Throughout your life you have spoken your mind when given wrong choices – ‘Doctor or engineer?’ ‘Driver’. ‘Idli or dosa?’ ‘Chicken clear soup’. ‘Train or bus?’ ‘Jet airways’. ‘This girl or that one?’ ‘This boy’. Well, without getting into graphic character analysis, let’s say that you are the one who will say ‘Skoda Laura’ when someone asks you to choose between the Honda Accord and the Hyundai Sonata. And why not? The Laura is contemporary to look at, has new-age technology and er... a price tag that will send shock waves to Mlada Boleslav.
At Rs 17.5 lakh ex-showroom Mumbai, the Laura is an expensive piece of kit even for a die-hard diesel fanatic who wouldn’t mind drinking the stuff himself. The Accord is a lakh and a half cheaper and the Sonata even more so. There, the Laura is certainly no VFM contender. Since you are reading BS M, there is still hope – because we still think there are a few out there who want a Accord Vs Sonata comparison test with a Laura twist.
Park them next to each other and you immediately know that the Accord and the Sonata are the bigger cars here. The Accord represents modern-day Honda, where design has equal significance as what lies beneath the bonnet. The Sonata shows how mature Hyundai has become as a leading car maker. Its lines are flawless, its stance impeccable and the details up-to-date. The Laura, despite being small, makes its very own notchy-sporty-statement. To the untrained eye, there isn’t too much deviation from the Octavia that we have come to know and appreciate. But look closer and you will see one of the best examples of automotive evolution in slow motion. The grill is that much more slanted, the windshield has a sharper rake and the buttresses sweep back as in a sports coupe. The Accord is evocative to look at, the Sonata is all crisp and no-nonsense while the Laura is a subtle design statement that borders on the sporty.
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