MID-SIZE SALOONS

Thailand News - Motoring - Friday December 07, 2007

MID-SIZE SALOONS

J, K ROLLING

How does perennial class best-seller Toyota Camry fare against newcomer Hyundai Sonata?

WIWAT CHANG

Why are they here? : Korean marque Hyundai makes a comeback to the kingdom with the Sonata, also with a 2.4-litre four-pot producing 161hp.

Japan is represented here with the Toyota Camry - Thailand's best-selling mid-size saloon - with its core-selling 167hp 2.4-litre four-cylinder engine. Both saloons are locally assembled in Thailand.

While it would be more level (in terms of equipment) to compare a B1.469m Camry 2.4G with this B1.28m Sonata 2.4EXE, we could only get our hands upon this higher spec B1.599 2.4V.

Therefore, we are going to ignore some of the trim level specifics and focus on comparable qualities. What we are looking for is the best car to own in its class: a fully loaded mid-size alternative to luxury cars.

What do our hearts say?

If one is going to be excited about the Sonata, it wouldn't be because of its exterior design but by the fact that it dares to re-enter the Thai market after a sales flop 10 years ago.

It's conservatively styled as to not offend anyone's taste, yet not dowdy looking. The Camry, on the hand, is not at all ugly thanks to its more Lexus-like lines than those of mainstream Toyotas like the Vios or the upcoming Corolla.

Inside, the Hyundai's interior is seemingly a notch below the Camry in terms of quality and feel, even though the panels are no less tight. The Toyota's cabin has a richer ambiance with more expensive feeling interior materials matched by consistently tight panel fit, even though our test sample has accrued well over 60k on the odometer over the course of just a year.

In the Sonata's driver's seat, most of the things you touch - the steering wheel, the air-con knobs and the lights lever etc - feel oh so tacky as if you're in a budget sub-compact costing half as much.

Can't complain about the ergonomics though: controls are quite simple and intuitive. In the Camry, the things you touch feel more durable and nearly as good as those in luxury European cars.

Drive off in the Sonata and a sense of surprise begins to build up. The surprise of a nice kind where body control at highway speed is crisper than anything in its class bar the Teana.

The ride at such speed is pretty good and complimented with relatively low wind noise. There are no squeaks when going over potholes and bumps - an indication that the Korean car maker has sorted out the build quality over the past years.

It's downtown and in sois with speed bumps and protruding drainage covers that make low-speed ride a little less comfortable but not unacceptable.

The Camry has never been a good handling car and this one is no exception - it may be slightly sharper than the model it replaced last year but is by no means responsive.

Its plush city ride is the key feature to its marketing success in this country which apparently comes with compromise in driving dynamics. At highway speeds, the Camry is slow to react to directional changes which means it's not so happy eating up miles spiritedly.

The Sonata's brakes are quite feelsome and effective and somewhat better than the Camry with its rather soggy pedal feel albeit capable.

What do our heads tell?

When we compare two cars side by side in this fashion, we can make out the differences in the two and see which is more rewarding to drive. But in all fairness, the Camry is not a bad car at all to drive to begin with, just that in this comparison it loses in driving dynamics.

Asian mid-size saloons are, nowadays, alternatives to luxury European cars costing twice as much or more. And they must visit the service centres as less as possible, so reliability is a key selling point. Hyundai realised this and has done a PR stint of running the car for over 5,000km around Thailand without once stopping the engine. They also expect to have 30 showrooms and service centres nationwide by 2008.

As of press time, we have learned that the projected scheduled maintenance costs up to 100,000km for the Sonata is only few thousand baht more than the Camry.

However, with a 10-year absence from the market, the Hyundai's resale value can not yet be determined - but it's been hinted to be the lowest in class.

On the notion of safety, the Sonata has to be praised for becoming the first car in its class to have curtain airbags from front to back, although this is offset by the lack of brake assist system that the Camry has.

What do we really care for?

There is no mistaking that a B200,000-plus savings on the Hyundai over the equivalent Toyota could be reason enough to buy for fleet and personal use. However, the market-leading five-year/ unlimited mileage bumper to bumper warranty may not mean much if the scheduled maintenance costs are higher than average for this car class.

In any case, we feel that this Sonata 2.4 is outclassed even when compared to a Camry 2.4G as a package and should rather be judged against the more comparably priced 2.0-litre version of the Japanese players.

The Camry, in this duo, is a far more complete car and easily fends off the challenge from Korea's latest entrant.

Bangkok Post