2006 Hyundai Sonata

When it first arrived on U.S. shores, Hyundai was justly panned by the American motoring press and the public over the poor quality of its vehicles. Similar to other foreign upstarts Yugo, Daewoo, Renault, Peugeot and Fiat, who brought inadequate cars to the U.S. and subsequently left with their tails between their legs, Hyundai looked set for the same fate.

But the Korean car maker stayed and persevered. In the intervening 20 years it has so steadily improved that J.D. Power’s 2004 initial quality ranks its cars just below Toyota and Honda and above the rest. The improvements on its Sonata show a 29 percent jump since last year and 62 percent since 1998.

Playing in the same field as the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry, the Sonata has no reason to feel inferior. The test car was a 2006 model designed at Hyundai’s Design and Technical Center in Irvine and built in Hyundai’s new plant in Montgomery, Ala.

The Sonata is easy on the eyes with a neat and tidy shape new for 2006. The interior of a well-equipped LX is a peaceful, neutral, happy place with heated leather seats, and almost everything a driver might want — a power driver’s seat, tilt/telescopic steering wheel with radio and cruise controls, automatic climate control, six-CD AM/FM stereo, auto dimming rear view mirror with compass, neat no-nonsense instrument panel, etc.

On the road it is quiet and smooth, with a zippy 235hp V-6 engine, four-speed automatic and Tiptronic self shift. The four-wheel antilock disc brakes are very powerful – a hard stop will press everyone into their seat belts. The power suggests a sporty sedan, although the suspension feels a little floaty for aggressive cornering.

The huge trunk and back seat pass easily handled a disassembled bed frame.

We were impressed. The Sonata is a refined, tight, well-built, comfortable, powerful sedan with a 10-year, 100,000-mile powertrain warranty for a value price of $22,895.

Motoring since 1952, Austin Lynas has owned 55 cars and at one time raced mini-sedans in England. An aerospace engineer, he was instrumental in developing the anti-skid systems used in British military aircraft that preceded today’s ABS systems. Lynas can be reached by e-mail at austin@sandiegometro.com.