GOLD MEDALLlSTS
When you aim for the top of the market, you have to have it all: performance, luxury, refinement and a distinct touch of class. Which one is the headiest brew?

TOYOTA CAMRY AUTOMATIC
List price Rs 19.62 lakh*
Top speed 191kph
0-60kph 4.75 sec
0-100kph 10.95 sec
Average kpl 7.7
For Space, comfort
Against Price

HYUNDAI SONATA 2.7 V6
List price Rs 14.72 lakh*
Top speed 206kph
0-60kph 4.64 sec
0-100kph 10.54 sec
Average kpl 7.6kpl
For Price, smooth engine
Against Not as capable as rivals

HONDA ACCORD 3.0 V6
List price Rs 17.53 lakh*
Top speed 212kph
0-60kph 4.72 sec
0-100kph 9.64 sec
Average kpl 7.16
For Performance, gearbox, value
Against Lacks solid feel
· Ex-showroom, Mumbai

Paradigms shift. What was once the peak may not seem as lofty the next time you look at it. This is particularly true in the luxury car club, where expectations are fabulously high, in which members once honoured may be cast out with ignominy. You just have to keep getting better: witness the all-new Accord, which replaced the drab old car, and the updated Camry, with more equipment than ever, and the important inclusion of an automatic. Hyundai too has plonked a V6 and an auto tranny under the hood of its Sonata, a year after its launch.
All these cars are aimed at the same people: chauffeur-driven owners who, off-work, wouldn't mind having a go themselves, and at this level, it's a battle of the brands as well, high-tech Honda versus super-reliable Toyota versus upwardly-mobile Hyundai. Which is strongest?
This test seeks to answer the questions nagging luxury car buyers. Does the face-lifted Camry with just a four-cylinder engine have what it takes to slug it out with its V6 rivals, the much-lauded Accord and the high-value Sonata? This exhaustive comparison test tells you all you need to know.