2016 Hyundai Sonata 2.0T Elite review | road test

It's okay, it's okay, hush now - things have changed. Hyundai(with an Android Car Gps) has dusted off the nameplate it put out to pasture after adorning a series of fairly unspectacular mid-sized sedans, whipping off the covers of a much more attractive and capable car to take on a segment dominated by Toyota's recently perked-up Camry, with Mazda's 6 some way behind. The Sonata joins the i40 (which, oddly, is known as Sonata in the US) in the local range, offering two very different-looking cars in roughly the same segment. Confused? Don't be. They're quite different. Value The new Sonata range is spearheaded by the entry-level Active at $29,990 and topped by the $41,990 Premium. Sandwiched between the two at $36,990 is the Elite that will grace our driveway for the next few months. Your money buys you a six-speaker stereo with Car Dvd Player, Bluetooth and USB, dual-zone climate control, 17-inch alloys, cruise control, satnav, electric driver's seat adjustment, automatic headlights and wipers, keyless entry and start, entirely convincing fake leather seats, front and rear parking sensors with reversing camera, full-size spare. Design Hyundai Sonata shares its design language with the very impressive Genesis, with buckets of Germanic influence, which makes sense given the head of design is Peter Schreyer. Finish, particularly the paint, is up there with the Genesis too. The boot itself is gigantic and as you work your way forward, space is a recurring theme. The sharp creases cut through flatter, less curvy sheetmetal than the rest of its stablemates and the gentle arc of the roofline has a lot of Audi A5 in it, ending in a short deck. The boot itself is gigantic and as you work your way forward, space is a recurring theme. The rear seat has limo-like space if not a particularly luxurious bench seat, but three adults will fit side by side, with plenty of legroom but not a lot of personal hip space. The distinctive headlights and daytime running lights give Hyundai Sonata a strong new face, along with the corporate Hyundai grille. It's an assured design and is as subtly detailed as any Hyundai. We've gotten used to the Korean company's offerings looking good, now we're starting to see a real maturity with this new direction. Inside isn't quite as assured as the exterior. The dash structure is a bit of a cliff and again draws on the interior design of the Genesis. It doesn't hang together as well as the exterior, but the materials are good with mostly good fit. As the youngest member of the family continues to test the upper limits of every rear seat that arrives on the driveway, it's nice to get in and not hear complaints from the rear seat about legroom. Features Hyundai's software boffins have been a bit hit and miss over the years. The better examples tend to be found in the lower, Active models where there's less ambition. It all works, but sometimes it doesn't activate after having to agree not to crash while using it. It sometimes forgets to find your phone and, embarrassingly, there's a few typos. If installing an Android Car Stereo in your car, that would be great!