Category: Large Family 
Price Range: No data available
Sharp-suited looks, generous equipment, voluminous space, praiseworthy build quality
Jangling ride, lack of initial diesel option, soggy cornering, traditionally high deprecation
Faced with the twin drawbacks of being a petrol saloon in a class that favours diesel hatchbacks, the latest Sonata fights back with a crisp design, generous equipment and a keen price. Well built and spacious, it still can't shake off its unsophisticated US driving style.
Skoosh back in the cream leather of the driver's seat and you immediately notice how big this car is. At 4800mm long it's only matched by Czech VIP-mover the Skoda Superb for length in this class. The extra width is evident when you move to position your elbows on the door armrest and the leather-bound rest in the centre, only to find your hands don't properly reach the steering wheel. You can move the steering wheel closer however - it's the first Hyundai to feature reach-adjustment.
The driver's clutch foot is given a vast space to rest and there's plenty of knee room too. That's echoed in the back seats, where passengers luxuriate in ample knee, foot and - unusually in a Hyundai - headroom too.
That space continues into the boot, which extends a long way back to offer 462 litres of space. If that's not enough, the rear seats split 60/40 to easily fold down and partway make up for the lack of a hatchback.
There will be just the one Sonata trim, but it'll be equipped as though wearing an Elegance or Executive badge, two words that tend to send its rivals (eg Peugeot 407 and Honda Accord) past £20,000. That means almost certainly air con, CD player, cruise control, remote central locking, electric mirrors, electric windows and probably climate control too. The wood effect detailing in that peculiarly framed centre dash panel and elsewhere is likely to be brought over instead of the more tasteful carbon-fibre effect, but it does hint at covetable opulence in a way it hasn't in the past. The cabin design cues are mostly American - including the adjustable double cupholders large enough to secure Big Gulp soda sizes - but it's mostly attractive and easy to navigate. The only visual let-downs are the cheap-looking matt-chrome effect and the bulbous US-style fonts, both found on the automatic gate.
