The stereo system has six speakers, a USB port and an auxiliary port for iPods and such. Bluetooth is also part of the package.

The new Sonata boasts one of the most spacious trunks in the class. (Photo: Luc Gagné/Auto123.com)

And rear passengers aren’t forgotten either, benefiting from their own air vents. Of course, only passengers of the Sonata Limited will enjoy the heated rear seats, a first in the mid-size sedan segment.

As for the trunk, it’s equally attractive. First, it has a nice wide opening and the sill isn’t too high. Second, it’s one of the most spacious in the class. Third, thanks to the 60/40 split, folding rear seats, controlled by tabs in the trunk, the size and shape of said trunk is adaptable. Pure joy – for a sedan, at any rate.

The Sonata also shines by the stillness of its cabin. Road and wind noise is barely perceptible thanks to the use, for instance, of thicker glass and larger door frames, but also to the narrowing of the gaps between the doors and chassis.

Fun to drive
A 2.4-litre, naturally aspirated, 4-cylinder mill is nestled under the hood. Dubbed Theta II, it has the same displacement as the 2010 Sonata’s engine. However, it generates 23 extra hp for a total of 198 ponies. It’s also more potent than the engines of the Sonata’s rivals, again by some 20 hp.

And it shows. The Hyundai-developed mill hustles the humble GL from 0 to 100 km/h in under 8 seconds. That’s a lot faster than is generally required. And despite its enthusiasm, the engine proves very thrifty: at the end of our tests, it had sipped an average of less than 9 litres per 100 kilometres.

Who’d want a guzzling V6 after that?

The sedan’s four-cylinder mill generates nearly 200 hp. None of its rivals can say as much. (Photo: Luc Gagné/Auto123.com)