Hyundai Sonata

Our verdict

Apparently new but desperately off the pace mid-size saloon, the Sonata still represents Hyundai of old. Poorly styled and uncompetitive with Europe’s best.

Comfort

Lacking the level of refinement people have come to expect in this segment, the Sonata really isn’t good enough to do all those middle management miles that the Mondeo was designed to plough through.

Performance

The surprisingly sprightly 2.0-litre diesel engine would be your best bet. There is a much faster 3.3-litre V6 petrol, but would you? In a Hyundai?

Cool

Not if you were high as a kite riding shotgun with George Clooney and a couple of nymphomaniac Swedish models would the Sonata be cool.

Quality

The dash is made from four different but equally cheap plastics. This should tell you all you need to know...

Handling

Bearing in mind you have the current, or even last gen, Mondeo as the handling benchmark in this sector, the Sonata singularly fails to make an impact. Expect possibly with the central reservation.

Practicality

The Sonata has a seriously big boot, so yes, it is practical. But that doesn’t excuse everything else about it that’s so truly dreadful. Remember the big picture here.

Running costs

Hyundai tends to build its cars well, even the bad ones. So the Sonata is unlikely to give you any grief. Haggle down hard on the price and you could do quite well over a couple of years.