Team-BHP > Team-BHP Reviews > Test-Drives & Initial Ownership Reports


Reply
  Search this Thread
22,428 views
Old 5th November 2005, 18:06   #1
BHPian
 
Insane Devil's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Hyderabad
Posts: 987
Thanked: 173 Times
Hyundai Sonata Embera 2005! (vs. the Accord)

Hey guyz!

Today i finally had a test drive of the Sonata Embera!

as i drive a Tuc, this onez for my Dad. he wants something sober looking, and he doesnt like the looks of the new Accord as its more of a "casual" look, as per his opinions.

Now, i had the test drive, and then had a testdrive of the Accord also, so here is my opinion on them...

First the Keys in my hand, well was dissapointed to see the key is seperate and the remote for unlocking/locking is seperate! Opened the door, oops, the door handle is a bit "hardish", meaning , not softy softy like these d segment cars usually are.. but still good enough. Sittin in, its WAY TOO SPACIOUS! HUGE from inside! ample of legroom and stuff, and as i usually have my seat quiet back while driving, the rear passenger still had HEAPS of legroom around. also good gap between the front two passanger seats, so the armrest is also bigger and more comfortable with the passanger keeping his arm on it, and the driver also sharing it.

Whereas with the Accord, The keys come with built in remote, which is very nice, the door handles operate smooth and softly from outside, and the interior cabin space is very less! after sitting in the Sonata, u wud feel a bit claustrophobic in this! the gap between the two front passanger seats is very less, and the centre armrest is also very small comparetively!

The starting of the car, sounds lovely, and the interiors are all excellently done up, the waistline has the wooden trim, looks like the S-Class. except the Stereo portion & the Door Handles, everything else inside the car is awesome! the Stereo looks a bit cheap, and so do the Door Handles. but they function excellent. The Aircon display panel is a bit below the centre so at times might prove difficult if u actually want to see what it shows. The sound system in the Sonata is way too good compared to the Accord, took a cd of my own for both the cars, and the sound - treble, mid & bass all were very good in the Sonata.

Wheras with the Accord, the starting of the car, sounds as if u starting a diesel car, not a petrol one! the engine vibrations are also felt clearly in the accord. my tucson being a diesel, starts better than the accord! ( Could this be some fault with the engine of the testdrive car?) and in the Accord, i should say, they have a better Dashboard layout in the sense the Stereo and Climate control screen being placed right in the centre, more clearly visible, but still, feels too cramped and too near to the driver. feels like u are too close to the dash. Regarding the Music system, its Good, but not as good as the Sonata's.


Telescopic & Tilt steering is standard, Automatic closing Door rear View Mirrors, central lock buttons on the Front passenger door too. The dash is nice and clean with sober lines, the dual color goes good, and the dash glove compartment is again Huge! bigger than my Tuc, the Accord, and all cars in its category!

Wheras, with the Accord, its the same, tilt+telescopic steering, Auto door rear view mirror closing,


Seating vise, both the cars are good, but Sonata being more spacious from inside, obviously has the upper hand, as the seats are more comfy in this one... this could be due to the comfort i have while seating with ample legroom... the Bucketing of the front seats are great.

Now about the performance:

Hats off to the Sonata's engine! as it was quoted somewhere "Skoda RS guyz beware, grandfather in sonata can outbeat u" well, this seems outrightly true with this! the moment i leave the clutch, and step on the accelerator, the car zips ahead and i get pulled back in the seats and my head goes n hits the headrest! wow! that was a thrilling experience! superb pickup, acceleration n all! and the handling was also terrific, had some fast cornerings and it handles awesome! and the ride was very comfortable, i.e the Suspensions were very good too!

Whearas with the Accord, well, it has a lot of power, thou nothing compared to the Sonata! the Accord still lacks a good 25 BHP ! the thrill that i had in the Sonata wasnt there... but then, its a different story if u get roads nowadays to even use the accord's ample pickup, forget the sonata! the ride was good in the Accord, comfortable, no doubt, and the suspensions were similar. Handling vise, i found the Sonata way better than the Accord.

