Take a close look at the car in the picture. Front view? European. Profile? European. Rear view? European. So why in the world is it wearing a Hyundai badge then? That’s easy enough ? it is a Hyundai. Yes the very same marque from Korea. This, my friends, is the new Sonata. And it’s coming to India very soon. Is that shock, I detect, mingled with a bit of horror? Well yes, it is a complete change from the Sonata we are used to, the Sonata that people liked because it was so different from anything else on the road and also because it felt so darned luxurious. The Sonata that people felt looked like a Mercedes from the front (no prizes for guessing which one; those double fried egg headlamps are a dead giveaway) and a Jaguar S-Type from the rear (the Korean who designed the car was a Jaguar fan). But not any more. First it was the Getz that went the European way and now, this. Hyundai has obviously given up trying to be different from the rest of the European cars.

In America, the Hyundai Sonata has been recognised by J.D. Power and Associates for having the highest initial quality in the Entry Midsize Car category and was rated the “Most Appealing Entry Midsize Car” two years in a row. Here of course, it’s a D segment car, which means it is a luxury segment car. Wonder how J.D. Power would rate it in India!

So what is the new Sonata all about? According to Hyundai, the car has been in the making for some time now. In clinics, it was pitched against the Toyota Camry and the Honda Accord. What the Koreans have come up with is so, so different ? besides the new look of course. Getting into the technicalities of the matter, there are two new engines. The 2.0litre entry level unit has been replaced by an all-new 2.4-litre Theta DOHC inline four-cylinder engine, rated at 160 horsepower and 164 lb.-ft. of torque. This hi-tech, all-aluminium engine features a balance shaft design for smooth operation as well as Continuously Variable Valve Timing (CVVT). It also has a durable stainless steel exhaust manifold and hydraulic motor mounts. The 2.7V6 has been replaced too. Now there is an even bigger 3.3litre V6 engine producing around 230 horsepower and 226 lb.-ft. of torque. This engine is the first member of Hyundai's new Lambda engine family and has an aluminium cylinder block, aluminium cylinder heads, Dual Overhead Camshafts (DOHC), four valves per cylinder, Continuously Variable Valve Timing (CVVT) and a Variable Intake System (VIS). This too uses hydraulic motor mounts to improve NVH characteristics. Of course, with India being newly crazy about diesel technology in the upper class cars, there’s a chance that the Sonata could have a CRDi option as well. Power transmission is via a four-speed Shiftronic? automatic transmission though, the bigger engine could have a five-speed Shiftronic automatic transmission, with an overdrive lock-up torque converter.

Besides its power-packed engine, the new Sonata is also one hell of a smooth ride. It provides better road holding and handling courtesy a four-wheel independent suspension system with increased suspension stiffness and improved suspension geometry. The front suspension uses double wishbone technology like in formula racing cars, with coil springs, twin tube gas-filled hydraulic shock absorbers and an anti-roll bar. The five-link rear suspension features a trailing link, two longitudinal links and an upper A-arm. This independent coil-spring type of suspension design is aimed at providing better ride comfort.

Safety is top priority too. And the Sonata has a number of new safety features. However, whether all of these will be available in India remains to be seen ? airbags, active head restraints, ABS and Electronic Stability Control with Traction Control. Hyundai claims that the car has been designed to achieve a five-star rating in the American National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) frontal and side-impact test conditions. However as such tests are absent in India, it is difficult to ascertain how safe the Indian version will actually be.

Those with large families will be happy to note that the new Sonata’s trunk volume has increased by a good 16 per cent. Of course, price will be an overriding factor as far as Sonata sales are concerned. It is a fact that even though the brand has been in India for a number of years and has built up a reputation for value-for-money cars and good after-sales service, when compared to Honda and Toyota, Hyundai just does not cut it as far as image goes. But what Hyundai is expected to do is to try and offset that with an excellent price package. Something, which could backfire though, as most Indians tend to think that unless something is very expensive, it can’t be good enough. All one can do is wait and see what cards Hyundai has up its sleeve and just how it chooses to play them.

Easy listening

Haimanti Sukla
singer

Much as I love music, too much of it blaring away incessantly isn’t exactly my cup of tea. Having said, once I get into my car, Indian classical music is always soothing to the ear. So, be it Ravi Shankar, Ali Akbar Khan, Amjad Ali Khan, L. Subramanium or Bismillah Khan, it’s something I just can’t get enough of.

Old Hindi numbers are another favourite and I adore all the songs composed by Salil Choudhury and Ravindra Jain — in fact, I still listen to the music of Ram Teri Ganga Maili. As for singers, Lata Mangeshkar, Mohammed Rafi and Kishore Kumar are in a league of their own. As is Elvis Presley, my all-time favourite in the Western music scene.

Cut to the present and I don’t listen to much of contemporary music — though occasionally, I do enjoy some numbers by Chandrabindoo and Cactus.