About three years ago, my brother got a job in the auto industry, which didn’t surprise me considering his love for cars growing up, but the first car he bought after starting this job and getting the opinion of his new coworkers did surprise me. He bought a Hyundai. “You mean Honda,” I remember saying, and he let me know in no uncertain terms that he did not mean Honda. He meant Hyundai.

Up to that point I’d never really known to consider Hyundai among the leading automakers in the industry, and maybe up to that point they hadn’t done much to prove that they were among the leaders in the auto industry. But, my brother assured me, Hyundai was making a huge push to create vehicles that would legitimately compete in their classes. I didn’t shrug him off, but I can’t say that I honestly believed him either.

Him being the guy that always had the drop on car news, I should’ve known better.

Delray Beach Hyundai dealers have seen a 50% rise in sales of the all new Sonata over last year already, and we’re only halfway through the calendar year. In fact, if any model has achieved the goal of moving to the head of its class, it’d be the redesigned 2011 Sonata, which has both critics and consumers alike buzzing over the looks, feel, and drive of the vehicle.

The more notable changes in this newest iteration of the Sonata is a change in engine. A Delray Beach used Hyundai Sonata had the option of carrying around a V6 if the buyer so desired, but the new model is only offering a four-banger. How that helps the 2011 Sonata is that the new design was engineered specifically for the smaller engine, thus removing 100 pounds from the overall weight of the vehicle. That means better gas mileage, which is atop many consumers’ current lists of demands for a new vehicle these days.

But there’s so much more than that when it comes to this car. It looks and drives on par with all the other, perhaps more famous, cars in the mid-sized sedan class. Toyota Camry and Honda Accord have been the winners in the past, but as my brother predicted, Hyundai seems to come out on top for 2010. Who knew? Well, aside from my brother, that is.

Labels: Delray Beach Hyundai dealers, Delray Beach used Hyundai Sonata