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In D company

Is the new Toyota Camry good enough to be the best car in its class or is it a case of too little too late? ASHISH MASIH is your judge

PHOTO: NAME DUMMY

The poor man's Mercedes, that's what all the four cars — Camry, Accord, Sonata and Superb — could easily qualify as. All four of them offer similar levels of comfort, style and performance without burning a hole in your pocket that owning a Mercedes would. The big question though is, which one is actually worth your hard earned cash? Let's take a closer look and find out.

Styling and interiors

The new Camry is nothing like its predecessor; it has sharp eagle eyed headlights up front and a huge grille that gives it a mean identity. The rear has beautifully sculpted lights as well. The short overhangs ensure that unlike the last model, this car doesn't look bulky. Its interior is a step forward from the last car. The centre console has a luminescent blue finish and looks quite cool. The steering houses controls for the temperature and stereo. The rear seat is roomy and has sofa-like comfort levels.

The oldest car here, the Accord, has remained largely unchanged from the time it was launched, its sharply designed triangular headlamps and low mounted headlights are easily the highlight of the design package, coupled with the long bonnet give it a unique F-16 like look. Honda has used the highest quality materials inside the cabin and it shows. Its centre console has the most original design of the four cars here and has big dials that ensure ease of use. Its rear seat, however, lacks the comfort that the others provide.

Hyundai has borrowed styling ques from other manufactures and gelled them onto the Sonata. And it's a job well done might we might add. The front looks a bit like an Audi while the rear tail-lamps are a lot similar to the Accord. Overall, the Sonata looks fresh and appealing but doesn't have a distinct design. The interiors on the Hyundai are a bit of a let down. The quality of some components is not really what you expect of a car in this class, the instrumentation is clear but lacks panache. The cabin is roomy and the rear seat is probably the best here.

For the uninitiated, the Superb could well be mistaken for an Octavia. It has simple clean lines and a classy silhouette that won't age as rapidly as the other cars here. It looks solidly German in built but lacks sheer design flair. Design of the interiors is just like the exteriors, traditional, solid and well built. The Superb has loads of room at the back and this coupled with the rear AC vents make the rear seat a great place to be.

Road manners

The Accord has a 141bhp unit. Expectedly it has to play second fiddle to the Camry as far as performance goes. It's approximately a second slower to the 100kph mark. The Accord's iVTEC however, is a smooth, responsive motor, especially in the top half of the power band, where most spirited driving is conducted. If you do need more performance, don't forget the 221bhp, 3-litre V6 Accord that is much, much quicker and not that much more expensive. Thou the Accord turns well into corners, low speed ride is nothing to write home about.

The Sonata Embera motor is rated higher than the Accord's at 160bhp, but performance is not much better. The car feels strained at the top of its revs and labours along, thus robbing performance. The Sonata however offers a better ride than the Accord.

At 2.8 litres, the Superb has the largest displacement motor of the four cars, and it has six cylinders and 20 valves too. It's rated at 190bhp, but the automatic sponges off a lot of this muscle.

Besides, at 1.6 tons, it's also quite heavy. As a result, performance is similar to the four-cylinder automatics.

Overall

All these cars are talented products. But, the Sonata is the cheapest way of getting into the luxury car club, it, however, lacks the finesse of the rivals. The Superb on the other end seems too expensive, a fact that becomes more revealing seeing its lacklustre performance (for a V6).

The Camry is the best car here in terms of outright performance but is closely followed by the Accord, which is a whole one third lesser than its price.

The Accord plays all its cards well and misses on nothing. The Accord is without the shadow of a doubt the best car here offering good performance, styling and a solid image without asking the buyer to deposit a king's ransom.

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