Car Parts 2011

Both body styles of the new Accent ride on a 101.2 inch wheelbase, 2.8-inches longer than the previous generation. The 66.9-inch width on all 2011 models increased by 0.2 inches for 2012. The Accent 4-door's overall length has increased by 3.5 inches to 172 inches, while total length of the new five-door version is 162 inches.

Pricing for the new Accent starts at $12,445 for the GLS four-door and $14,595 for the GS five-door, not including a $750 freight fee.

Luxury is a funny thing in the car industry.  Upon hearing that word, many different marques enter the mind.  The usual suspects include Mercedes, BMW, Audi, Cadillac, Lincoln, Lexus, Acura, and Infiniti.  Since 2009, some might consider Hyundai's Genesis sedan as a good entry-priced piece of opulence but let's be real here.  Nobody ever wants to talk about their cheap luxuries.  This being the case, let's talk about the Equus as well as another plebeian manufacturer's attempt at extravagance, Volkswagen's Phaeton.

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Right now, you might be wondering what my drug preference is if I'm comparing Hyundai to Volkwagen and the Equus to the not so dearly departed Phaeton.  There's more food for thought here than you would previously believe.  Stick with me on this one.

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Back in October, I posted my thoughts about Hyundai becoming the next Honda, or more importantly the Honda of the 90s.  Back then, Honda had several exciting cars in their lineup that showcased cutting edge technologies like four-wheel steering, VTEC, and aluminum unibody.  Today, the excitement can be felt in Hyundai's entire range of cars.  There's the sporty rear-wheel drive Genesis coupe, the mega-mile consuming Genesis luxury sedan, and the jack-of-all trades Sonata.  While the two Genesis cars cater to a very distinctive audience, the Sonata is the car that everyone can enjoy for its good looks, perfect size, adrenaline pumping turbo power, and frugality at the pump.

courtesy autoblog.com

With those reasons in mind, Flappy Paddle Heads is proud to bestow its inaugural "Can't Think of a More Witty Phrase than 'Car of the Year" award to the 2010 Hyundai Sonata.

The Sonata took top honors for a litany of reasons.  Its design language sets a new direction for a Korean car manufacturer that gets attention on the street instead of just trying to be a Japanese clone that neither offends nor entices with stale sheet metal.  The swooping body work resembles those premium (read: more expensive) four door coupes from the Germans that are all the rage but is executed in a much less flamboyant manner.

The engine options also take the road less traveled.  Instead of offering a V6 in their top trim model, the Sonata comes exclusively with 4-cylinder propulsion systems.  There's a conventional motor, as well as turbocharged and battery supplemented versions.  Both petrol powered motors provide class leading power while sacrificing nothing to their rivals, not to mention that the turbo-4 provides superior driving dynamics due to its lower weight than a heavy V6.  For the green hypermilers, the hybrid model provides better gas mileage than the Camry hybrid and is cheaper at the showroom too.  Power mongers, green weenies, and penny pinchers can all be happy with these options.

The mid-size sedan segment is the highest volume car segment in America and it is hard to make any inroads.  The Accord and Camry are constantly vying for the most sales.  The Ford Fusion is set to break 200,000 sales this year, something that Ford hasn't accomplished since the Focus sedan, after having a major redesign.  The Sonata has accomplished that same feat for Hyundai for the first time in its company's history.  During a time when people buy Camrys and Accords due to brand loyalty and not knowing any better, it's refreshing to see that a newcomer has joined the ranks with something totally new and eyeopening.  I hope these sales figures show that a company doesn't need to follow the status quo to achieve success.

Congratulations, Hyundai!

As a resident of the northern hemisphere, I admit that things can get a bit depressing around this time of year.  The days are getting shorter, the temperature is slowly creeping toward single digits, and it seems like the sun is doing nothing but taunting us.  The good cheer and festive moods of the holiday season do help some but even the holidays are sure to cause a bit of depression.  The two main culprits for this are the slightly enlarged waistlines and those ridiculously large red bows in Lexus commercial!

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I have a few issues with those commercials.  Who buys somebody a car, never mind a Lexus, for Christmas?  How do you get it into the driveway without anybody noticing?  Where do you get a bow that big?!?!

I've never seen a bodaciously big bow like that in anybody's garbage after Christmas, so I can only assume that people don't get Lexuses (Lexi?) for gifts or those bows are fictional characters.  Regardless, if you want to please an enthusiast this holiday season with a car but you're in a bit of a financial bind (there is a recession happening after all), FPH has got the perfect gift giving guide for you!

To make this list, the cars had to meet three criteria:

I don't care who you are but nobody wants to get a minivan.  Even people who buy minivans don't want one.  Those people are just obligated to buy one because of wifey, the PTA, the soccer league, etc.

As stated earlier, we're in the midst of a recession.  Nobody has Puff Daddy money to buy their kids Rolls-Royces.  Plus, the receiver won't feel so bad about adding some speed mods to a used car.  If they decide to slap on a body kit, neon lights, or a giant wing, smack that fool and take the keys back!

Giving somebody a lemon would be like saying you got them a race-bred greyhound only to have the pooch crap on the carpet and lick himself all day.  OK, that analogy sucked but you get the idea.