Now about the looks.... well, IMHO... the Accord does look spoty, and lacks the "luxurios elegance" looks. while the Sonata looks luxurious, elegant and semi sporty in a way. beats the accord from the rear looks, and the front, is a ditto copy of the Audi A4.

i just loved the Deep Pearl Blue color in it, the metalic shine is very good, and the blue shade, is very sexy.


Sorry guys, i missed out on comarping the Tyre Sizes, thou both are 15" alloys.

Now about the mileage! god knows! both the showroom ppl say their cars will give 9-10 in city! but Accord as i know is giving only 7-8 with full AC, in city. About the Sonata Embera, i would like to know myself, so if someone has bought it by now, please do comment.

Prices:
Accord is costing 16,80,000 on road in Hyderabad, and buggers aint giving no discounts on it. (Leather Seats are Standard)
While the Sonata comes with Fabric and Leather options, the Fabric model costing 15,45,000 and the Leather is 15,76,000.
With the Sonata, one of the dealer is having only leather model ready in stock, and he is willing to make the Insurance free for me, so that brings down the cost by 51,000!


So considering leather in both, the Accord is 1.5 Lk costlier than the Sonata Embera, which i think, 1.5 Lk paid just for the brand name!

overall, IMHO, i jus loved the Sonata Embera far more than the Accord.
One other thing... the Accord spare parts are too bloody costly! and the Sonata is comparetively lot cheaper!


This is all IMHO! so please dont start getting mad at me!

Last edited by Insane Devil : 5th November 2005 at 18:08.
Insane Devil is offline  
Old 5th November 2005, 18:22   #2
BHPian
 
Catamaran's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Dubai - Cochin
Posts: 124
Thanked: 307 Times

Thanks for the test drive report well written. Surprise that Sonata beats Accord in almost all accounts ...
However my mind still goes for an accord. Feel it will be better in terms of quality & reliability and of course on resale value....and i hope Your dad will be happy with Accord's Performance and dont want to get pulled back in the seats and head goes and hits the headrest when pressend on the gas pedal.....
CAT
Catamaran is offline  
Old 5th November 2005, 18:30   #3
Senior - BHPian
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: mumbai
Posts: 2,232
Thanked: 720 Times

Quote:
Originally Posted by Insane Devil
the interior cabin space is very less! after sitting in the Sonata, u wud feel a bit claustrophobic in this! the gap between the two front passanger seats is very less, and the centre armrest is also very small comparetively!
Referring to your say on Accord space, just like to say :
Thank God , U didnt test drive the C class.

Surely the Sonata is more value for Money.
Also, pls mention abt the gearshift.
dipen is offline  
Old 5th November 2005, 18:44   #4
Senior - BHPian
 
jkdas's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Thiruvananthapu
Posts: 9,687
Thanked: 1,492 Times

nice write up mate.Anyway, I wanted the Sonata to beat the Accord and I think auto mags would say so too. i am yet to see the new sonata though
jkdas is offline  
Old 5th November 2005, 18:47   #5
Senior - BHPian
 
adya33's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Pune
Posts: 1,839
Thanked: 183 Times

Quote:
except the Stereo portion & the Door Handles, everything else inside the car is awesome! the Stereo looks a bit cheap, and so do the Door Handles
those stereo button are really cheap
a big big let down

does Sonata has in-dash cd player?
because old one had single cd in dash with six cd changer in boot
again for D segment car not good

Quote:
Wheras with the Accord, the starting of the car, sounds as if u starting a diesel car, not a petrol one! the engine vibrations are also felt clearly in the accord. my tucson being a diesel, starts better than the accord! ( Could this be some fault with the engine of the testdrive car?)
there might be some problem with the test car
accord starts pretty smoothly

