The Sonata's started the year by singing a new tune. Not Bob Rupani's kind of music though.

The Sonata has undergone A heart transplant and Hyundai invited TG to drive the new diesel-powered luxury saloon from Bangalore to Ooty. When the Sonata was launched here in 2001, it became an instant success. The Merc- and Jag-inspired design appealed to a large number of consumers and it was only when the likes of the Camry and Accord entered the scene that the Sonata's glow started fading.

Then in August 2005, Hyundai introduced the Sonata Embera in India and though it was a far better on-road performer, it did not succeed in replicating its predecessor’s initial run. So realising that 2007 will be 'the year of the diesel', Hyundai have played one more card and introduced the Sonata with a 1991cc CRDi engine that delivers 138bhp at 4000rpm and produces 307Nm of torque. Which means it's more powerful than both the Skoda Laura and Octavia. Hyundai hopes to launch the car with atleast four horses more. The new engine also boasts of modern features like VGT or variable geometry turbine to counter turbo lag. But sadly it does not do this very well. Since max torque is available only around 2000-2500rpm, driveability suffers and the turbo lag is very noticeable in stop/start traffic or while going up a tight ghat road like we did to get to Ooty, it is painfully apparent.

On the brighter side, its ride quality, especially on broken and unpaved road remains super. It feels planted and stable at speeds and though its not quite very agile, the handling is predictable. The brakes may not offer much feel but they slow the Sonata down admirably and the new six-speed gearbox, which is mated to the 2.0-diesel engine is reasonably light and precise shifting, with first to second being just a little recalcitrant. This new six-speed box does help a bit in keeping the peaky engine on the boil, and once you show it an open road and let the engine race beyond 2000rpm, the power comes surging in making the Sonata finally shine. For a car of its size and weight the diesel driven Sonata is quite quick and from our estimates it should race to 100kph in under 11 seconds and easily reach a top speed of 200kph. The engine does get a little rough and loud at the upper limits, but the well-insulated cabin should not let most passengers become aware of this.

The diesel Sonata has a lot going for it, but it desperately needs the powerband to be shifted lower and turbo lag minimised. When the turbo starts waking up early, the Sonata will surely sing a song that lots of us will like. If Hyundai want the change of heart to change the destiny of the Sonata, its got to make the engine sing at a lower pitch.
Performance : 0-100kph in 10.5 secs (est), 200kph max speed (est), kpl NA
Tech : 2.0 CRDi, 138bhp, FWD, six-speed manual.