First look: Hyundai's more upmarket Sonata

NOT due on sale in Australia until mid-2005, the redesigned NF Sonata medium sedan will make its official global debut on Hyundai’s Paris motor show stand.

Released last week in Seoul, these first pictures show the fifth generation Sonata continues to borrow heavily from its rivals, but somehow the Accord-style rear-end and A6-like nose combine to create the most cohesive Sonata design yet.

But all-new styling is just the beginning of a package that should bring new levels of safety, equipment and performance via a new aluminium 124kW 2.4-litre four-cylinder with variable valve timing and, possibly, a 170kW 3.3-litre V6 engine.

A new five-speed auto transmission will lift Sonata's drivetrain refinement considerably, while a 107kW 2.0-litre Sonata will also be offered in some markets - also developed by Global Engine Alliance LLC, a joint-venture between DaimlerChrysler, Mitsubishi and Hyundai.

Sonata MkV will be bigger in every dimension, measuring 4800mm long, 1830mm wide and 1475mm tall. Its 2730mm wheelbase is 30mm longer than the current, EF-generation Sonata.

New Sonata technology will also include front side and side curtain airbags, parking sensors, stability control, Xenon headlights and twin rear tailpipes.

Developed with a cost of around $US250 million, the NF Sonata took 46 months to arrive.