Quote:
So considering leather in both, the Accord is 1.5 Lk costlier than the Sonata Embera, which i think, 1.5 Lk paid just for the brand name!
from personal experience worth that extra money

the only complain with accord I have is that being FWD at high speed you get hint of understeer while cornering

all in all good review Insane Devil
adya33 is offline  
Old 5th November 2005, 19:07   #6
Senior - BHPian
 
jkdas's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: Thiruvananthapu
Posts: 9,687
Thanked: 1,492 Times

i guess teh first thing i would do is add one or two subwoofers, add compos and update the HU to an alpine one with dvd option and add 3 screens
jkdas is offline  
Old 5th November 2005, 21:09   #7
Senior - BHPian
 
Mpower's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Bangalore
Posts: 10,409
Thanked: 1,729 Times

Nice review. IMO some comments were hard to confusing since you were jumping back and forth between Accord and Sonata.

Power wise, Honda has announced a 160 hp version in the states with redesigned rear end. It may take many months to arrive in India. I tend to agree that Sonata does indeed have the upper hand at the moment. The pricing is icing on the cake.

Last edited by Mpower : 5th November 2005 at 21:10.
Mpower is offline  
Old 5th November 2005, 23:46   #8
Senior - BHPian
 
karthik247's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: BLR, HYD
Posts: 2,710
Thanked: 30 Times

I think its pretty difficult to replace the in-dash HU of most high end cars. You'll never be able to get that perfect finish
PS- Is this possible???!!
karthik247 is offline  
Old 6th November 2005, 00:33   #9
Senior - BHPian
 
devarshi84's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Ahmedabad - Tor
Posts: 4,024
Thanked: 211 Times

Superb chhe. what do you think about the safety in these two cars. I dont think safety should be a compromise when you are paying bloody 15lakh for a luxury car.

what are your findings?

For me safety and power go hand in hand.
devarshi84 is offline  
Old 6th November 2005, 02:36   #10
BHPian
 
Insane Devil's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Hyderabad
Posts: 987
Thanked: 173 Times

okie guyz! thanx a lottt for the appreciations and constructive critisisms!

some points that i missed out , would like to chalk out now...

1. CD Player : Sonata has In-Dash 6 CD Changer.
: It is not Detachable! unfortunate for me, coz i wanted to put a touchscreen!

2. Speaker System: It Does have a Woofer built in somewhere! the bass punch is real nice!

3. Gearshift: its smooth! its real nice! and the gear knob is also very cool. The Reverse is now in a new position, left of 1st gear, with a lever to lift up while engaging the Reverse.

4. Safety: Both Accord & Sonata have dual airbags, ABS+EBD, and none of them have Traction Control System. (The Accord V6 has it) other than these, they have the usual safety system in place, and they do seem to be real nice.


@ MPOWER: regarding your query about the 160 bhp Accord, that could come to india in 2006 as a new model Accord is being planned to be launched... this will have minor cosmetic changes, and might have engine changes...

@ ADYA33 : Finally this time Hyundai has hit the right spot wherein, its no use spending the extra money for the Accord. u need to sit in the sonata and take a spin to believe it!

@ Dipen: mite, i saw the c-class some time back, a cousin of mine had bought it, and my my! the cabin space is HORRIBLE! so bloody cramped! sheer waste of money, i would say, the C-Class, rather wait for some time, earn up a bit more, and buy the E-Class, OR get the Superb!

@ Catamaran: well well, nowadays Hyundai vehicles are a lot more reliable and efficient, so the question of buying a Honda instead of a Hyundai coz of Reliability is no more there. secondly, with me and dad, its like potholes and speed breakers, alll seem to be straight roads to us and we just dont break at it, so our cars lose their suspensions in 50k kms, and well we dont drive a big car like its a pricey one, just keep sneaking around other vehicles ( thats me! ) so overall, Sonata seems to be the Luxury car for us as the Maintainence is the lowest of all cars in this category! more info about the maintainence costs and spare part costs in this months Autocar.

keep replying guyz! loving it
Insane Devil is offline  
Old 6th November 2005, 14:53   #11
BHPian
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: delhi
Posts: 384
Thanked: 4 Times

I agree with ID that the Embera excels in most of the things compared to Accord and is a better buy than Accord but i was seriously dissappointed with the interiors(the dash) of the Embera , i mean i find the Accord interiors way way ahead in terms of sheer quality .

