | 21 540 |
