Hyundai Sonata

Are you sitting comfortably? Well, one place I know where you would be is in our long-term Hyundai Sonata. I've spent a lot of time there recently, and although many things about the Korean company's saloon may be less than perfect, sitting in the driver's seat is much like being in your favourite armchair.

More good news is that the engine has really loosened up since our last report in issue 878, and the automatic transmission isn't struggling as much to find the right gear. However, economy hasn't got any better, especially around town - we're still averaging 21mpg. And while the trade-off with poor fuel consumption is usually swift acceleration, the 2.4-litre engine is sluggish. It's a shame Hyundai didn't think the Sonata needed a V6.

The firm contacted us following our comments about the car's woeful sat-nav and stereo, which can only be operated by remote control. Thankfully, the system is to be replaced on all models with one that can be operated manually - just as well, as our remote handset is falling apart!

Maybe Hyundai can look into the sat-nav gremlins, too, as sometimes it doesn't seem to know where the car is. The trip computer has also been erratic; it went through a phase where it read the outside temperature as 38 degrees Celsius, when it was more like -1oC! These faults have conspired to further dull the edge of an already lacklustre car.