This be from Top Gear:
” 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.
Rated 8 out of 20
*
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?
Rated 12 out of 20
*
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.
Rated 3 out of 20
*
Quality
The dash is made from four different but equally cheap plastics. This should tell you all you need to know…
Rated 4 out of 20
*
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.
Rated 7 out of 20
*
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.
Rated 11 out of 20
*
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.”