Braking, Tyres, Safety - Hyundai Sonata Embera CRDi road test

Seat-belt height adjust and two airbags with ABS but no traction control.

Braking

The ABS-equipped brakes have good bite and are consistent throughout the pedal travel. Only at the limit does the pedal feel a little dead but the electronics and large rotors combined with the wide, grippy tyres make sure that the car stops as quickly as it goes.

Tyres

The Sonata Embera is shod with 215/60 R16 Hankook Optimo K406 tubeless tyres that have a ‘V’ speed rating. They offer good grip, but the block-type tread pattern combined with the wide footprint make for a noisy tyre on anything except mirror-smooth tarmac. At cruising speed (80-100kph) tyre noise is overpowered by wind roar, but it is present nonetheless.

Safety

ABS is present, as are two airbags (for driver and passenger). The middle rear passenger gets a lap belt. No traction control is a big minus, considering the Tucson and the cheaper Elantra CRDi had traction control as standard.