Hyundai Sonata vs Chrysler 300

What's the difference?

The Hyundai Sonata N Line is a sedan. Not a hatchback, not a fastback, nor a coupe and definitely not an SUV.

And even though only a handful of people in Australia buy the Sonata N Line each year it’s been updated with a completely different look and new technology, making it an outstanding car in many ways.

The thing is, because we’re obsessed with SUVs in Australia most people will never know how good this sedan is - unlike you.

So, let me congratulate you for making it this far. There’s probably so few of you I could possibly congratulate all of you in person. In an afternoon.

The big question is, though, is the Sonata N Line fit for Aussie families? Well, it scores well, but maybe not where it counts…

Let’s see what’s new and what the Sonata N Line can do.

You may be sensing an increasing level of hype around hybrid and full battery-electric vehicles. In fact, it feels like the automotive world has gone full-fat bananas over ‘electro-mobility’.

At least car manufacturers have, with Tesla’s entertaining antics disrupting the status quo, and causing virtually every mainstream brand to get on board the zero-emissions express.

But of course, the other side of that equation is demand. The rush to meet ever tightening emissions regulations (and save the planet in the process) fails to recognise the fact that not everybody wants a ZEV… yet.

The days of big-bore, more is good, internal combustion propulsion aren’t over yet, and Chrysler, like the rest of the ‘Murican Big Three’ is keeping traditional muscle car enthusiasts happy.

In fact, we’re in the midst of a US horsepower arms race not seen since the late 1960s and early ‘70s, and Chrysler’s SRT (Street & Racing Technology) performance subsidiary is leading from the front with a variety of over-the-top Hellcats, Demons and Red Eyes.

Australia has recently picked up a whiff of that action with the utterly mad 522kW Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk, but the only slightly unhinged SRT version, and this car, the Chrysler 300 SRT, have been around for some time.

Launched here in 2012, the second-generation version of the 6.4-litre naturally aspirated sedan was discontinued in the USA in 2014. But sensing a large sedan-sized opportunity as local manufacturing from Ford, Holden and Toyota went the way of the Dodo, the local FCA team negotiated a continuation deal.

Think of the 300 SRT as America’s M5 or E63. A full-size performance sedan with a thick layer of luxury laid over the top, but at around one third the price.