nine and a half seconds with the autoâ€" matic, a full second slower than the Camry, Accord and Contour SE. The %&x omy is significantly better with cylinder, at 11.6 and 7.9 per 100km city and highway vs. 13.1 and 8.9. My tester was a smart emerald green power, but with 168 poundâ€"foot of torque. The six cylinder sounds uncomfortable at high revs. Zero to 100 km times are around On paper there is little to choose from between the two engines. The 2.0L DOHC L4 tips the scales at 137 horsepower and 129 poundâ€"foot of torque with the SOHC V6 weighs in at just under 142 horseâ€" * By Shawn AE remain unchanged, the 1 ; Sonata gains a classical style, . éven if not quite all its own. be The car‘s composition can broken down into familiar parts. The front snout brings to mind the Grand Am or ler Cirrus, headlights are ?gr,nbmztion of the Chevy Malibu and the new Ford Conâ€" tour and the Vâ€"framed trunk lid conjure up images of highâ€" priced Mercedes. Yet, this deconstruction exercise belitâ€" tles a smooth and stunning design. People literally stopped in their tracks searching for a nameplate on the thing, high praises indeed! Hyundai may be Korea‘s No. 1 automaker, but they don‘t have the resources to crank out everiapping product or brand variations of the same basic car. Instead, fashioning the Sonata to blend into the middle of the family sedan crowd. Shorter than a Camry, but longer than an Altima, With a spacious interior, vast trunk, and two trim levels the GL, availâ€" able with cither a four or six cylinder and front disc/rear drum brakes and the GLS, setup with the V6 and diso/dise brake; SEpe EP LLLAR¢2F¢ Hyundai Sonata â€" in the key of sharp The interior is topâ€"notch, featuring accessible controls and comfortable seats. It is however, marred by what may politely be described as an overâ€"abundance of new car smell, Hopefully this is also something GLS with a four speed automatic with selectable control for power or normal mode, and good size Michelin MXV4 205/60R15 treads. The transmission perâ€" formed will and braking felt solid. My only complaint is with the ride and handling, driven within normal parameter everyâ€" thing is fine. Take the Sonata around a corâ€" ner with some verve, and the onset of understeer comes early and the tires squeal easily. The suspension, aided by consultaâ€" tions with Porsche, produces a respectable ride, though road noise over harsh paveâ€" ment is more prominent than most of its competitors. The Sonata strikes a pleasant note with a stylish package, inside and out. Although very close, it is not yet up to the standards of the class in the areas of power, handling and ride, suffering from an outdates engine and chassis. Hyundai‘s were at one time inexpensive, if nothing else. Now, with appreciably improvements comes the inevitable price increases. The base Sonata offers a roomy car for under $17,000, a good value. Load up a GLS with the option package that end stereo, and the sticker on the Hyundai‘s flagship soars to $27,000. A price point that prompts a sideways glance at the Camry or Accord. _ that dissi with time, but it is unsetâ€" the climate control control. Cue in new customers with an ad in