A white Hyundai Sonata sedan on the streets of Beijing, right after a nasty dust storm, covered in dirt from the endless steppes of Inner Mongolia and Mongolia. Happily, it was in a very good shape.
And it isn’t just any other Sonata. This is the Sonata GLS V6 Gold, the top-trim level Sonata made by the Beijing-Hyundai joint venture. It had a special grille with horizontal bars and it was equipped with loads of luxury.
The word ‘gold’ was used untranslated in the Chinese trim-level name, like this: 2003款 2.7GOLD自动尊享型 (2003-year. Type 2.7 gold automatic exclusive). It was manufactured from 2003 until 2006.
In the 2003 and 2004 model years the engine was a 2.7 liter V6. In the 2005 and 2006 model years the engine was a 2.5 liter V6. The white car we have here has the 2.7 under the bonnet.
Output was 176 hp and 247 Nm. The engine was mated to a 4-speed automatic. Fuel consumption was a steep 8.5L/100km. Price in 2003 of the GLS V6 Gold started at 265.000 yuan.
This fourth-generation (EF) Hyundai Sonata was the first generation Sonata that was made in China. Production started in 2002 and continued all the way, with various updates, until 2017!
The Gold was loaded. It had leather seats, leather upholstery on the doors and steering wheel, a faux-wood center tunnel and center stack, and an infotainment system that could play VCDs and DVDs.
The rear passengers got leather too, and a small ‘wood’ panel around the window switches. Even better, each passenger also had a personal screen, mounted in the headrests.
The displays got their feed from the player up front, so everybody had to watch the same stuff. There was a microphone jack for karaoke. Singing your way in your Sonata GLS V7 Gold!
The early Gold editions got this special Hyundai badge. They were only used in 2003 and 2004. After that, they changed to a standard Hyundai H-badge.
The rear with a small spoiler with an integrated brake light.
The Gold had a Gold badge on the back, in gold! Above the Beijing-Hyundai badge. I also have the later 2.5 liter Gold in my collection. More on that car in a later post!
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