chicagotribune.com's view

Hyundai is on a roll. Not bad for a company that was supposed to get the stuffings kicked out of it by Yugo.

Hyundai (pronounced hun-day) introduced the mini Excel in February, 1986. It was priced at $4,995, and the mini Yugo started at $3,990. Obviously, the South Korean automaker didn`t stand a chance against the Yugoslavian competition and its car stickered $1,000 less than the Excel.

Hyundai sold 168,882 cars the first year and sales climbed to 264,282 last year. The folks from Yugo? They filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

Hyundai isn`t wasting any time in taking advantage of its popularity. Now that the mini Excel has become one of the nation`s best-selling imports, Hyundai has followed up with a midsize, front-wheel-drive, four-door Sonata sedan.

How`s the Sonata doing? There are reports of dealers adding $800 rustproofing jobs to showroom models and refusing to let one out the door until it`s packed with high-cost, dealer-mandated options.

Must be doing well in other words. Hyundai said it hopes to sell 80,000 of them this year along with 200,000 mini Excels.

Sonata looks good. The rounded sheet metal bears a likeness to the Ford Tempo, Nissan Maxima, Toyota Cressida and Peugeot 405 wrapped into one. Stylish. Mud flaps protect the lower body from thrown stones; wide body side moldings protect doors from careless fellow motorists.

Sonata also has above-average roominess. Built on a 104.3-inch wheelbase and 184.3 inches long, Sonata is slightly larger than a compact Honda Accord (102.4-inch wheelbase, 179.7-inch length) and slightly smaller than a midsize Chevrolet Celebrity (104.9 and 188.3 inches).

There`s plenty of leg, head and arm room front and rear. The rear seat is probably as roomy as most of today`s full-size cars. A high roofline affords rear seat head room most uncommon in today`s midsize cars.

Though extremely roomy, the cloth seat material looks as if it was purchased while the blue light was flashing. And the interior has an odd aroma, almost as if you were in a field of jute carpet backing.

In back the trunk is massive and seems to extend from the rear bumper to the engine compartment. The rear seat backs fold down to increase storage capacity even more-and they fold flat.

Power is supplied by a fuel-injected, 2.4-liter, 4-cylinder engine that delivers 110 horsepower and is teamed with a 5-speed manual as standard, a 4- speed automatic as optional. The car we tested had the 5-speed manual, a smooth shifting unit that got a little too slippery thanks to a loose cable that had to be fixed.

The 2.4 is peppy and provides ample off-the-line or merging power. It also was very quiet. A V-6 for above average power would be ideal. The car, after all, is in the same size league as a Celebrity and an optional V-6 would attract buyers not keen on a 4 in a midsize car.

As for the 4-cylinder engine, do-it-yourselfers should note that the plugs easily are accessible on the Sonata. The oil filter is low on the block but can be reached and removed from underneath, where the opening is large enough to allow changing the filter without leaving four quarts of oil dripping from you or the block. Too bad the hood is a prop job.

Ride and handling were average. Sonata fits a crew and their luggage and/ or groceries. It gets you to the store or to work or to the vacation retreat. The suspension isn`t meant for high-speed cornering and playing games. You encounter ample body sway in corners and turns.

The list of standard equipment is extensive-and impressive. It includes power brakes and steering, trip odometer, tilt steering, digital quartz clock, remote trunk/fuel filler door releases, electric rear window defroster, rear seat heater ducts, dual remote control rearview mirrors, body side moldings, tinted glass, intermittent windshield wipers, visor vanity mirro r, full carpeting and all-season steel-belted Michelin radial tires.

We drove the top-of-the-line GLS, which adds cruise control, power antenna, AM-FM stereo with cassette, power windows and door locks, six-way manually adjustable driver`s seat, deluxe wheel covers, center console armrest (with hidden compartment tray) and illuminated visor vanity mirror.

The base Sonata starts at $9,695 with 5-speed, $10,305 with automatic. The GLS starts at $11,695 with 5-speed, $12,305 with automatic. Air conditioning is a $745 option.

Despite the goodies, there were some annoyances. The button to activate the rear window defroster is in the instrument panel to the left of the wheel. When we pressed the button, the plastic panel cover moved. Shoddy.

Offsetting the problems was the fact the fuel gauge seemed to be stuck on F. The EPA rating of 21 miles per gallon city/28 m.p.g. highway seemed to be on the low side.

By adding a larger model, it`s obvious Hyundai intends to offer a family of vehicles in the U.S. But it will add models slowly.

A restyled Excel reportedly is in the works for this fall, with a fuel- injected engine replacing the current carbureted power plant. Hyundai sells a van in South Korea, but there`s no immediate plans to add it to the U.S. stable.

>> 1989 Hyundai Sonata Wheelbase: 104.3 inches Length: 184.3 inches Engine: 2.4 liter, 110 h.p. four cylinder Transmission: 5-speed manual/4-speed automatic Fuel economy: 21/28 m.p.g. manual/20/25 automatic Baseprice: $9,695 manual/$10,305 automatic Strong point: Locks/room Weak point: Could use V-6 >>