Quote:
Originally Posted by Insane Devil
the ride was good in the Accord, comfortable, no doubt, and the suspensions were similar.
IMO You got it wrong there ID , i ve driven both the cars and i found the Embera Ride quality and the stability way way ahead .


p.s If your father is looking for a quality luxury car than why not to wait for a month or so and check out the NEW OCTAVIA ...
I am sure once you check out that car ,your decision of owning the Embera may change .

Last edited by Beemer : 6th November 2005 at 15:00.
Beemer is offline  
Old 6th November 2005, 14:59   #12
BHPian
 
Insane Devil's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Hyderabad
Posts: 987
Thanked: 173 Times

hey Beemer, well i assume that u must have taken a good long drive to give that judgement, coz the testdrive i had, was more on good roads and very few bumps and ditches, so i felt them same, but i have been reading in some international journals that the Sonata's handling & stability and ride quality is indeed far more superior than the Accord.

the dealer i had gone to for hte test drive, couldnt give me a long one as he was using a new vehicle for testdrive , meaning he didnt have a proper test drive vehicle, he was to sell away that car to some bakra!
Insane Devil is offline  
Old 6th November 2005, 15:27   #13
BHPian
 
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: delhi
Posts: 384
Thanked: 4 Times

Quote:
Originally Posted by Insane Devil
hey Beemer, well i assume that u must have taken a good long drive to give that judgement, coz the testdrive i had, was more on good roads and very few bumps and ditches, so i felt them same,
Hey ID , i didn't take a very long drive but yes whenever i take the test drive of a car ,the first thing i do is to check out the Suspension . So i always take the car to a rough road(full of potholes) and i ve test driven both the cars on that same road and i did find the Embera quite better and i am sure you ll find the difference too when you take both the cars on a rough road and before doing that dont forget to get the tyres air pressure checked for both the cars .

But after taking the test drive of these two what struck my mind was the Embera that i was driving was a Brand New ,whereas the Accord had 20 plus on the odometer but at the same time i thought these cars are luxury machines and nothing goes wrong with these before 1 lac km or above and specially when the car is a test drive car . So i thought of my first impressions to be a correct one .
Beemer is offline  
Old 6th November 2005, 19:18   #14
Distinguished - BHPian
 
lamborghini's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Mumbai
Posts: 6,108
Thanked: 5,753 Times

My jijaji was looking to buy a car soon and he was facing the same dilemma as you were.
His requirements were that the car should be good to drive and good to be driven in as he or his father may use the car. He currently owns a Mondeo and is buying this car for his/his father's use.
He took a TD of both and here is what he had to say -
The Sonata was much nicer to drive
The Accord felt scary at high speeds unlike therock steady Mondeo
Sonta interiors tacky
Accord looks better
Sonata deck better.
I am sure he would have much more to say but this is what he told me on the phone and as of now he is still confused and i added to his confusion by asking him to TD the CR-V and the new Mondeo.
Will keep you guys updated but the Accord is mostly out unless my sister is still keen on it.
lamborghini is offline  
Old 7th November 2005, 10:48   #15
BHPian
 
Insane Devil's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Hyderabad
Posts: 987
Thanked: 173 Times

hey lamborghini

the problem with the new mondeo again is the spare part pricing is tooo bloody high! an E-Class is cheaper to maintain

Secondly, i have noticed, ppl going in for the CR-V only if they have a liking for a sporty thing, if not, they tend to keep themselves to the sedans. As u mention it might be for his/his fathers use, i doubt his father might go in for the CR-V, so yea, the SONATA seems the best choice.

I am planning to get one in Jan'06, so i can get a 2006 model, unless the dealer gives me a great discount on a 2005 model in Jan 2006!
Insane Devil is offline  
Reply

Most Viewed
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Team-BHP.com
Proudly powered by E2E Networks