We bought this 2001 Sonata Classique new and it has been a good car but it does prove the saying that you can't please everybody all the time.

It is my wife's car and she absolutely loves it, how it looks, how it feels and how it performs. I on the other hand don't share her enthusiasm.

The difference is that I am a car nut and my wife just wants a car that goes and goes and is comfortable. So forget my prejudices, the facts are that it has a small (2.5ltr, 127kw) but reliable V6 power plant that does what it has to without being spectacular.

The interior is functional without being spectacular. Driver's side airbag, air-conditioning, radio cassette deck!, electric aerial, remote central locking, intermittent wipers, power windows, power mirrors, power steering and alloy wheels are all standard on this beast.

My head would definitely recommend the Sonata, but if you look twice at Mercs and Beemers you may not be entirely happy with this Korean mid sizer. (Men are from Mars and women are from Venus.)