Honda Accord versus Hyundai Sonata

In the petrol engine market in high end sedans, the Accord has long been the favorite of Indian buyers because of its sheer class and a fantastic 2.4Litre 177BHP engine. The new Hyundai Sonata may provide stiff competition with its hi-tech 198BHP petrol motor.

For long, the Accord’s engine has been considered the best in segment because of its refinement, responsiveness and also its quickness. And the 0-100 in 9.2 seconds is not slow by any standards for a luxury saloon. But, all this seems pale when you sit down in the driver’s seat of the Sonata, the 198BHP 2.4 Litre engine seems stronger than that of the Accord. It is also more responsive and, the Sonata crosses the 0-100 km/hr. barrier in under 9 seconds. The difference might not look very large but the Sonata does feel more responsive and quick. Also, the Sonata wins this battle because of the 6 speed gear box compared to the more spaced 5 speed of the Honda. The Honda’s gears are more spread out and especially the gap between the 3^rd and 4^th gears gives a deep blunt to the Accords performance. The tightly bound 6 speed of the Sonata is more suited to the Indian road and traffic conditions. All said, the gear shifts in the Accord are more refined and take less effort than in the Sonata.

 

Both being saloon cars, they will mostly be chauffer driven and the makers have given more thought on comfort of the passengers than driving pleasures. The Sonata feels pretty comfortable and composed at both high and low speeds. Noise insulation is better in the Hyundai. Sharp bumps can be felt inside the cabin of the Accord. The only place where the Hyundai lags is the steering which feels a bit heavy at low speeds and also feels a bit inaccurate.

On the inside, the impressive exterior of the Sonata is not followed by its interior which feels a bit cheap (plastic). Even though, the dashboard of the Sonata looks dynamic and fresh than the older versions, the class of the Accord wins this battle with the great use if beige and black. The Sonata comes back strongly with the great availability of gadgets and gizmos as standard including six CD changer, aux, Bluetooth connectivity, multifunctional computer, rear ventilated seats (five star passenger comforts) and dual zone climate control. Apart from all these factors, the Sonata is a good 1 lakh Rs. Cheaper than the Accord and with more gadgets and gizmos.

Overall, the Sonata edges ahead of the old guard Accord. The Sonata provides better ride comfort, more excitement to the driver. More gadgets and gizmos also appeal greatly to the tech-savvy Indian buyer. Also, the Accord is priced at Rs. 19.61 Lakhs (Ex. Showroom Delhi) which goes up to the Rs. 24 Lakh 3.5Litre. (Ex. Showroom Delhi.) whereas the Sonata is priced between Rs. 18.53 Lakh(Ex. Showroom Delhi) for the manual and going up to Rs. 20.61 Lakh (Ex. Showroom Delhi) which make it a whopping 1.1 lakh cheaper than the equivalent Accord.