Comments by "Stephen Hendricks" (@stephenhendricks103) on "" video.

The problem faced by the Sonata N-Line as well as the KIA K5 GT is the absence of either AWD or any form of Limited Slip Differential (electronic or mechanical) in a FWD sedan with nearly 300 HP and over 300 ft lbs of torque. In effect the customer is paying for power that cannot be used without wheel hop, torque steer, and tire abuse. Though the N-Line offers far more power than the versions of the Sonata with the 1.6L turbo it's hardly useful if it cannot be accessed. Hyundai doesn't offer AWD in any Sonata while KIA offers it as an option on lower trims. But the elephant in the room isn't the N-Line Sonata. It's the existence of the Stinger GT-Line with the same engine as the Sonata N-Line and KIA5 GT, RWD or RWD-biased AWD and an MSRP for a fully loaded version ranging from less than $38K (RWD) to slightly over $40K (AWD) plus destination, tax, title, and license.
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@KirkKreifels The lack of AWD and/or LSD is most obvious in strong acceleration from a dead stop or in a curve calling for acceleration for an exit. I'm not surprised to see the absence of AWD in the Sonata N-Line and KIA5 GT. It follows a pattern set with performance versions of the Camry and the Altima. High performance midsize "family" sedans are a minuscule market segment. Their slim profit margins aren't big incentive for automakers to add expensive features like AWD (For example, Toyota says fewer than 5% of all Camrys are sold with the V6 engine.) On the other hand the absence of an LSD to a sedan with 300 HP and ft lbs of torque is inexcusable. My GTI with far less power provides it. It appears that Hyundai and KIA are banking on profiting from consumers who think performance consists exclusively of straight line 0-60 acceleration time on a flat surface. That may be enough to sell cars to a significant segment of American consumers but it certainly isn't a plus in terms of the brands' reputation.
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