Hyundai Sonata Embera

The new Sonata is nowhere close to its predecessor. The styling looks bold and aggressive. The profile is a nice blend of athleticism and elegance. No wonder it took them three whole years to bring it on the production line. The profile is not a head-turner but will garner fair bit of attention because of the length and size.

The engines on offer are the 2.3l petrol and the 2.0l diesel. These offer enough punch and a good drive quality and you would expect that with the price tag. One thing they have really worked on is the suspension setup which is different from that of the earlier offering, thus enhancing the ride quality and comfort. It maintains good poise at high speeds and braking is impressive. The main drawback is the gearshift which is not as crisp as one expects. The 165bhp and 143bhp power outputs from the petrol and diesel respectively are lively and take you for a thrilling drive.

The interiors are plush and spacious. There is a marked increase in the rear legroom and boot space. The car is safe with the features on offer. The previous Sonata was really good looking with clean cuts and angles but this one really scores on performance and ride quality.

The engine is refined and the mileage figures are decent with the petrol version offering close to 8kpl in the city and close to 12kpl on the highway. The cheaper fuel version churns out an average of 12kpl. These are decent figures considering the weight of the package.