With prices starting at just over $18,000, shoppers might be surprised by the 2006 Hyundai Sonata’s competitive mechanicals.

All Sonata models come equipped with four-wheel-disc antilock brakes with electronic brake force distribution – some of the Sonata’s mainstream competitors come with less effective rear drums on their entry models and offer antilock brakes only as an option. Also standard on every 2006 Hyundai Sonata is electronic stability control and traction control, unusual in this price range.

All of those fancy brake components are connected to a fully independent suspension. Bolted on up front are double wishbones with coil springs and a stabilizer bar. The rear end rides on a multi-link setup, also with coil springs and a stabilizer bar. Steering is courtesy of a revs-sensing rack and pinion system. But what moves it all down the highway may be most important, and to tackle that task Hyundai has equipped the 2006 Sonata with a choice of two engines.

Under the hood of the GL and some GLS models is an aluminum 2.4-liter, dual overhead cam, 16-valve, four-cylinder engine, good for 162 horsepower at 5,800 rpm and 164 lb.-ft. of torque at 4,250 rpm. In comparison, both the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry four-cylinders put out less horsepower and torque. Mated to the 2006 Hyundai Sonata’s base engine is a five-speed manual transmission; a four-speed Shiftronic automatic that allows the driver to shift gears manually is optional on the GL and standard on the GLS.

Buyers looking for more power will be want the aluminum 3.3-liter, dual overhead cam, 24-valve, six-cylinder engine that features continuously variable valve timing (CVVT) and is controlled by a five-speed Shiftronic automatic transmission. Horsepower for the V6 is rated at 235 at 6,000 rpm, and 226 lb.-ft. of torque is tapped at 3,500 rpm. Compare those numbers with the 210- and 225-horsepower V6s in the Camry, and the 240-horsepower six in the Honda Accord. Torque for the 2006 Sonata falls between these Japanese powerhouses, with the Accord offering 212 lb.-ft. and the Camry promising up to 240 lb.-ft. of twist.

Sonata’s engines are powerful and clean – each is rated to achieve ultra low emissions by the EPA. And it’s good to know that in these days of inflated gas prices, both will run on low octane gas. Mileage is rated by Hyundai at 24/34 (city/highway) for the four-cylinder with the manual transmission, 24/33 for the four with the automatic, and 20/30 for the V6.