SONATA’S TOP RIDE AND HIGHWAY MANNERS WIN
A thumpy low speed ride has been the Accord's Achille’s heel since the introduction of the model. Accord passengers are regularly jolted on our poor urban roads, and this is especially true at low speeds where vertical displacement of the cabin over larger bumps is not uncommon. This improves as speeds increase, with bumps taken with greater composure and less noise.
The Sonata on its raised-for-India suspension is much more capable. Low-speed ride quality is distinctly superior to that of the Honda, and astonishingly, better than the Camry's as well, as the Sonata glides over poor sections of roads and broken patches with nonchalance, its composure not in the least affected by the hammering the suspension is receiving. With more suspension travel at its disposal and much larger tyres, the Hyundai tackles poor roads at high speed well too. Large bumps are gobbled up effortlessly and even straight-line stability is superb. The big Hyundai feels rock-steady even at high speeds with little upsetting the car, not something you can say of the Accord, which always feels unsettled and loose at high speeds.
The Accord however is the better driver's car. The steering has considerably more feel, the car's as keen as a terrier to change direction and the Accord corners with less roll than the Sonata. It is possible to hook up and string a section of corners nicely together in the Accord and generally enjoy a winding road.
The Sonata doesn't revel in being driven hard. The steering is not as direct and lacks feel away from centre, and the suspension setup means that the Hyundai needs to be coerced into changing direction. Body control is decent after initial roll and the handling is benign and neutral but not fun. Also not upto scratch is brake feel, though the ABS brakes drew the Sonata to a halt in a shorter distance than the Accord.