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The first car to make the list has, arguably, the best power to cost ratio of anything that meets our criteria.  It is the Dodge Neon SRT-4.  Dodge produced this vehicle from 2003 to 2005 for the enthusiasts who wanted a bit more kick in their sport compacts.  Its 2.0 liter turbo motor was rated at 215 horsepower from the factory which proved to be very conservative.  Dynos proved that this car actually put down that much power at the wheels.  This was good for 14 second quarter-miles and mid 5 second 0-60 time.  By adding Mopar backed upgrade kits, this car could put down over 350 horsepower with the same amount of torque.  The only car in Dodge's lineup that could beat this in a straight line was the Viper.

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While the rest of the cars aren't laced with the same crazy-go-nuts-crack-cocaine-induced power as the Neon, they can definitely hold their own when the road takes a turn.  The 2003 Mazdaspeed Protege, a one year special, has the stellar chassis and driving dynamics of the original Protege while upping the ante with a turbocharger bolted onto its 2.0 liter four banger.  While 170 hp provide the locomotion, the thicker anti-sway bars, retuned suspension, and limited slip differential keep handling in check and prevent loco motions.  This car circles the skidpad with .89g of stick and runs the slalom at 70.9 mph which is comparable to rear wheel drive performance cars.

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OK, so maybe turbo power isn't your cup of tea.  The heads up competitor to Mazda's Protege would have to be the Ford Focus.  Seeing as we're looking as the Mazdaspeed version, Ford's foil comes with the letters S-V-T.  With more aggressive cam timing, intake plumbing, and compression in the engine bay courtesy of Cosworth, the Ford pumps out 170 horsepower, equal to the Protege.  The chassis and suspension don't give an inch to the Mazda either.  Automobile magazine even called it "the best front-wheel-drive chassis on the road."  With an endorsement like that, numbers and specs aren't needed here.

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While Ford brought us an amazing chassis in the Focus SVT, another powerhouse brought a phenomenal motor to the sport compact world, the K-series.  Honda released the K-series motor with its 2001 Acura RSX to replace the aging Integra and B-series motors.  The K20C in the RSX type-S provides 200 horsepower of thrust from a 2.0 liter inline-4 and redlines at a stratospheric 7900 rpm.  As per Honda standards, the chassis is strong, rigid, and lightweight.  The sum of these parts conspire to make the RSX the best balance of the previous three cars.  It will scoot to 60 in 6.5 seconds and circumnavigate the skidpad with a tick less grip than the Mazda.  What it gives up in hardcore performance, the Acura makes up with a cabin that is light years ahead of the competition, fitting for a luxury marque such as Acura.

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Before everyone starts complaining that every car here is "wrong wheel drive," let's add the disclaimer that there were barely any rear drive options in the compact car segment until recently with the introduction of the Hyundai Genesis and the upscale BMW 1-series.  The lone exception would be the Mazda Miata MX-5 which I can wholeheartedly recommend.  While not the fastest in a straight line (even among this group), it carves corners better than any car here and will instill a sense of confidence with its perfect weight distribution.  Oh yeah, they've also been around the longest of this bunch, are highly modifiable, and have bullet proof motors that regularly see 200,000 miles.

Come Christmas morning, I hope you find one of these under your tree.  They should keep a real smile on your face long enough to save you from cracking a fake one when you get that ugly sweater or fruit cake.  For those that say humbug to these choice automobiles and think they need more horsepower, put down that slice of pie and make a New Year's resolution to fix your personal power to weight ratio.

Convenience Features- The optional Navigation system not only gets you from point A to point B it also can direct you to gas stations, ATM machines, restaurants, and even playgrounds. The systems voice recognition software is programmed to recognize a range of commands. It even adapts to each individual, actually learning preferences and speech patterns. Every Sonata comes standard with 3 months of XM radio, and navigation equipped models come with real time XM. The navigation system also integrates into the Sonata's audio system. To use your iPod just connect it to the input jack or wirelessly stream music from mobile phones and potable music devices using Bluetooth. All Sonata's come equipped with built in iPod and USB input jacks. The trip computer calculates your miles per gallon and tells you exactly how far you can drive with the fuel left in your tank.

Engine- All 3 trim levels come equipped with a 2.4 liter 16 valve DOHC engine. The GLS has 198 horsepower @6300rpm with 184 foot pounds of torque. The SE has 200 horsepower @6300rpm with 186 foot pounds of torque. The Limited has 198 horsepower @6300rpm with 184 foot pounds of torque. Even with this impressive horsepower from a 4 cylinder engine the Sonata is able to average 22 mpg city and 35 mpg highway according to their online auto brochure. This fuel efficiency is accomplished in part due to a new fuel injection system called "Gasoline Direct Injection". This gasoline direct injection or GDI system injects a precise amount of fuel directly into the combustion chamber of each cylinder allowing it to squeeze the most fuel efficiency out of every gallon. The Hyundai Sonata is the first vehicle in its class with standard "Gasoline Direct Injection" technology.

Hyundai Designers and engineers spent four years developing the new Sonata. Its sleek coupe like design is a refreshing change from other sedans. The new 4 cylinder engine boasts 200hp while still offering great mileage. There are three trim levels available the GLS, SE, and Limited. Below is an overview.

Hyundai has created an all new four cylinder motor to power its new Sonata. This completely new engine--named the Theta II GDI (gasoline direct injection technology) uses less fuel, produces fewer pollutants, provides faster throttle response, and generates more power than traditional systems that provide fuel into the engine's intake ports. Gasoline mileage on the freeway will be an impressive 35 MPG for a midsize four door.