@wheelsaustralia 99
the advance in this car’s dynamic qualities.
In combination with a re-engineered hybrid layout that
combines an all-new Atkinson cycle direct-injection four
with battery placement now below the rear seat rather
than in the boot, the Camry has been transformed. It
possesses a supple fluency, yet it responds beautifully
to trail-braking into corners, involving its sophisticated
double-wishbone rear end in proceedings while
providing far more handling verve than anyone could
expect. And its sweet drivetrain now gets an effective
Sport mode, adding stepped gears for engine braking
and even shift paddles on its lovely new wheel.
At 16-dead down the standing 400m and 80-120km/h
in 5.3sec, the Camry might be the slowest of all the cars
here but it never feels gutless. Its overall efficiency is
outstanding, however, even without taking advantage
of the benefits of its battery-only mode in city driving.
Driven hard, the Camry averaged 7.5L/100km on test,
smashing the Sonata and Stinger drivetrain cousins on
9.7 and 10.3L/100km respectively, not to mention the far
thirstier Mondeo (11.3) and Calais (11.6L/100km).
The restyled Sonata demonstrates just how far
Camry has come in its generational leap. The Aussie-
tuned Hyundai has handling balance on its side, and
the purchase of its pricey Michelins, but it feels like
a patchwork of elements forced to cooperate. Its front
seats don’t quite go low enough, yet there’s a lack of
toe room underneath them, and anyone seated in the
rear will feel lateral shifting, vertical movement and
suspension drumming on rough roads. Its steering will
also occasionally snatch at the driver’s hands when
pushing through lumpy corners, though compared to
where it once was, Sonata has come a long way.
But not far enough. Not after driving the Stinger,
Mondeo or Calais. And despite its new eight-speed
automatic, the test Sonata’s engine proved weirdly
off-colour, posting significantly inferior performance
to the gutsy Stinger, though without any detriment
to its sweet refinement. Indeed, the strength of the
Kia’s acceleration (0-400m in 15-dead, and 80-120km/h
in 4.6sec) ably supports the immediacy of its turn-in,
the instant involvement of its rear suspension and the
multi-layered talent of its handling. The steering’s slight
numbness at dead straight-on and the engine’s rather
vocal synthesised induction note are minor blemishes on
a dynamic repertoire that extends far and wide.
Only the Calais can truly challenge the Stinger for
handling. Beautifully crisp and accurate steering,
a perfectly sized three-spoke wheel, and genuinely
amusing handling lift the Holden well beyond its
underwhelming appearance. And then there’s its
excellent 191kW/350Nm turbo-petrol four, which lags
behind the AWD V6 version by just 0.3sec to 100km/h
(6.5sec) and can nail a 14.7sec standing quarter. In
rolling acceleration, the Calais belts the rest of this
group. In fact, it’s strong enough to challenge any hot
hatch near its price point.
If only GM’s nine-speed automatic would hold onto
gears with some level of sport-mode logic (it’s a one-
setting-fits-all ’box). Perhaps our attempts at trying to
provoke it to do so might explain some of its thirst for
fuel, though we can’t understand why a car as quick and
as sporting as this lacks steering-wheel paddles.
At the outer limit, the ageing Mondeo cedes dynamicIn rolling acceleration, the hard-charging
Calais belts the rest of this group
Quiet
Accord
Honda Australia
has confirmed
that it plans to
import the all-new
10th-gen Accord- launched in the
US mid-2017 but
currently only
built in left-hand
drive – though we
won’t see it until
the end of 2019.
Country of origin
for RHD is yet to
be confirmed,
however expect
petrols (including a
new 2.0-litre turbo
four with 10-speed
auto) and the
Hybrid (if it comes)
to be sourced from
Thailand. Based
on new-gen Civic’s
‘Earth Dreams’
architecture, the
new Accord was
recently crowned
2018 North
American Car of
the Year.